• C Macarthur.
• Division of Pediatric Medicine, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. colin.macarther@sickkids.ca
• Inj. Prev. 2003 Jun 1; 9 (2): 112-6.

ObjectiveTo evaluate Safe Kids Week 2001-a national public awareness campaign on scald and burn prevention-run by Safe Kids Canada.DesignRandom digit dial telephone survey.SettingCanada.SubjectsParents or guardians of children under 9 years. Two groups of parents were compared, those "exposed" to the campaign (defined as having "seen, heard, or read anything about scald and burn prevention during the period 28 May to 3 June 2001") and those "unexposed" to the campaign.InterventionBurn safety information was disseminated via the media, 5000 retail stores, and 348 community partners across Canada. The campaign emphasized four key messages: (1). Lower your water temperature, hot tap water could burn your child! (2). Make sure your child is safe in the kitchen. (3). Keep hot drinks away from your child. (4). Check your smoke alarms regularly.Outcome MeasuresChange in parental knowledge and behavior.ResultsA total of 29871 telephone numbers were called, with a household refusal rate of 27%. Nationally, 14% of parents were exposed to the campaign and 504 parents were interviewed, 251 in the "exposed" group and 253 in the "unexposed" group. Parents exposed to Safe Kids Week 2001 were 1.5-5 times more likely to be aware of key campaign messages, and 2-3 times more likely to test and lower the water heater temperature, compared with unexposed parents.ConclusionSafe Kids Week 2001 reached a significant proportion of parents of young children. In addition, the campaign appeared to increase burn safety knowledge and lead to behavior changes among exposed parents, compared with unexposed parents.

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