EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM FOR THE PROMOTION OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES AND PREVENTIVE PRACTICES FOR CHILDREN IN RELATION TO TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS: EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices on traffic accidents in schoolchildren, before and after the implementation of a health education program. METHODS: Experimental study carried out in two public schools in Northeastern Brazil. The sample was composed of 173 children from 3(rd) to 5(th) grade and was randomized into Experimental Group (EG; n=0) and Control Group (CG; n=8). The educational program was carried out at EG with the use of the educational therapeutic method (Health Magic Box). The data were obtained through the questionnaire Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP), applied at the beginning of the study, before any educational actions, and one month after the experimental treatment. Paired Student’s t-test was used to compare the moments before and after the intervention in the EG and initial and final evaluation in the CG. RESULTS: The children in the EG and CG were similar in relation to sociodemographic variables, and no significant difference was observed in the level of knowledge, attitudes and preventive practices on traffic accidents between the groups in the initial evaluation. One month after the experimental treatment, a significant improvement in knowledge was observed in EG (p=0.027). Preventive attitudes and practices were also higher in children in the EG, but without significant differences in relation to CG (p=0.060 and p=0.282, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The educational intervention increased the level of knowledge and maintained the preventive attitudes and practices on traffic accidents at the same level in 3(rd)-5(th) grade students.