Make Safe Happen App Evaluation Study

Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death for young children in the United States (U.S.) and is responsible for more child deaths than they next three causes combined, that is, homicide, suicide, and cancer. Each year approximately 9,000 children die, 250,000 are hospitalized and more than 9,000,000 children are treated in emergency departments for preventable injuries. Child and adolescent unintentional injury deaths have not declined to the same extent that other diseases have, and resources directed at reducing child injury are not commensurate with the burden it poses. More than 50% of these injuries occur in and around the home, where young children spend most of their time. Unlike diseases such as cancer, there is no need to wait on a cure...there already is one. Many of these injuries can be prevented through the use of safety equipment and by following safety recommendations. Using known, effective countermeasures can prevent or reduce the consequences of a child being injured yet these devices are not routinely utilized. Barriers related to identifying hazards, finding credible information and recommendations, and obtaining the safety products best-suited to the features of your home make creating a safe home challenging for caregivers. Interventions for increasing home safety behaviors have ranged from educational materials, health care provider counseling, safety product distribution, hands-on experiential learning in a safety resource center--these have all been evaluated with varying degrees of effectiveness, however, wide-reaching interventions to reach large/substantial caregiver audiences, are needed. Offering tailored safety information on multiple topics via a single platform, combined with the ability to acquire safety devices, is a more efficient means to reach a large segment of the population and may help reduce the aforementioned barriers. Thus, there is an urgent need for mobile technologies to reduce barriers by helping parents id