Increasing Safety Belt Use Among Tweens: 8 to 15-year-olds

Since the Tween Safety Restraint Summit in November of 2006, the tween project team has been working to finish development of the Tween Safety Restraint campaign materials. Feedback received at the summit was used to adapt and complete materials and strategic plans for the February, 2007 "Is Everybody Buckled Up?" Tween Safety Restraint campaign.

The campaign was conducted in three Wisconsin Heights Schools, two McFarland Schools, and in the Madison School Community Recreation (MSCR) after-school programs at Toki, JR Wright, and Mendota schools in Madison. Observational survey and knowledge/usage questionnaire data collected in McFarland and Wisconsin Heights has been entered, cleaned, and analyzed. We will announce results at the fall summit.

The MSCR program consisted of four half hour programs once a week for a total of 12 programs over the month of February. Pre- and post-tests on knowledge and usage showed considerable improvement over the course of the campaign. Qualitative analysis of the information program process, group dynamics, response to presentation and content, and involvement of participants provided valuable information on differences in successful programs for different age ranges within the tween target.

The following were key findings coming out of the MSCR program. These findings will be used to make adaptations in the program curriculum and process before the program is used in the October neighborhood campaigns targeting low SES neighborhoods. Interview, survey, and observational information collected during the MSCR program indicate:

• Significant differences in successful programs based on the following age breaks: 8-10 years, 11-12 years, and 13-15 years.
• Within a short program, like the four week MSCR program, it is particularly important for the 11-15 year olds to have at least one member of the program facilitation team be from their own cultural community. This increases trust and reduces barriers to information acceptance.
• For all tweens but particularly the 11-15 year olds, the most compelling and enduring impressions and information from the program came from testimonials of young adults within their generation and from their cultural community.
• Activity and rewards, particularly food, was especially important for the 8-10 year old group.
• 11-15 year olds demonstrated special sensitivity about having an opportunity to have their voices acknowledged and recognized during program activities.
• 11-15 year olds also performed better with individual attention provided by facilitators during activity projects.
• 11-12 year olds were more apt to play devil's advocate and focus on the exceptional cases where safety belts cause injury and death. It is important in these programs to be prepared with statistics that answer these "exceptions." Having this information come from a voice of authority, i.e., minister, social worker, coach, from within the community appears to reduce further debate and is viewed with less cynicism than when it comes from a figure outside the community.
• Repetition of key concepts (e.g., how tall and how much a child must weigh to not need a booster seat, the safety of back seating for tweens, etc.) through quizzes, measurement exercises, and other activities is important to establish having the safety belt message at "top of mind" so that usage habits can be formed.
• 13-15 year old girls may have influence on the safety restraint use of peer boys and, may consequently present an opportunity to reach tween boys in a different and more successful way.

download executive summary (16kb pdf)