Compliance of Middle School–Aged Babysitters in Central Pennsylvania With National Recommendations for Emergency Preparedness and Safety Practices

Abstract

Objective. To determine the compliance of middle school–aged babysitters with national recommendations for emergency preparedness and safety practices. Patients and methods. A prospective, self-administered questionnaire-based study was conducted at 3 middle schools in central Pennsylvania. Results. A total of 1364 questionnaires were available for analysis. Responding babysitters (n = 890) reported previous training that included babysitter (21%), first aid (64%), and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (59%) training. Reported unsafe babysitter practices were leaving a child unattended (36%) and opening the door to a stranger (24%). The most common emergency experience encountered by responding babysitters included cut or scrape (83%), burns (28%), and choking (14%). Ten percent of responding babysitters have activated the 911 system. Conclusions. Middle school–aged babysitters will likely encounter common household emergencies and therefore benefit from first aid training; however, very little difference in safety knowledge was found between trained and untrained babysitters, suggesting modifications in babysitter training programs may be required.