Evaluation of primary caregivers' perceptions on home trampoline use

Trampolines are widely used by children, but trampoline injuries can be severe and may require hospital care or even surgery. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of an educational intervention on caregivers' perceptions of trampoline use and safety for their children. Primary caregivers were recruited from the orthopedic clinic at the Children's Hospital at our institution in 2015. Caregivers were asked to complete a survey at two time points, initially in clinic and one week post educational intervention. The educational intervention was a pamphlet outlining trampoline safety data. Data analysis occurred in 2016. From the 100 primary caregivers recruited, 39 caregivers owned a trampoline, and 10 had presented to the emergency department with their child for an injury related to trampoline use. After educational intervention, caregivers had higher rating of perceived danger associated with trampolines (6/10 vs. 8/10, p < 0.001). Additionally, a greater number of caregivers were more knowledgeable on the safe age of trampoline use (56% vs. 91%, p < 0.001) and safe number of jumpers (45% vs. 86%, p < 0.001). Finally, there was a 29% increase in the proportion of caregivers who at least agreed that trampolines are dangerous (pre: 44% vs. post: 73%, p < 0.001), however 50% of caregivers would still allow their child to use a trampoline. Overall, the results of this study show that a simple educational intervention can help to increase knowledge around safe trampoline practices and increase awareness of injury. Further, this study can act as initial evidence for future studies to implement this type of intervention long-term.