162 Development and evaluation of a mobile technology-based safety behaviour change intervention

Abstract

Statement of Purpose To describe the creation and development of the Make Safe Happen (MSH) program and app, discuss the unique method of app data collection and tracking, and to provide results from the evaluation of a mobile technology-based safety behaviour change intervention. Topic Description Every year millions of children are injured in and around the home. It can happen anywhere and in a matter of seconds. But this is a problem with a solution. Many unintentional injuries can be prevented through the use of safety equipment and by consistently following existing safety recommendations. The MSH program and app were created to help parents and caregivers learn how to make their homes safer for their children. The MSH app is an innovative way to incorporate mobile technology as a behavioural intervention tool that offers customised safety information on multiple topics via a single platform. To date, the app has been downloaded >26 000 times. An evaluation study was conducted with parents of children aged 0–12 years who were randomised to use the MSH app or a non-injury related app for one week, and then completed pre- and posttest surveys. App utilisation and analytic data were collected with Google Analytics (GA), a web-based analytic platform. Results regarding participant safety knowledge, safety actions, device acquisition, and use of a home fire drill component will be presented. Few injury-related apps exist, and there have been no previous evaluations of tailored, mobile technology-based behaviour change interventions for home safety, studies that utilise GA for individual user-app behaviour analysis, or studies that link pre- and posttest survey data to app behaviour. Speakers Dr. McKenzie offers her approach to develop the MSH app and designing and conducting the evaluation study. She will describe the relationship with Nationwide and the MSH program and how a team of injury experts provide content and advise the program. Ms. Roberts will describe the processes used to implement the study design (online surveys with market research participant panels, focus groups, and home observations) as well as the participant recruitment and data collection. Ms. McAdams will describe the data collection and analysis of participant app behaviour data with GA and the pre- and posttest data. Mr. Cotton offers perspective on the relationship between Nationwide and Nationwide Children’s Hospital throughout the development and launch of a unique cause marketing program. He offers his expertise in cause marketing, tracking safety actions, and will present home fire drill data and future program directions. Proposed Format The overall presentation will be an interactive lecture format. There will be video describing the MSH program. Audience members will have the opportunity to engage by (voluntarily) downloading and using the MSH app and trying the home fire drill feature. Presenters will guide audience members through the process of reviewing data on GA by showing a short video featuring the app download, use, and test data collection and analytics. In addition, presenters will engage in an open discussion enabling the audience to ask questions regarding the development of similar applications.