Safety makes sense: A program to prevent unintentional injuries in New York city public schools

Estimates suggesting that 10% to 25% of unintentional injuries to school-ag ed children occur in and around American schools are alarming. Information from the National Health Information Survey indicates as,,ta,ty as 3.7 mill ion children are injured in schools annually. To address these concerns, Th e New York Academy of Medicine and the Board of Education of the City of Ne w York in 1998 launched Safety Makes Sense, a multidimensional school-based , injury prevention initiative. The Safety Makes Sense program integrates u nintentional injury prevention into comprehensive school health education i n elementary and middle school classrooms and is implemented by interdiscip linary reams within a coordinated school health program. The multifaceted p rogram also integrates safety and music education, and includes development of a handbook for teachers and staff, student booklets, staff development training workshops, and evaluation.