Effectiveness of Peer-Led Education on Knowledge and Attitude among Adolescents regarding Road Safety

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Children and adolescents are the most vulnerable groups for road traffic injuries in India (39%). Hourly, forty youngsters die in road traffic crashes. Road safety education aims at reducing this burden. Peer-led education (PLE) is a credible approach influencing students to modify their behavior positively. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of PLE in terms of knowledge and attitude toward road safety among adolescents. METHODOLOGY: A single-group pretest–posttest design among 113 adolescents was conducted using a two-stage sampling technique. Ten selected and trained student peers provided PLE on road safety to 103 fellow students using a teaching aid. Effectiveness of PLE on knowledge and attitude was assessed pre- and postintervention. RESULTS: Post PLE, the mean knowledge score of subjects increased from 10.5 to 17.5 with a significant mean difference of −6.9 (P < 0.001). The mean attitude score of subjects had increased from 46.7 to 48.1. A positive statistically significant correlation (P = 0.04) between knowledge and attitude and associations between certain sociodemographic variables were noted. CONCLUSION: Knowledge and attitude of subjects regarding road safety improved after PLE. Innovative teaching methods can be used to promote healthy behaviors among adolescents.