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Child safety and the public media An analysis from the Brisbane Drowning Study
Author(s) -
NIXON JAMES W.,
PEARN JOHN H.,
WELLS ROBYN
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of paediatrics and child health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.631
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1440-1754
pISSN - 1034-4810
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1754.1980.tb01287.x
Subject(s) - publicity , medicine , occupational safety and health , injury prevention , poison control , suicide prevention , legislation , human factors and ergonomics , environmental health , medical emergency , media coverage , law , media studies , pathology , political science , sociology
Media‐based education campaigns form one of several strategies which can be used to promote child safety. Objective studies have shown that many such campaigns are ineffective in reducing trauma morbidity and mortality in childhood. One specific media‐campaign, generated to reduce child drowning in a high risk metropolis, has been effective in reducing the Incidence of childhood Immersion accidents. The content of this media‐campaign has been analysed in detail. Such a con‐tent analysis has revealed that (a) saturation coverage was present, and (b) controversial polar aspects of proposed child safety legislation were given equal media exposure. One interpretation of this sociological experiment is that sustained publicity of a high risk situation can reduce child trauma statistics, at least temporarily.