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Poster #114 - Developing a Childhood Injury Prevention Simulation Game to Better Engage High Risk Parents in Services

Fri, March 22, 7:45 to 9:15am, Baltimore Convention Center, Floor: Level 1, Exhibit Hall B

Integrative Statement

Unintentional injuries are the leading cause of death and disability in young children. Around 10% of preschool-aged children experience a nonfatal unintentional injury resulting in emergency department treatment each year, and these injuries can lead to negative social, cognitive, and behavioral consequences. They also cost society more than $11.4 billion (CDC, 2013).

Parental cognitive challenges impede monitoring for potential safety risks (Haynes, Reading, & Gale, 2003; Laflamme et al., 2010) and have been linked to increased risk for child injuries and neglect (Azar et al., 2016; Miller & Azar, 2018). These same cognitive challenges act as obstacles to engagement in preventive interventions (Azar & Maggi, 2016; Damashak et al., 2012) and learning using traditional one-on-one interventions (Azar & Weinzierl, 2005; Azar et al., 2013). Technology-based instruction can improve engagement with intervention material, provide individualized scaffolding of new skills, circumvent literacy issues, and allow for skill practice in a simulated low-risk environment.

This translational and interdisciplinary project applies research delineating cognitive problems in neglectful mothers to a technology-based prevention intervention. This poster presentation will outline the development of a motivating and engaging computer-based game that teaches parents how to engage effectively in environmental scanning to identify and resolve common home hazards (Fig. 1). The game will be available to be played during the poster session.

This project uses computer-based simulation game technology to deliver content from evidence-based interventions for home safety. During the game, parents explore six virtual rooms in which they must identify potential hazards and select appropriate resolutions. The game promotes learning by presenting material in multiple modalities (e.g., text, voiceovers), situating new knowledge in the context of a realistic home environment, using colorful and engaging “villains,” and provides parents with a sense of agency in protecting children from injuries, which has been found to be low in parents who neglect their children (Azar et al., 2016). The game was programmed with Unity 3D technology and targets the most common fatal and non-fatal injuries in preschoolers (CDC Statistics, 2012): burns, falls, suffocation, drowning, cuts, firearms, and poison.

A pilot version of the game received high satisfaction scores (M = 3.98, SD = 0.49) and participants (18 young adults,11 mothers, 6 program staff) rated the game as sustaining their attention, engaging, and aesthetically pleasing. Comments from participants included “The little hazard symbol was helpful when it was difficult to see a hazard. Voiceovers were done well.” and “I learned not only what the hazards were, but also how to prevent children from getting hurt from them.” Generally, mothers became quicker at identifying hazards, even as level difficulty increased (Fig. 2).

The game has the potential to be used for both broad dissemination as a stand-alone intervention (at home or in healthcare settings) and in a blended home visiting model. It will reduce costs and extend the reach of universal injury prevention efforts. Playing the game themselves can give mothers a sense of autonomy and “expertise” as a prelude to discussing monitoring and home safety with a service provider.

Authors