Systematic Review: Interventions to Educate Children About Dog Safety and Prevent Pediatric Dog-Bite Injuries: A Meta-Analytic Review

Overview

Journal J Pediatr Psychol

Publisher Oxford University Press

Date 2016 Jan 17

PMID 26773009

Citations 30

Authors

Jiabin Shen

Jenni Rouse

Manasvee Godbole

Hayley L Wells

Shilpa Boppana

David C Schwebel

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Dog-bite injury posits a significant threat to children globally. This review evaluated efficacy of cognitive/behavioral interventions for improving children's knowledge and behaviors around dogs.

Methods: Manuscripts published before January 3, 2014 evaluating cognitive/behavioral interventions for dog-bite prevention among children <18 years of age were eligible for inclusion. Among 2,270 abstracts screened, 123 full texts were retrieved. Twelve studies were included in the qualitative synthesis; nine were included in the meta-analysis. Risk of bias and quality of evidence were evaluated.

Results: Cognitive/behavioral interventions had a moderate effect in improving children's knowledge and a larger effect in improving children's behavior with dogs. The most effective intervention strategies were video for knowledge and instruction with live dogs for behaviors. Quality of evidence was poor.

Conclusions: Cognitive/behavioral interventions have potential to improve both children's knowledge and behaviors around dogs. Future interventions should include multiple follow-ups on dog-bite rates from an international perspective using rigorous randomized controlled trials.

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