Citation

Liller KD, Noland VJ, Rijal P, Pesce K, Gonzalez R. J. Agric. Saf. Health 2002; 8(4): 411-421.

Affiliation

College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Tampa, FL 33612, USA. kliller@hsc.usf.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2002, American Society of Agricultural Engineers)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12549245

Abstract

The Kids Count Farm Safety Lesson was delivered to nearly 2,000 fifth-grade students in 15 rural schools in Hillsborough County, Florida. The lesson covered animal, machinery, water, and general safety topics applicable to farming in Florida. A staggered pretest-posttest study design was followed whereby five schools received a multiple-choice pretest and posttest and the remainder of the schools (N = 10) received the posttest only. Results of the study showed a significant increase in the mean number of correct answers on the posttests compared to the pretests. There was no significant difference in the mean number of correct answers of those students who received the pretest and those students who had not, eliminating a "pretest" effect. This study fills an important gap in the literature by evaluating a farm safety curriculum offered in the elementary school setting. It also included migrant schoolchildren in the study population. It is strongly recommended that agricultural safety information be included into the health education curriculum of these elementary schools.