THE DEVELOPMENT OF INJURY PREVENTION EDUCATIONAL TOOLS FOR EVALUATION IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS IN SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY SETTINGS

Background Educational resources are important tools in the implementation of sport injury prevention strategies to help foster uptake of information in a community setting; however, there is limited information on how these tools are developed. Objective To develop two injury prevention educational tools targeting children and adolescents for evaluation in school and community settings. Design Qualitative. Setting Schools and ski/snowboard facilities in Calgary, Canada. Participants Key informants, including: 1) Community stakeholders from school and ski/snowboard settings, 2) Students ages 9–14 years, and 3) Ski/snowboard instructors, safety patrols and physical education (PE) specialists. Interventions Semi-structured focus groups and surveys were conducted with key stakeholders to explore pre-understandings, relevant content, delivery methods, and format of the tools. Consultations with community partners, PE specialists and ski/snowboard instructors and patrols helped further inform content and format during the development process. Main Outcome Measurements Videos and posters were developed based on feedback and discussions with key informants. These tools were designed as educational resources for teacher and student evaluation in two injury prevention studies. Results Videos were the main tools developed for the school-based delivery; including content about a neuromuscular training program and ski/snowboard safety strategies targeting injury prevention in youth sport. Focus group participants and informants emphasized the importance of understanding the target audience and adapting content and delivery approaches that increase the likelihood of successful uptake of key messages. This included communicating information in a clear and concise manner and utilizing visual and auditory cues to accommodate multiple learning styles. A health behaviour framework (i.e., Health Action Process Approach) was used to inform tool development. Conclusions Engaging informants supported the development of sport injury prevention educational tools. These tools are being utilized in studies evaluating their effectiveness in increasing knowledge, changing behaviour and reducing the risk of sport-related injury in school and community settings.