Prevention of spinal cord injuries in Australia.

An Awareness and Prevention Team of five lecturers has been employed for 5 years funded by the Spinal Research Foundation at the Royal North Shore Hospital of Sydney, New South Wales. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the lecture programme in increasing knowledge and preventing the incidence of spinal cord injury was carried out to demonstrate the justification for continuing the Programme. This evaluation was achieved using a questionnaire designed for sample responses by school students in target age range. The questionnaires were distributed to 27 schools in five categories in order to obtain a spread of responses and a workable control group of schools which had not been visited by the Team. Results of 3823 questionnaires were tabulated and analysed by computer. The schools which had been visited by the Lecture Team showed both higher levels of knowledge on the structure of the spinal cord and effects of injury and also a more balanced attitude and awareness towards people requiring wheelchairs for mobility.