Parachute

Objectives School drop-off times can result in high volumes of motor vehicle traffic and drivers may engage in risky behaviors that may put children at risk and inhibit active school transportation. The study objective is to examine the association between features of the roadway physical environment and the number of different risky driving behavior types around selected elementary schools in seven Canadian municipalities during morning drop-off times. Methods In this descriptive study research assistants in seven Canadian municipalities coded whether or not (yes/no) any of 9 types of risky driving behaviors were observed during morning school drop-off times and active transportation counts at 552 elementary schools. Proportions of driving behaviors, overall and by type, were analyzed for each municipality. Schools in the highest decile and lowest decile of risky driving behaviors types were contrasted by features of the physical environment and presence of school crossing guards. Results Risky driving behaviors were observed at 98% of the 552 schools. The most commonly observed behavior was dropping child off on the opposite side of the street with the child subsequently crossing midblock with no traffic controls (80%). Schools with the fewest types of risky behaviors observed had more favorable Active Living Environment scores, curb extensions present more frequently, more restricted parking signage, more access to school entrances, and had child crossing guards less often. Conclusions The occurrence of risky driving behaviors is unacceptably high, with some inter-city differences observed. Understanding the extent and type of risky driving behaviors, as well as the environment in which these behaviors occur, can inform school, school board, and municipal interventions to reduce such actions.

BackgroundRoad-related injuries and deaths are among the most significant and avoidable public health problems in Canada. Modifications to the built environment (BE) can reduce injury rates for vulnerable road users (VRUs) and other priority populations who experience disproportionate risk. This paper highlights public health professionals’ experiences working in injury prevention across Ontario public health units (PHUs) navigating barriers and facilitators to BE change. Their perspectives offer valuable insights that can support future BE change work in the Ontario public health context, thus illustrating the importance of including practitioners’ voices in injury prevention research.MethodsQualitative data were collected for a larger pan-Canadian study examining barriers and facilitators to BE change from the perspectives of injury prevention and transport professionals working across a variety of sectors, including public health, using key informant interviews (KI) and virtual focus groups (VFGs). Participants (n = 9) from four PHUs are included in this present study: Peel Region; York Region; Peterborough; and Ottawa. Thematic analysis was used to organize and code the data in relation to the guiding principles of the Ontario Public Health Standards (OPHS), situating our results within the broader context of public health and road-related injury prevention in Ontario.ResultsMajor barriers included motor vehicle prioritization and decision-making structures. Facilitators included partnerships and collaboration, champions and advocates, and access to data. Lastly, participants highlighted the important role of public health in BE change discussions and decision-making for road-related injury prevention.ConclusionPublic health professionals’ insights about barriers and facilitators show that some of their work aligns with the existing OPHS. Needs of local populations are clearly identified, while local data illustrating the impact of public health interventions are lacking. There are limits to PHU’s capacities, as well as the capacities of communities, which can be strengthened through the work of champions and advocates. Partnerships, collaboration, and engagement are also significant facilitators to BE change, aligning with the OPHS, but PHUs need to be involved more in BE change processes in order to prioritize the safety needs of VRUs in local communities.

Concussion education is recommended to increase concussion knowledge, beliefs, and reporting intentions. The Concussion Awareness Training Tool for Youth (CATT-Youth) is a 40-minute e-Learning module developed for high school-aged youth. The aim of the study was to evaluate changes in concussion knowledge, beliefs, and reporting intentions in high school youth from Calgary, Canada, following completion of the CATT-Youth. This study used a modified stepped-wedge trial design. High school classes were randomly assigned to an intervention (Ix) or delayed intervention (DIx) group. Ix group participants completed a pre-CATT survey immediately followed by the CATT-Youth, then a post-CATT survey 2 to 6 weeks later. DIx group participants completed two pre-CATT surveys 2 to 6 weeks apart, with the CATT-Youth completed immediately following the second pre-CATT, then a post-CATT survey 2 to 6 weeks later. The pre-/post-CATT survey encompassed 11 subtests evaluating concussion knowledge, beliefs, and reporting intentions. Independent mixed linear regression models were conducted to examine changes in scores for each subtest. Participants included 454 high school students: five Ix schools (16 classes, n = 323) and two DIx schools (six classes, n = 131). The CATT-Youth significantly increased general concussion knowledge, Ix δ = 0.546/8 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.243, 0.849]), DIx δ = 0.728/8 (95% CI = [0.389, 1.106]), and beliefs about capabilities, Ix δ = 2.462/28 (95% CI = [1.086, 3.838]), DIx δ = 3.219/28 (95% CI = [1.594, 4.844]) for both groups. For some subtests, improvements were noted in the DIx group only. The CATT-Youth module improved concussion knowledge and beliefs about capabilities for students in both groups. Future studies should explore the utility of the CATT-Youth in changing knowledge, beliefs, and reporting intentions in high school students.

<p>Background</p> <p>Important inequities in child pedestrian-motor vehicle collisions (PMVC) have been observed. The mechanism through which social dimensions influence child PMVC is not well understood, nor is the role of the roadway-built environment.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The relationship between area-level social dimensions (material deprivation, proportion recent immigrants, proportion visible minority) and police-reported child PMVC between 2010 and 2018 in Toronto, Canada was examined using multivariable negative binomial regression models, controlling for built environment covariates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All social dimensions were significantly associated with child PMVC, including material deprivation (Incidence Rate Ratio (IRR<sub>–adjusted</sub>): 1.31, 95 % Confidence Interval (CI): 1.22–1.40), recent immigrant proportion (IRR <sub>adjusted</sub>: 1.58, 95 %CI: 1.30–1.92, per 10 % increase), and visible minority proportion (IRR <sub>adjusted</sub>: 1.09, 95 %CI: 1.05–1.12, per 10 % increase). Built environment features did not attenuate these associations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study provides evidence of social inequalities in child PMVC, suggesting a need to target traffic safety interventions towards the most socially marginalized areas.</p>

Abstract This chapter will provide a summary of high-level details regarding Vision Zero implementation in Canada, looking specifically at research, strategies, and implementation experiences in British Columbia, Edmonton, Calgary, and Fort Saskatchewan in Alberta, Toronto in Ontario, and Montreal in Quebec. This chapter will speak to the differences between Vision Zero implementation in Canada compared with Sweden, considering the viewpoint and circumstances of the unique governmental structure in Canada and implementation in municipalities versus entire provinces or territories. Priorities for the future of Vision Zero will also be discussed, along with the intersections and role of public health and other applications of Vision Zero.

Road traffic injury, one of the leading causes of preventable morbidity and mortality in Canada, declined substantially as an indirect outcome of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health policies encouraging people to ‘stay at home’ and ‘practice physical distancing’ precipitated shifts in vehicle volumes and speed, transportation mode, and collision rates. Toronto data from January to June 2020 showed a decrease in road transportation, and a simultaneous decrease in road traffic collisions. However, reduced traffic volumes also led to increased vehicle speeds which can result in an increase in injury severity involving pedestrians and cyclists. As the pandemic progresses, an emphasis on safe, active transportation and equitable distribution of street infrastructure throughout the city is essential. A public health approach to road safety includes implementation of evidence-based road safety infrastructure enabled by access to timely transportation data to evaluate changes made.

Canada’s Road Safety Strategy 2025 sets Vision Zero (VZ) as a goal for the future, with the onus on individual jurisdictions for action. With no clear guidelines, recommendations, or frameworks, road safety professionals and individual jurisdictions wanting to implement VZ are seeking evidence-based information, resources, and experts. The objective was to meet the demand by creating one-stop access to the VZ framework, addressing questions and concerns from road safety stakeholders, and synthesize evidence-based resources to increase capacity. Parachute solicited feedback from stakeholders across Canada, inquiring about the gaps of VZ implementation. Stakeholders wanted access to: information on the VZ concept; examples of implementation in other jurisdictions; leaders in health, traffic engineering, police enforcement, policy, and advocacy; and evidence-based strategies ranging from speed reduction, road design, and policy changes. In response, the Parachute VZ network was created (modeled after the successful U.S. Vision Zero Network) and complemented two national conferences bringing together more than 350 delegates from across Canada. Since the May 2017 launch, Parachute’s VZ network has become Canada’s leading voice on VZ. Parachute convenes 250 road safety stakeholders through multiple platforms and provides national leadership through the synthesis of evidence and experience. Resources such as the use of data to drive decisions and satisfy Complete Streets in both rural and urban settings, current research, links, communication campaigns, tools, and frameworks are now available in one place. The network is a commitment that helps mobilize Canadians to change how we think about road safety, bringing together multi-disciplinary stakeholders and building the capacity to ensure the right to safety for all.

Background and Purpose Child safety campaigns play an important role in disseminating injury prevention information to families. A critical discourse analysis of gender bias in child safety campaign marketing materials can offer important insights into how families are represented and the potential influence that gender bias may have on uptake of injury prevention information.Methods Our approach was informed by poststructural feminist theory, and we used critical discourse analysis to identify discourses within the poster materials. We examined the national Safe Kids Canada Safe Kids Week campaign poster material spanning twenty years (1997-2016). Specifically, we analyzed the posters’ typeface, colour, images, and language to identify gender bias in relation to discourses surrounding parenting, safety, and societal perceptions of gender.Results The findings show that there is gender bias present in the Safe Kids Week poster material. The posters represent gender as binary, mothers as primary caregivers, and showcase stereotypically masculine sporting equipment among boys and stereotypically feminine equipment among girls. Interestingly, we found that the colour and typeface of the text both challenge and perpetuate the feminization of safety.Discussion It is recommended that future child safety campaigns represent changing family dynamics, include representations of children with non-traditionally gendered sporting equipment, and avoid the representation of gender as binary. This analysis contributes to the discussion of the feminization of safety in injury prevention research and challenges the ways in which gender is represented in child safety campaigns.