Evaluation study of the booklet "Preschoolers and Poisons".

Accidental poisonings remain a serious problem among young children. The booklet, "Preschoolers and Poisons," is part of the effort to educate the parents and caretakers to create a safe environment for their children. A pre-experimental, pre- and post-test, one group design, was employed with the purpose of determining if mothers of young children seen in St Paul Ramsey Medical Center's Pediatric Clinic had a gain in knowledge about accidental childhood poisoning and its prevention, and if they initiated preventive behavior after reading "Preschoolers and Poisons." The mothers' evaluation of the booklet was also solicited. A personal interview was used to collect data from a convenience sample of 40 mothers. The pre-test took place in the clinic, and the post-test over the phone, with an interim of 2 to 3 weeks. All participants read the booklet; 60% read the whole booklet and 40% read sections of interest. The mothers had a significant increase in knowledge, and a relationship between gained knowledge and age of the youngest child was found. The data showed that the Caucasian mothers in the study had a higher level of knowledge about accidental childhood poisonings and its prevention both before and after reading the booklet. Almost half of the mothers initiated preventive behavior. There was a positive relation between the initiation of preventive behavior and the age of the mother. Evaluations of the booklet were positive. Only 10% noted negative aspects such as the booklet being too short and missing a list of poisonous plants, while 80% identified positive aspects, such as the use of bright colors and the organization by age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)