Don't be a flamin' fool: effectiveness of an adult burn prevention media campaign in two regions in Queensland, Australia--an interventional study.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Major burn injuries cause devastating physical and psychosocial morbidity, combined with significant health care and community costs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a targeted burn prevention message on burn safety knowledge and behavior.

METHODS:

An 11-year retrospective review of patients admitted to an adult tertiary burn center identified flammable liquid burn injuries in males older than 15 years as 23% of admissions and the most common preventable injury. Burn safety knowledge and experience were measured in a single-blinded, controlled, restricted (male, >15 years), interventional, (therapeutic) prevention study using a total of 2,053 computer-assisted telephone interviews in an intervention region (IR) and control region. A two-week multimedia campaign with the theme "Don't Be a Flamin' Fool" was delivered in the IR.

RESULTS:

The preintervention survey revealed that 13% (218 of 1,637) reported having previously had a gasoline (petrol) burn. Following the intervention, there was a higher percentage of respondents in the IR that had seen or heard a burn prevention message in the previous 3 months (51% vs. 10%; p < 0.001) and perceived that gasoline was a danger when used to start a fire (97% vs. 91%; p = 0.001), that any volume of gasoline was unsafe (85% vs. 65%; p < 0.001), and that gasoline can explode (96% vs. 92%; p = 0.001). Awareness and memory reverted to preintervention levels at 12 months. Eighty-three percent of respondents (100 of 120) who had seen the "Flamin' Fool" campaign thought it was effective in getting its message across.

CONCLUSION:

This collaborative study found that a media prevention message had a significant impact on burn safety knowledge, which diminished over time.

• Authors: Michael J Muller, Joel M Dulhunty, Jennifer D Paratz, John M Harrison, Bruce R Redman
• Journal: The journal of trauma and acute care surgery (J Trauma Acute Care Surg) Vol. 74 Issue 2 Pg. 652-7 (Feb 2013) ISSN: 2163-0763 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 23354265 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Fuel Oils

Topics

• Burns (epidemiology, prevention & control)
• Chi-Square Distribution
• Fuel Oils
• Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
• Health Promotion (methods, standards)
• Humans
• Male
• Mass Media
• Middle Aged
• Program Evaluation
• Queensland (epidemiology)
• Retrospective Studies
• Single-Blind Method