Abstract
BackgroundFirearm ownership is prevalent in the US and many children spend time in areas where firearms are not stored safely. The AAP recommends firearm safety counseling at pediatric well-visits.MethodsWe developed and tested six contextual messages to promote safe firearm storage based on: absence of harm, collective appeal to understanding child behavior, pediatrician’s authority, evidence-based, fear appeal, and general safety considerations. One hundred four parents who keep firearms at home were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk Prime and viewed video messages and reported behavioral intentions and emotional reactions following each message.ResultsAll six contextual messages were perceived as important and believable and increased parents’ intentions to follow safety advice provided, but also elicited negative emotions. The authority message elicited more negative emotions and resulted in lower intentions to follow safe storage advice.ConclusionsIncluding firearm messages with other child safety advice merits further evaluation. Authority messages should be avoided.
Highlights
Firearm ownership is prevalent in the United States (US) and many children spend time in areas where firearms are not stored safely
The main effect of the contextual messages was statistically significant on negative emotion, F(4.57, 433.78) = 4.40, p = .001, partial η2 =
The pediatrician’s authority message (M = 2.06, SE = .17) generated significantly more negative emotions when compared to the safety message (M = 1.79, SE = .14, p = .008). This investigation is the first step towards the development of acceptable and effective messages for pediatric primary care providers to use in discussions with parents to promote firearm safety
Summary
Firearm ownership is prevalent in the US and many children spend time in areas where firearms are not stored safely. The AAP recommends firearm safety counseling at pediatric well-visits. If. Pediatricians are a trusted source of health information and are encouraged to provide counseling about firearm safety as a part of well-child care. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that pediatricians routinely screen parents for the presence and availability of firearms in and around the home, and counsel parents who own firearms to prevent access with removal or safe storage (locked up and unloaded) [6]. The AAP advocates that a home without a firearm is the safest home for children and teens, about 35% of homes with children in the US contain a firearm, and many are not locked up and unloaded [7].
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