Children’s Improvement of a Motor Response during Backward Falls through the Implementation of a Safe Fall Program

Óscar DelCastillo-Andrés, Luis Toronjo-Hornillo, Manuel Rodríguez-López, Carolina Castañeda-Vázquez and María del Carmen Campos-Mesa
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Óscar DelCastillo-Andrés: Physical Education and Sports Department, University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain
Luis Toronjo-Hornillo: Physical Education and Sports Department, University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain
Manuel Rodríguez-López: Department of Research Methods in Education, University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain
Carolina Castañeda-Vázquez: Physical Education and Sports Department, University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain
María del Carmen Campos-Mesa: Physical Education and Sports Department, University of Seville, 41013 Seville, Spain

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 12, 1-9

Abstract: The World Health Organization has warned that, in children, the second cause of death from unintentional injuries are falls. The objective of this study was to analyze the motor response of primary schoolchildren when a backwards fall occurs. These analyses occurred before and after interventions of the Safe Fall program, which aims to teach safe and protected ways of backward falling. A quasi-experimental research design was used, with a sample of 122 Spanish (Sevillian) schoolchildren in the 10–12 age bracket. The INFOSECA ad-hoc observation scale was used for data collection: this scale registers 5 essential physical reactions throughout the process of a safe and protected backwards fall. After that, a number of descriptive, correlational and contrast statistics were applied. The value used in the McNemar test to establish statistical significance was p < 0.05. Results showed that over 85% of students had developed the competence to correctly perform all five physical motions that allow for a safer backward fall. The teaching of safe and protected techniques for falling backwards in child population in Primary Education is possible through the implementation of the Safe Fall program in Physical Education classes, which can help making falls safer, diminishing the risk and severity of the injuries they cause.

Keywords: childhood injuries; falls; public health; education; health education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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