Evaluation of the Waitakere Community Injury Prevention Project.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the Waitakere Community Injury Prevention Project (WCIPP). METHODS Process and outcome evaluations were conducted over a three year period. Process activities included analysis of project documentation, participant observation, key informant interviews, and two post-implementation case studies. A quasiexperimental design was used for the outcome evaluation. Three primary sources of data were collected and analysed: injury statistics; a pre-post telephone survey (n=4,000); and a pre-post organisation survey (n=144). RESULTS Process evaluation provided a comprehensive account of the operation and activities of the WCIPP. Findings stress the pivotal role of the coordinators and highlight the value of incorporating a multicultural approach. A positive impact on changes to Waitakere City Council safety policies and practices was also evident. Outcome evaluation findings demonstrated significant reductions in rates of Waitakere child injury hospitalisations (p<0.05), while comparison communities showed an increase in child hospitalisation rates. In addition, compared with pre-intervention and comparison data, significantly more Waitakere residents were aware of injury prevention safety messages (p=0.0001) and had acquired appropriate child safety items (p=0.0001). CONCLUSION The community injury prevention model appears to be an effective strategy for injury prevention. The support provided by the council for the WCIPP has provided a benchmark for the role of local governments in injury prevention.