Don't run with scissors: young children's knowledge of home safety rules.

Abstract

To examine 4- to 6-year-old children's knowledge of their parents' home safety rules and to identify predictors of children's home injuries. Within the context of an interview, parents completed a home safety questionnaire in which they specified home safety rules, rated their child's compliance with each rule, explained not having rules, reported on maternal supervision, and reported on the frequency of their child's injuries. We evaluated children's knowledge of home safety rules by having them play a home safety game designed for this study. Children spontaneously recalled only about half of their parents' home safety rules. Prompting resulted in their recognition of about 40% more rules. However, children's knowledge scores did not predict the frequency of their injuries. The best predictors of children's injuries were children's compliance with home safety rules and extent of parental supervision. These findings suggest that interventions to promote young children's safety knowledge will not likely reduce childhood injuries unless children consistently comply with these rules or parents supervise children to ensure compliance.