Engaging Older Adults in Burn Prevention Education

Abstract

The objective of the study is to educate New York City seniors aged 60 years and older about fire safety and burn prevention through the use of a community-based, culturally sensitive delivery platform. The ultimate goal is to reduce burn injury morbidity and mortality among this at-risk population. Programming was developed and provided to older adults attending community-based senior centers. Topics included etiology of injury, factors contributing to burn injuries, methods of prevention, emergency preparedness, and home safety. Attendees completed a postpresentation survey. Of the 234 senior centers invited to participate in the program, 64 (27%) centers requested presentations, and all received the educational programming, reaching 2196 seniors. An additional 2590 seniors received education during community-based health fairs. A majority reported learning new information, found the presentation helpful, and intended to apply this knowledge to daily routines. Data confirm that many opportunities exist to deliver culturally sensitive burn prevention programming to the older adult population of this large metropolitan area in settings that are part of their daily lives. A majority of respondents welcomed the information, perceived it as helpful, and reported that they were likely to integrate the information into their lives.

Intervention study for changes in home fire safety knowledge in urban older adults

“…They found the majority of the programs focused on smoke alarm interventions [14,15] and improving children's fire safety knowledge [16,17]. HFS information has not been widely disseminated among older adults [18]. Though few studies were found directed toward older adults [10,18], none have combined an education intervention with a HFS assessment and measured retention of fire prevention knowledge over time.…”

“…HFS information has not been widely disseminated among older adults [18]. Though few studies were found directed toward older adults [10,18], none have combined an education intervention with a HFS assessment and measured retention of fire prevention knowledge over time. This study is a first step toward addressing this gap in the literature.…”