Safe Play Areas for Ross County Kids Project

Injury is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity among children in the United States. Because children spend much of their time playing, it is important that they have safe play environments where they can challenge themselves and develop physically, mentally, and socially. The SPARK Project will focus its intervention in Ross County, Ohio, an area with more than 930 farms. Prior to this project, relatively little has been done to promote the prevention of injuries to children who live and play on farms.

The specific aims of this project are as follows:

• In collaboration with partners in Ross County, renovate and develop playgrounds in Chillicothe, Ohio.
• In collaboration with partners in Ross County, promote safe play areas for children on farms.

The SPARK Project will employ a multi-faceted approach to injury prevention, centered on community partnership and collaboration. Utilizing methodology that was successfully developed and implemented as part of the Community Action for Playground Safety (CAPS) Program in Columbus, the SPARK Project will combine both active and passive injury prevention strategies to reduce playground and play-related farm injuries to children in Ross County.

Inclusion criteria

• For playgrounds

• must be seen at Adena Medical Center or Pickaway Pediatrics
• must be the parent of a child younger than 6 years of age
• must live in Chillicothe (if recruited at Adena) or Circleville (if recruited at Pickaway Peds)
• must be English speaking
• must be at least 18 years old
• For farms

• must self-identify as living on a farm
• must have a child younger than 6 years of age
• must live in Ross county or Pickaway county
• must be English speaking
• must be at least 18 years old

Exclusion criteria

• Participants can only enroll in one study at a time