KNOWLEDGE OF SAFETY OF HIGH AND LOW ACTIVE-IMPULSIVE BOYS - IMPLICATIONS FOR CHILD INJURY PREVENTION

Preventing childhood injuries is a worthy endeavor for child psycholog ists, because injury causes more fatalities among the young than all o ther diseases combined. Highly active, impulsive boys appear to be at special risk for injury occurrence. In this study, kindergarten, third -, and sixth-grade boys (n = 95) who were rated by their teachers as h igh or low on the Inattention/Overactivity factor of the Iowa Conners (Loney & Milich, 1982) sewed as participants and their knowledge of sa fety and prevention was assessed. Results indicated that within each g rade level, boys displayed comparable safety and prevention knowledge, regardless of their level of activity-impulsivity. These data suggest that there is no apparent deficit of knowledge of safety or preventio n to account for greater risk of injury in boys rated high on activity and impulsivity. The primary prevention approach of safety education is questioned as a comprehensive prevention method for this high-risk target group.