Developing Traffic Safety
Education Materials
for Spanish-Speakers
From “Foto-novela: Peligro en el Camino” brochure—see full brochure on page 96.
Prepared by
Prepared for
Christine Miara, MS
Technical Advisor
Erica Streit-Kaplan, MPH, MSW
Project Manager
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458-1060
607 14th Street, NW, Suite 201
Washington, DC 20005
800-993-7222
www.aaafoundation.org
April 2006
FOREWORD
This study was funded by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Founded in
1947, the AAA Foundation is a not-for-profit, publicly supported charitable
research and educational organization dedicated to saving lives and reducing
injuries by preventing traffic crashes.
Funding for this research was provided by voluntary contributions from the
American Automobile Association and its affiliated motor clubs, the Canadian
Automobile Association and its affiliated motor clubs, individual AAA members,
and AAA Club-affiliated insurance companies.
This publication is being distributed by the AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety at no charge, as a public service. It may not be resold or used for
commercial purposes without the explicit permission of the Foundation. However,
it may be copied in whole or in part and distributed for free via any medium,
provided the AAA Foundation is given appropriate credit as the source of the
materials. The opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in this publication
are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Foundation or of
any individual who peer-reviewed the report. The AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety assumes no liability for the use or misuse of any information, opinions,
findings, or conclusions contained in this report.
If trade or manufacturers’ names or products are mentioned, it is only because
they are considered essential to the object of this report and their mention
should not be construed as an endorsement. The AAA Foundation for Traffic
Safety does not endorse products or manufacturers.
©2006, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVE 1: Collect and Describe Existing Spanish-language Traffic Safety
Educational Materials
METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
OBJECTIVE 2: Develop Guidelines for Creating Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate
Educational Materials for Latinos
OBJECTIVE 3: Use the Guidelines to Develop A Model Educational Item
OBJECTIVE 4: Develop a Web Site that Contains the Guidelines and Traffic Safety
Resources for Spanish Speakers
REFERENCES
Appendix A: Members of the EST National Work Group and Expert Reviewers
Appendix B: List of the 388 Organizations Contacted for Traffic Safety Educational
Materials in Spanish
Appendix C: Letter Requesting Materials
Appendix D: List of Organizations That Developed Spanish-Language Materials
Appendix E: Interview Protocol for Survey of Materials Developers
Appendix F: Respondents’ Roles in Developing Educational Material
Appendix G: Guidelines for Developing Traffic Safety Educational Materials for SpanishSpeaking Audiences
Appendix H: Model Educational Item
“Manténganse Alerta. Sean responsables. La seguridad es responsabilidad de todos.”
(“Stay alert. Be responsible. Safety is everyone’s responsibility.”)
Appendix I: Summary of Focus Group Results
1
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Traffic-Related Fatality Rates by State and Hispanic Origin, 1999–2002
Table 2. Scope of Organization by Source of Information
Table 3. Primary Target Audience for Topics of Materials
Table 4. Scope of Organizations Targeting Relatives
Table 5. Place of Origin for Targeted Latino Groups
Table 6. Topics of Materials Targeting Low-Income and Low-Literacy Populations
Table 7. Number of Strategies Used in Developing Materials, by Topic of the Material
Table 8. Scope of Organizations That Used One or More Strategies in Developing
Materials
Table 9. Scope of Organizations by Strategies Used in Developing Materials
Table 10. Scope of Organizations That Created Material in Spanish
Table 11. Scope of Organizations That Used a Translator
Table 12. Scope of Organizations That Evaluated Materials
Table 13. Topics of Material by Evaluation Type
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Organization Scope
Figure 2. Organization Type
Figure 3. Organization Mission
Figure 4. Material Format
Figure 5. Primary and Secondary Topics Covered by the Material
Figure 6. Sources of Information for Developing Materials
Figure 7. Age Group Addressed by the Material
Figure 8. Primary Target Audience
Figure 9. Demographic Group Targeted
Figure 10. Distributors of Materials
Figure 11. Intended Uses of Material
Figure 12. Quantity of Materials Printed to Date (2004)
Figure 13. Material Price per Item
Figure 14. Year Material Produced or Revised
Figure 15. Language Availability
Figure 16. Electronic Availability
Figure 17. Resources Used to Determine Content, Format, and Other Aspects of
Materials
Figure 18. Process to Create the Material in Spanish
Figure 19. Source of Translation of Material into Spanish
Figure 20. Type of Evaluation Used for Materials
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Viviana Cataño-Merino, Research Assistant, and
Magda Rodriguez, Senior Research Assistant, for their hard work and excellent
contributions to this project. We also thank Susan Gallagher and Julie Ross, who wrote
the proposal and obtained funding to carry out the work, as well as the following staff
and consultants of Education Development Center, Inc.: Vera Churilov, Scott Formica,
Sherilyn Pearce, Irene Simon, and Heidi Smith.
We are grateful to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAAFTS), the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the FIA Foundation for the
Automobile and Society for their financial support. J. Scott Osberg, Research Director,
J. Peter Kissinger, President and CEO, and Brian Tefft, Research Analyst, from
AAAFTS and Robin Mayer, Chief of Consumer Information Division, NHTSA, provided
critical input and support over the course of this project.
We appreciate the assistance of the EST National Work Group members who provided
their time, expertise, and valuable feedback. Members not already mentioned above are
Suzanne Bronheim, Georgetown University Medical Center, National Center for Cultural
Competence; Alberto Concha-Eastman, Pan American Health Organization; Hilda
Crespo, ASPIRA Association, Inc.; T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, AAA National; Richard Fimbres,
Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety; Tania García, Education Development
Center, Inc.; Cynthia Harris, California State Automobile Association; Adam Howard,
AAA National; Sylvia Veitía, AAA Mid-Atlantic; and Dannielle Sherrets, AAA National.
(See Appendix A for the complete list of Work Group members.)
The Western Massachusetts EST (WEST) Community Advisory Group provided
invaluable assistance in developing the model material and providing feedback on the
draft Guidelines. The expertise of the Media Network is apparent in the content and
design of the material.
Finally, we would like to express our gratitude to the 65 organizations that responded to
our requests for educational materials in Spanish and especially those 53 organizations
that supplied information about their materials.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Traffic injury is the leading cause of death and a leading cause of injury among Latino
children and young adults. Educación de Seguridad en el Tránsito (EST) [Education in
Traffic Safety] was a two-year project that addressed the high rate of traffic-related
injuries among native Spanish speakers. The project was designed to foster the
development of effective educational materials in Spanish. It was conducted by
Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) in Newton, Massachusetts, with the support
of three partners: the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAAFTS), the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the FIA Foundation for the
Automobile and Society.
This report presents results on the project’s four objectives: 1) collect and describe
existing Spanish-language traffic safety educational materials; 2) develop guidelines for
creating culturally and linguistically appropriate educational materials for Latinos; 3) use
the guidelines to develop a model educational item; 4) develop a Web site that contains
the guidelines and traffic safety resources for Spanish-speaking audiences.
Objective 1: Collect and Describe Existing Spanish-Language Traffic Safety
Educational Materials
Methods
The purpose of this objective was to characterize existing Spanish-language traffic
safety educational materials. Project staff began by identifying entities and
organizations that distribute Spanish-language traffic safety materials. They obtained
copies of as many of these materials as possible and selected those suitable for
inclusion in the study, and then characterized various aspects of the organizations and
the materials. Next, researchers identified and contacted appropriate spokespersons in
each organization and conducted interviews with them. Finally, the interview data were
analyzed.
Researchers conducted searches for a variety of agencies that distribute Spanishlanguage traffic safety materials, particularly those with traffic safety or public health
missions and organizations that serve the Latino community. Altogether 388
government, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations were identified at the national, state,
and local levels.
An e-mail request was sent to each organization asking for any Spanish-language traffic
safety materials they had developed. Sixty-five organizations confirmed that they had
developed such materials and sent a total of 237 items via mail and e-mail.
A protocol for interviewing materials developers was devised, covering eight areas:
1.
2.
Characteristics of the organization
Format and content of the materials
4
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Target audience
Distribution and availability of the materials
Development process (including consumer and/or expert feedback)
Advice received by materials developers during the development process
Translation process (e.g., developed in Spanish, professionally translated)
Evaluation procedures—that is, the nature of evaluation activities to date
Telephone interviews were requested with the original developer of the material or, if
that person was not available, the person with the most knowledge about the
development of the material. Interviews were scheduled for 30 minutes to two hours,
depending on the number of relevant materials the organization had produced.
Results
Developer Organizations
Fifty-three of the 65 organizations identified agreed to interviews. The largest proportion
(47%) were state organizations, followed by national organizations (33%) and local
organizations (11%). Respondents identified their respective organizations as nonprofit
(45%), government (36%), and for-profit (17%).
Materials
The 65 organizations had produced 190 educational items relevant to the study. The
most common primary topic for these materials was child passenger safety (44%),
followed by pedestrian safety (11%). The specific audience most often targeted was
parents or other adult relatives of children (43%). Most of these items (90%) were
translated into Spanish, and only 10% were created originally in Spanish. Fifty-two
percent of the items had undergone some evaluation, most with a process evaluation.
Most items (80%) were used as part of a broader program or campaign.
Discussion
The EST study identified a large number of traffic safety materials for Latinos.
Organizations of all types—national, state, and local; government, for-profit, and
nonprofit; traffic safety and public health—have created Spanish-language traffic safety
educational materials, mostly within the three years preceding the study. This trend
suggests a growing awareness of the need for traffic safety materials specifically
addressing Latino communities. In fact, many respondents reported that they developed
their materials because of the increasing numbers of Latinos in the United States, an
apparently elevated risk of traffic injuries for some Latinos, and a lack of existing
materials in Spanish. The study results indicate that few materials are available on
topics other than child passenger safety or for groups such as teenagers and seniors. In
addition, very few materials were developed using the commonly recommended
techniques of obtaining community input, pilot testing, using professional translators or
developing the material initially in Spanish, and conducting formative or impact
evaluations.
5
Objective 2: Develop Guidelines for Creating Culturally and Linguistically
Appropriate Educational Materials for Latinos
Developers provided advice on how to create or disseminate effective materials, which
was incorporated into the Guidelines for Developing Traffic Safety Educational Materials
for Spanish-Speaking Audiences. The Guidelines are meant to help developers create
effective materials by focusing on three critical areas: cultural and linguistic
appropriateness for the intended audience; accurate traffic safety information; and use
of principles of effective health communication. Developers are encouraged to first
identify the audience and the topic and then work on the materials in collaboration with
partners.
The Guidelines were developed on the basis of recent literature and research, the
expertise of the EST National Work Group members and a panel of expert reviewers,
and the results of the interviews conducted for Objective 1. Work group members and
expert reviewers provided feedback, examples, and specific recommendations on the
twelve main steps presented in the Guidelines.
Objective 3: Use the Guidelines to Develop a Model Educational Item
To pilot test the Guidelines, researchers at EDC worked with community members in
Holyoke, Massachusetts, to create a model traffic safety educational item written in
Spanish. In partnership with this community coalition, EDC developed a fotonovela—a
comic book with photographs of real people—on pedestrian safety. This process
involved several community meetings, focus groups, a photo shoot, distribution of the
fotonovela, and a press conference to promote the new material. To determine the
feasibility of adapting the Holyoke-area material for a national audience, the AAAFTS
commissioned a study to obtain input from national experts, including those in Latino,
traffic safety, and health communication organizations, AAA Clubs, and NHTSA regional
offices.
Objective 4: Develop a Web Site that Contains the Guidelines and Traffic
Safety Resources for Spanish Speakers
EDC and AAAFTS staffs created a Web site about the EST project
(http://www.aaafoundation.org/projects/index.cfm?button=EDCintro) that includes a
wide range of resources: information about the extent of the traffic safety problem
among Latino communities; interviews with materials developers; and existing traffic
safety materials for native Spanish speakers. The site also contains the Guidelines, the
model educational fotonovela, PowerPoint presentations, and this report. The study
results were also disseminated via oral and poster presentations at professionals
meetings.
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Introduction
Educación de Seguridad en el Tránsito (EST) [Education in Traffic Safety] was a twoyear project conducted by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) in Newton,
Massachusetts. The project was funded by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
(AAAFTS), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the FIA
Foundation for the Automobile and Society. The goal of EST was to address the high
rate of traffic-related injuries among Latinos by fostering the development of effective
educational materials in Spanish.
Although a wide variety of traffic safety materials are available in Spanish, many of them
have deficiencies in technical accuracy as well as in cultural appropriateness. For
example, in Seated for Safety (a study of child passenger safety educational materials
funded by AAAFTS), EDC researchers found that most child passenger safety
educational materials targeting lay audiences are not appropriate for diverse audiences,
including native Spanish speakers. Although 30% of the materials compiled in the study
were available in Spanish, most had never been field-tested to assess their
appropriateness for Spanish-speaking audiences. Moreover, most of the Spanishlanguage materials had simply been directly translated from English, a process that
rarely results in culturally appropriate educational materials (Ross et al. 2002).
Researchers and practitioners agree that reducing traffic injury among Latinos will
require a multipronged effort that addresses environmental factors, enforcement of
laws, provision of safety equipment such as helmets and car seats, and more effective
education. Educational materials must be culturally appropriate to be effective, and the
best way to ensure cultural appropriateness is to involve the target audience in
developing the materials (NHTSA 1995; Agran et al. 1998; Schiff and Becker 1996;
Harper et al. 2000).
There are several reasons to develop culturally appropriate traffic safety materials
specifically for Latinos: Latinos are the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population;
motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and a leading cause of injury
among Latino children and young adults; and existing materials in Spanish do not
adequately address the problem.
Demographic Profile
The Hispanic or Latino 1 population is growing seven times faster than the U.S.
population as a whole. Hispanics, currently 13% of the population, are projected to
constitute 24% of the population by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau 2004). According to the
most recent figures, about two-thirds of Hispanics are from Mexico and live in the West
and the South, and Hispanics from other countries are more likely to live in other parts
of the country (Ramirez and de la Cruz 2003). The national origins and geographic
distribution of Hispanics are summarized as follows:
1
In this section, the terms Hispanic, Latino, Caucasian, and white are used as they are in the referenced
sources.
7
•
•
•
•
66.9% are of Mexican origin, a group most likely to live in the West and the South
14.3% are of Central and South American origin, most likely to live in the Northeast,
the South, and the West
8.6% are of Puerto Rican origin, most likely to live in the Northeast
3.7% are of Cuban origin, most likely to live in the South
Compared with non-Hispanic whites, Hispanics are more likely to live in households of
five or more people (26% of Hispanics, compared with 11% of non-Hispanic whites); live
in poverty (21% of Hispanics, compared with 8% of non-Hispanic whites); and not
possess a high school degree (43% of Hispanics, compared with 11% of non-Hispanic
whites) (Ramirez and de la Cruz 2003). Although in 2005 more than 90% of Hispanics
lived in urban areas, settlement patterns have changed in recent years. Over the past
decade, increasing numbers of Hispanics, many of them recent immigrants with
relatively low education and economic status, have settled in non-metro areas outside
the Southwest (Kandel and Cromartie 2004).
Traffic Injuries and Deaths Among Latinos
Calculating traffic injury rates among Latinos is complex. Two commonly used sources
of national-level data pertaining to motor vehicle traffic fatalities are the NHTSA’s
Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and databases compiled by the National
Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC).
FARS is a census of all deaths that occur as a result of motor vehicle crashes on public
roadways in the United States. Data in the FARS database are drawn primarily from
state police crash report forms and are supplemented with data from other sources,
such as death certificates. FARS includes more than 100 data elements pertaining to
individual crashes, vehicles, drivers, and other persons involved in fatal motor vehicle
crashes.
Data elements pertaining to race and Hispanic origin were added to FARS in 1999. This
information is obtained from state-issued death certificates. Thus, while FARS contains
detailed information about every participant involved in a fatal crash, whether fatally
injured or not, information on race and Hispanic origin is available only for fatally injured
persons. Furthermore, this information is not reported consistently. An analysis of FARS
data from 2002 shows that of the 43,005 fatalities reported in FARS, 4,928 fatally
injured persons were listed as Hispanics and 4,971 were coded as “Hispanic Origin:
Unknown” (NHTSA 2005). The reporting of Hispanic origin in FARS varies greatly from
state to state. In 2002, some states provided valid attributes for the Hispanic origin data
element for all or virtually all fatalities; other states coded more than 80% of fatally
injured persons as “Hispanic Origin: Unknown” (NHTSA 2005).
8
The NCHS maintains databases of mortality data drawn from death certificates for all
deaths in the United States, including deaths resulting from motor vehicle crashes.
Unlike FARS, the NCHS data do not include details about motor vehicle crashes.
The reporting of Hispanic origin appears to be more complete in the NCHS data than in
the FARS data. As an illustration, NCHS data show 5,537 motor vehicle traffic crash–
related deaths among Hispanics in 2002 (CDC 2005), in comparison with the 4,928
reported in FARS. These figures are expected to differ to some extent, given the slightly
different inclusion criteria for the two databases (e.g., the death must occur within 30
days of the crash to be included in FARS). Underreporting of Hispanic origin in FARS is
evident, however, especially when the data are analyzed on a state-by-state basis.
Several studies have linked FARS data with the NCHS’s Multiple Causes of Death
(MCOD) database to obtain information on race and/or Hispanic origin as well as more
detailed information about specific crashes (e.g., Baker et al. 1998; Braver 2003).
Neither the NHTSA nor NCHS reports rates of nonfatal motor vehicle crash injury by
ethnicity. Studies examining nonfatal injury rates among Latinos have typically been
confined to data from a single state or from smaller entities, such as a hospital
emergency department. Thus, it is difficult to compare these studies. As Voas, Tippetts,
and Fisher (2000) note, “There is not consensus regarding definitions of race and
ethnicity. There is lack of reliability in self reports of race and ethnicity. There is
inconsistency across data sets that collect information.”
Rosenberg et al. (1999) cite results from the National Longitudinal Mortality Study
(Rogot et al. 1992) in which deaths among Hispanics, as reported on death certificates,
were understated by approximately 7% because of underreporting of Hispanic origin on
death certificates. Rosenberg also cites research by Hogan (1993) estimating that the
U.S. Census Bureau undercounts Hispanics by 5.0 %. These biases negate each other
to some extent, producing official statistics that overestimate death rates among
Hispanics by roughly 1.6% (Rosenberg et al. 1999).
According to the CDC, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for
Hispanics aged 1–34 years (CDC 2005). Nationwide, population-based motor vehicle
crash–related fatality rates are slightly lower for Hispanics than for non-Hispanics,
although there is substantial variation among states. State-by-state traffic-related fatality
rates for 1999–2002 are listed in Table 1.
Table 1. Traffic-Related Fatality Rates by State and Hispanic Origin, 1999–2002
Non-Hispanic*
Hispanic*
**
State
Deaths
Rate
Deaths
Rate**
Alabama
4,193
23.94
87
28.40
Alaska
358
14.79
11
10.47
Arizona
2,921
18.84
1,023
18.98
Arkansas
2,537
24.45
48
13.74
California
10,109
10.99
4,936
10.98
Colorado
2,173
15.07
646
21.26
Connecticut
1,140
9.21
127
9.75
9
Delaware
423
14.06
33
21.68
District of Columbia
191
9.12
7
3.70
Florida
9,904
18.45
2,002
18.02
Georgia
5,671
18.07
380
21.18
Hawaii
401
8.85
48
13.43
Idaho
897
18.63
150
35.77
Illinois
5,387
12.35
646
10.31
Indiana
3,555
15.10
127
14.60
Iowa
1,713
15.05
65
19.77
Kansas
1,931
19.28
159
20.81
Kentucky
3,196
20.01
76
31.40
Louisiana
3,750
21.51
62
14.16
Maine
743
14.62
4
10.51
Maryland
2,473
12.09
111
11.87
Massachusetts
1,843
7.77
132
7.53
Michigan
5,290
13.71
168
12.79
Minnesota
2,446
12.72
70
12.05
Mississippi
3,438
30.58
45
29.23
Missouri
4,274
19.44
89
18.72
Montana
858
24.21
19
26.30
Nebraska
1,055
16.27
72
18.94
Nevada
1,110
16.95
203
12.32
New Hampshire
488
9.94
6
7.16
New Jersey
2,574
8.80
376
8.20
New Mexico
969
22.98
673
21.77
New York
5,699
8.85
666
5.69
North Carolina
5,962
19.26
497
32.02
North Dakota
418
16.55
1
3.26
Ohio
5,625
12.61
104
11.92
Oklahoma
2,650
20.20
128
17.67
Oregon
1,652
13.04
129
11.33
Pennsylvania
5,989
12.59
184
11.57
Rhode Island
331
8.61
23
6.21
South Carolina
3,809
24.16
140
36.13
South Dakota
660
22.13
6
14.47
Tennessee
4,972
22.23
152
30.44
Texas
10,581
18.55
4,508
16.43
Utah
1,131
13.78
151
18.21
Vermont
309
12.76
2
9.28
Virginia
3,490
12.83
180
13.25
Washington
2,531
11.52
326
17.94
West Virginia
1,483
20.66
5
10.53
Wisconsin
3,110
14.98
70
8.98
Wyoming
493
26.64
45
35.29
Total
148,906
15.06
19,918
13.76
Data 1999–2002 obtained from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2005).
*Hispanic and Non-Hispanic may include persons of any race.
**Rates per 100,000 population.
10
The national data also show a marked difference by sex. For the period of 1999–2002,
motor vehicle crash fatality rates for males were 19.98 per 100,000 population for
Hispanics and 20.72 for non-Hispanic whites. Rates for females were less than half of
those for males, for both Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites (CDC 2005).
There is some evidence that Latinos travel less in motor vehicles than the general
population but that they face greater risk when they do so (e.g., Baker et al. 1998;
Braver 2003). In a study of motor vehicle crash fatalities in Arizona, Campos-Outcalt et
al. (2003) found that Hispanics, despite having higher pedestrian fatality rates as well as
higher rates of alcohol involvement and non-use of safety belts in fatal crashes,
nevertheless had lower population-based motor vehicle crash–related fatality rates
overall than did whites. The study team speculated that the finding might reflect lower
driving rates among Hispanics compared with persons of other races and ethnicities.
Baker et al. (1998) found that motor vehicle occupant fatality rates for Hispanic children
and teens were similar to those of their non-Hispanic white counterparts when
expressed per 100,000 persons but that rates were higher when expressed per billion
vehicle-miles of travel. For Hispanic children aged 5–12 years, the motor vehicle
occupant fatality rate was 8 per billion vehicle-miles of travel and 5 for non-Hispanic
whites. For teens aged 13–19, the fatality rate was 45 per billion vehicle-miles of travel
for Hispanics and 30 for non-Hispanic whites. The difference was more pronounced for
males than for females. The authors concluded: “Hispanic children and teenagers are at
higher risk of dying in motor vehicles when they travel. Greater public health attention is
needed to address these increased risks.”
Braver (2003), analyzing fatalities among adult vehicle occupants aged 25–64 years,
found that death rates, when measured on a per-trip basis, were 26% higher among
Hispanic men than among non-Hispanic whites. The data showed no evidence of
elevated death rates for Hispanic women, however.
While the picture is mixed in these comparisons of Hispanic and non-Hispanic motor
vehicle occupants, there is strong evidence that Hispanics are at greater risk of being
killed as pedestrians. National population-based rates for 1999–2002 show fatality rates
of 2.22 per 100,000 among Hispanics and 1.58 per 100,000 among non-Hispanics
(CDC 2005). Harper et al. (2000) found that Hispanics were more likely than nonHispanic whites to be killed as pedestrians in Colorado, and Campos-Outcalt et al.
(2003) found the same in Arizona. Ohland, Nguyen, and Corless (2000) found that
Latinos in California were disproportionately injured and killed as pedestrians. In a study
of injuries among Hispanic children in several cities in California, Agran et al. (1998)
discovered that after adjustment for census block group, the pedestrian injury rate for
Hispanic children was more than double that of non-Hispanic white children.
Several studies indicate that Hispanics are at greater risk of alcohol involvement in
motor vehicle crashes than non-Hispanic whites. In the 1996 National Roadside Survey,
7.5% of Hispanic drivers, compared with 2.3% of non-Hispanic white drivers, had high
blood alcohol contents (defined in the study as concentrations of 0.10% or greater)
11
(Voas et al. 1998). In an analysis of alcohol-related traffic fatalities, Voas, Tippetts, and
Fisher (2000) found important differences among Hispanic Americans from different
countries of origin. The authors reported that “Cuban Americans stood out for their low
percentage of alcohol-related driver, passenger, and pedestrian fatalities,” whereas
Mexican Americans had the second highest proportion of alcohol-related fatalities
(Native Americans had the highest alcohol involvement rates). Fifty-three percent of
fatally injured Mexican American drivers were found to have consumed alcohol,
compared with 41% of fatally injured Caucasian American drivers and only 30% of
fatally injured Cuban American drivers (Voas, Tippett, and Fisher 2000).
Risk Factors for Traffic Injury
Use of Occupant Restraints
The literature contains disparate findings on use of safety belts and child safety seats
among Latinos. An observational study conducted in four U.S. cities showed that Latino
safety belt use is as high as or higher than use by whites (Wells, Williams, and Farmer
2002). Similarly, the NHTSA-funded 2003 Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey found
that the rate of safety belt use among Hispanic drivers was 88%, compared with 84%
among non-Hispanic drivers. The study authors noted that a large proportion of the
Hispanic respondents resided in states with primary safety belt enforcement, where
drivers can be stopped and ticketed for non-use of safety belts even if no other traffic
violation is observed (Boyle and Vanderwolf 2004).
Studies from Colorado (Harper et al. 2000) and Illinois (Lee et al. 1996) show that
Hispanics had lower rates of safety belt use than non-Hispanics. Similarly, observational
studies and face-to-face surveys of Hispanic farm workers in California showed lower
rates of safety belt use among Hispanic farm workers in rural areas in comparison with
national statistics (Stiles and Grieshop 1999). Here again, however, fatally injured
vehicle occupants of Cuban origin have been found to be more likely than those of any
other ethnic group to have been using safety belts (Voas et al. 2000).
National and state studies show lower rates of safety belt and child passenger safety
use by Hispanic children and teens (Matteucci et al. 1995; Nachiondo, Robinson, and
Killen 1996). A survey in Texas revealed that 19% of Hispanic preschool-age children
used restraints, compared with 62% among all races (Womack 2001).
Reasons for Not Using Occupant Restraints
It is difficult to distinguish between the influences of ethnicity and socioeconomic status.
As noted earlier, Hispanics are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to live in poverty,
and many studies show lower rates of safety belt and car seat use among lower-income
populations (Gantz et al. 2003).
A Colorado study of fatally injured drivers showed that, on average, Hispanics had older
vehicles and carried more occupants per vehicle, which meant a greater likelihood of
12
not having enough safety belts for all vehicle occupants and of having only lap belts
without shoulder belts for some occupants (Harper et al. 2000).
An observational study in two low-income communities in Massachusetts revealed that
in comparison with the overall sample, Hispanics were less likely to have all children
seated in the rear. The factor most strongly associated with child rear seating in the
study was having children only of young ages (age six and under) in the vehicle, but
Hispanics were less likely to have only young children in the car; they were also more
likely to have three or more child passengers (Greenberg-Seth et al. 2004b).
Data from the CDC show that for the period of 1999–2002, the motor vehicle occupant
fatality rate for non-Hispanic white children was 1.31 deaths per 100,000 people,
whereas the rate for Hispanic children was 1.83 (CDC 2005).
Participants in several Latino focus group studies have described the practices,
attitudes, and experiences they have had with passenger restraints. The following are
some of the findings reported:
•
Non-use of safety belts is related to discomfort, belief that the belts are unsafe,
absence of safety belts in older cars, sense of fatalism, and belief that safety belts are
not necessary for short trips (NHTSA 1995).
•
Use of safety belts is related to feeling vulnerable to enforcement of belt laws and
to having heard stories about belts saving people’s lives. It was noted that in Mexico,
safety belt laws are not enforced and there is no public education about their use
(Latino Council on Alcohol and Tobacco [LCAT] and Midwest Latino Health Research
[MLHR] 2001).
•
Non-use of child passenger safety seats is related to resistance from the child,
inadequate space in the vehicle (especially with large families), expense, and a belief by
some Hispanics that it is better to hold the child in one’s lap (NHTSA 1995).
•
Latino farm workers indicated that they did not use safety belts because they
generally forgot to put them on or because the belts were uncomfortable. They also said
they felt that seat belts were not necessary on rural roads because of lack of law
enforcement and traffic (Stiles and Grieshop 1999).
Factors Associated with Drinking and Driving
Several of the focus group studies shed light on Latino behaviors and attitudes related
to drinking and driving with findings such as the following:
•
Some Latinos believe that consumption of alcohol is proof of manhood (LCAT
and MLHR 2001; NHTSA 1995).
•
There is a lack of knowledge about the effects of alcohol on driving ability and
about the amount of alcohol required to reach the legal definition of intoxication (LCAT
and MLHR 2001; NHTSA 1995; Ferguson et al. 2002).
•
Passengers are willing to ride with a driver who has been drinking. Latino youths
report having difficulty avoiding riding with drinking drivers and preventing friends from
13
driving drunk, and they are more likely than non-Latino youths to ride with a driver who
has been drinking (NHTSA 1995; Beck and Bargman 1993; Grunbaum et al. 2002).
•
The concept of a designated driver is not clear or is unlikely to be effective; focus
group participants reported not making a practice of planning who will stay sober and
drive (LCAT and MLHR 2001; NHTSA 1995).
•
The circumstances under which alcohol is consumed contribute to drinking and
driving. Many reported drinking on the job, especially during the summer months on
construction or other outdoor jobs, with the boss or crew leader buying the first drink
(LCAT and MLHR 2001). Hispanics are more likely to report that they had their last
drink at home or at a friend’s house prior to an arrest for driving under the influence
(DUI), whereas whites were more likely to have had their last drink in a bar (Padilla and
Morrissey 1993).
•
Some perceive DUI laws and enforcement to be weak (NHTSA 1995).
•
Awareness of the consequences of drinking and driving increase with age,
education, acculturation, exposure to DUI events, and exposure to media (LCAT and
MLHR 2001).
Risk Factors for Pedestrian Injury
As with occupant restraints, it is difficult to separate the risk factors for pedestrian injury
associated with ethnicity from those associated with socioeconomic status. Latinos
disproportionately live in environments and have lifestyles associated with high rates of
pedestrian injury. Lack of access to a car is associated with a greater risk of pedestrian
injury. Thirty percent of low-income Latinos do not own cars, compared with 15% of the
low-income population overall (U.S. Department of Transportation 1999). As noted
earlier, Campos-Outcalt et al. (2003) suggested that their study’s finding of higher
pedestrian fatality rates but lower overall fatality rates among Hispanics relative to nonHispanic whites in Arizona might have been due to Hispanics driving less than nonHispanics.
A detailed study of pedestrian injuries among children in California identified a variety of
risk factors, related to both income and degree of acculturation. Specific risk factors
included having a parent who did not read well in either Spanish or English; having a
father who did not speak English; having moved in the past year (which may be
associated with unfamiliarity with neighborhood, stress, and lack of connection to
community); and poverty and household crowding (which may mean that children play
outside more). Single parenthood was not related to risk of pedestrian injury, perhaps
because Hispanic communities often have supportive family networks (Agran et al.
1998).
Latino participants in focus groups attributed unsafe pedestrian behaviors to practices
brought from their countries of origin, combined with a lack of familiarity with the more
complex system of laws in the United States (NHTSA 1995).
Pedestrian fatalities are more often alcohol related among Mexican Americans than
among Caucasian Americans. Voas, Tippetts, and Fisher (2000) found that rates of
14
alcohol involvement in pedestrian fatalities among Puerto Ricans, Cubans, and Central
Americans were similar to or lower than those of Caucasian Americans, but that rates
among Mexican Americans were higher.
Miscellaneous Risk Factors
Braver (2003) found that lower educational attainment appeared to account for the
greater fatality rates per trip among Hispanic males. Whites who had not completed
high school were found to have the highest death rates of any group studied. Hispanic
men with post–high school education were not found to have higher death rates than
whites of similar educational attainment. Braver also found that lower educational
attainment was correlated with alcohol use among fatally injured drivers. Fatally injured
Hispanic male drivers were significantly more likely than white male drivers to have had
positive blood tests for alcohol. However, this relationship was weaker and no longer
statistically significant after Braver controlled for educational attainment.
Focus groups of Latinos, primarily Mexican Americans, conducted in three U.S. cities
revealed the following:
•
Most participants had not been exposed to U.S. traffic safety rules and
regulations, and most had not seen their state’s booklet on preparing for the state
driving test.
•
Over 70% reported being fatigued when driving home from work, many from
heavy manual labor jobs (LCAT and MLHR 2001).
In one state study of fatally injured drivers, Hispanics were found to be more likely than
non-Hispanics to have been speeding and driving without a valid driver’s license, even
after the analysis controlled for age, sex, and geographic locale (Harper et al. 2000).
In one study, the authors speculated that because red light running is highly prevalent in
many Latin American countries, it would be higher among Hispanics in the United
States. However, analyses of FARS and NCHS data on fatalities related to red light
running found no difference between rates for Hispanics and Caucasians on the whole,
but found some evidence that certain Hispanic subgroups might be more prone to red
light running, and suggested that more in-depth analyses are needed (Romano,
Tippetts, and Voas 2004).
Project Objectives
The overall goal of Educación de Seguridad en el Tránsito (EST) was to foster the
development of better traffic safety educational materials for Spanish-speaking
audiences.
The project sought to achieve four objectives:
15
1.
Collect and describe existing Spanish-language traffic safety educational
materials
2.
Develop guidelines for creating culturally and linguistically appropriate
educational materials for Latinos
3.
Use the guidelines to develop a model educational product
4.
Develop a Web site that contains the guidelines and traffic safety resources for
Spanish speakers
To implement these objectives, experts knowledgeable about Latino communities,
health communication, and traffic safety issues were recruited to serve on the EST
National Work Group (the members of the group are listed in Appendix A). Work group
members were called on to 1) ensure that the identification and collection of existing
Spanish-language traffic safety educational materials were comprehensive; 2) review
and provide ongoing feedback on the best-practice guidelines developed during the
project; and 3) provide advice and input on the development of a model traffic safety
educational item in Spanish.
OBJECTIVE 1: COLLECT AND DESCRIBE EXISTING SPANISHLANGUAGE TRAFFIC SAFETY EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
Methods
The purpose of the study’s first objective was to characterize existing Spanish-language
traffic safety educational materials. Researchers at the Education Development Center,
Inc. (EDC) began by identifying entities or organizations that distribute Spanishlanguage traffic safety materials. They obtained copies of as many of these materials as
possible and selected those suitable for inclusion in the study and then characterized
various aspects of the organizations and the materials. Next, researchers identified and
contacted appropriate spokespersons in each organization and conducted interviews
with them. Finally, the interview data were analyzed.
Identifying Organizations
Over a period of four months in 2003 (July–October), EDC researchers conducted a
wide-ranging search to identify government, nonprofit, and for-profit organizations at the
local, state, and national levels that had produced traffic safety educational materials in
Spanish. Particular attention was devoted to identifying organizations with traffic safety
or public health missions and organizations that serve the Latino community.
Organizations were identified in six major ways:
1.
Consultation with members of the EST National Work Group
2.
Database review of organizations identified in the AAAFTS-funded Seated for
Safety project carried out by EDC
16
3.
Database and library review of organizations identified by the Children’s Safety
Network housed at EDC (a resource center for professionals in state health
departments who focus on maternal and child health and injury prevention, funded by
the Maternal and Child Health Bureau of the Health Resources and Services
Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
4.
Internet search engines (e.g., Google, Yahoo), using various search terms, such
as “traffic safety,” “Spanish,” and “materials”
5.
Review of electronic mailing lists hosted by traffic safety, public health, and
Latino health organizations (e.g., the Injury Free Coalition for Kids, the State and
Territorial Injury Prevention Directors Association, Safe Kids, the Child Passenger
Safety Listserv)
6.
Use of a “snowball” technique whereby contacts at identified organizations
referred EDC researchers to other agencies that had not yet been identified
Altogether, 388 organizations were identified through this process (they are listed in
Appendix B).
Obtaining Educational Materials
After the identification phase, an e-mail request was sent to each of the 388
organizations requesting copies of any Spanish-language traffic safety materials they
had developed (the text of the request is reproduced in Appendix C). A variety of
personnel in these agencies were contacted, including program coordinators, program
directors, traffic safety specialists, injury prevention nurses, trauma nurses, health
educators, public relations and marketing professionals, and child passenger safety
technicians.
The responses received from each organization were entered and tracked in a
computer spreadsheet. Nonrespondents were sent follow-up e-mails and were
contacted directly via telephone. Through the process of directly contacting individuals,
EDC researchers learned that many organizations had sent materials that they were
distributing but had not developed. Duplicate copies of materials were received from
various organizations, and researchers sorted and compared the materials to compile a
final list of materials and their developers. Of the original 388 organizations identified,
65 had actually developed Spanish-language traffic safety educational materials (they
are listed in Appendix D).
Selecting Materials for Inclusion in the Study
Selection criteria were developed to ensure that the materials analyzed fit the study
objective of identifying, collecting, and describing Spanish-language traffic safety
educational materials. Materials were considered eligible for inclusion if they were in
Spanish and promoted safe behaviors during driving, riding, walking, motorcycling, and
bicycling.
Several types of materials received were excluded from the study:
17
•
Materials that described a traffic-related law but contained no supplemental
educational information
•
Driver education manuals
•
Technical instructions for tire or auto safety
•
Materials that only indicate the meaning of different traffic signs
•
Materials about prevention of teen alcohol or drug use in which traffic safety
information is limited to describing DUI laws and penalties for drivers under 21 years of
age
In the case of materials developed by one organization on which a second organization
has merely placed its logo, only the developing organization would be included.
From the 65 organizations that had developed Spanish-language traffic safety
educational materials, 237 items met the selection criteria.
Developing Methods to Characterize Organizations and Materials
To characterize specific aspects of the organizations and the materials to be analyzed,
EDC researchers developed an interview protocol for use with spokespersons from the
organizations. The selection of variables and the development of the interview protocol
were guided by the research literature on Latinos and traffic safety, the priorities of
AAAFTS, NHTSA, and the FIA Foundation, and the draft Guidelines for Developing
Traffic Safety Educational Materials for Spanish-Speaking Audiences (see Objective 2).
Some variables were included specifically to evaluate the extent to which developers
had used strategies similar to those recommended in the draft Guidelines.
The interview protocol consisted of eight sections:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Characteristics of the organization
Format and content of the materials
Target audience
Distribution and availability of the materials
Development process (including consumer and/or expert feedback)
Advice received by materials developers during the development process
Translation process (e.g., developed in Spanish, professionally translated)
Evaluation procedures—that is, the nature of evaluation activities to date
A convenience sample of 12 organizations was invited to participate in a pilot test of the
interview. Five organizations agreed to participate: the Delaware Office of Highway
Safety, the Maryland Highway Safety Office, the National Latino Children’s Institute, the
Oregon Department of Transportation, and Outdoor Empire Publishing. The EST project
manager monitored two of the pilot interviews to ascertain whether the interviewers
were using the survey instrument accurately.
18
The pilot test revealed several opportunities for improving the protocol. Some interview
items were revised to improve the clarity of the questions or the response options. For
example, question 16 (“Is the material copyrighted?”) was amended to include “I don’t
know” as a response option. Question 15 (“What is the cost of this educational material
per item?”) was changed to “How much would it cost an agency or organization to
purchase the item?” The revised interview protocol consisted of 34 questions—23
closed-ended and 11 open-ended. It was converted to a Web-based form (using
Perseus Survey Solutions software) to facilitate data entry by project staff. The final
version of the interview protocol is presented in Appendix E.
Identifying and Contacting Materials Developers
After revisions were made to the interview protocol, researchers tried to contact, via
telephone and e-mail, the original developer of the materials at each of the 65
organizations that had developed Spanish-language traffic safety educational materials.
This person was often involved in making decisions about creating the materials,
deciding on the materials’ content and appearance, and coordinating the steps leading
to the printing and distribution of the materials. If the original developer was not
available, the researcher attempted to identify the person who had the most knowledge
about the development of the materials.
Tracking and identifying the materials developers presented a variety of challenges. In
some cases, the developer was no longer with the organization. In other cases, the
material was developed by the organization contacted, but the coordination and
decision making had been done through a partnership with another organization or with
a public relations agency. Another challenge was coordinating with or working around
respondents’ schedules, vacations, and maternity leaves. Researchers also
encountered developers who were either unable or unwilling to participate in the
interview.
Researchers made at least three telephone calls to set up an interview with each
potential respondent. If the contact did not respond to the telephone calls, one last
attempt was made by e-mail before the contact was considered a nonrespondent. In the
end, people from 53 of the 65 identified organizations (82%) participated, and
information was collected on 190 of the 237 items identified (80%).
Conducting Developer/Spokesperson Interviews
Materials developers or spokespersons from the 53 organizations were contacted in
October 2003, and, depending on the number of materials they had developed or knew
about, they were asked to participate in a 30–120 minute telephone interview.
Interviews were scheduled one or two weeks in advance. A copy of the interview
protocol was e-mailed to each respondent after scheduling the interview, so questions
could be reviewed in advance and shared with colleagues. Reminder calls were made
two to four days before the scheduled interview to avoid no-shows and the need to
reschedule.
19
Two staff members, trained in interview techniques by the EST project manager and the
technical adviser, conducted the interviews. Coding reliability was assessed by having
the two staff members code independently during nine interviews. The project manager
reviewed the coding and found that the two staff members recorded virtually all closedended responses the same way and recorded some open-ended responses slightly
differently. The discrepancies were minor, involving one or two words, and did not
influence the main points.
Interviews were conducted over the course of four months (November 2003–March
2004). As anticipated, interviews ranged from 30 minutes to two hours, depending on
the number of materials the organization had produced. The NHTSA, which developed
a large number of materials, provided information about one product by telephone and
completed paper-based protocols for the remaining materials. All of the respondents
were cooperative, seemed positive about the process, and were eager to receive copies
of the study results.
Data Entry and Analysis
Coded responses were recorded on paper forms by each interviewer, and another staff
member entered the data into Perseus Web forms, which were then imported to a
Perseus database. The project manager checked every 10th paper form against the
electronic Perseus version. Data entry was found to be accurate, with very few errors
noted. Corrections were made as needed.
Researchers imported the data into SPSS (version 12) and contracted with a statistical
consultant at Social Science Research and Evaluation, Inc., to run frequencies on all
closed-ended questions and cross-tabulations on some of these questions. Some of the
categories were collapsed and modified during the data analysis phase. “Don’t know”
answers were excluded from the analysis.
A separate process was used to analyze the open-ended questions. For each question,
a list of responses was compiled. Two staff members independently reviewed the
responses and coded them into categories in order to highlight the main themes. They
then compared their results and reached agreement on the categories to be used.
Finally, the full EST staff reviewed the decisions of the two staff, and reached
consensus that the categories were appropriate.
As described later, under Objective 2, responses were used to advise project staff
members on the development of the final set of best-practice guidelines for traffic safety
educational materials for Spanish-speaking audiences.
Results
This section summarizes responses to the open- and closed-ended interview questions.
More than one response was possible for many of the closed-ended questions, so
20
percentages may exceed 100%. For the open-ended questions, some participants did
not answer all of the questions, while others provided multiple responses.
These results should be interpreted as descriptive of the materials surveyed. In most
cases, tests of statistical significance were not performed because of the small sample
size; quantitative comparisons between types of organizations are discouraged.
Implications and recommendations are presented in the Discussion section.
1. Characteristics of the Developing Organization
Organization Scope
As shown in Figure 1, nearly half of the 53 organizations surveyed described
themselves as state-level organizations, and one-third were national-level
organizations. 2 The remainder were local organizations or “other” types of organizations
(e.g., those whose scope spanned a region of a state or several states).
Figure 1. Organization Scope
National
33%
Other
9%
State
47%
Local
11%
N=53
2
Several organizations described themselves as “international” in scope, although because they are U.S.based and primarily serve the United States, they were coded as national.
21
Organization Type
Nearly half of the respondents identified their organizations as nonprofit, and about onethird as government. The remainder were for-profit organizations, with the exception of
one defined as “other” (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Organization Type
Government
36%
Other
2%
Nonprofit
45%
For-profit
17%
N=53
Organization Mission
As shown in Figure 3, over half of the respondents identified traffic safety as their
organization’s mission, followed by injury prevention/public health, 3 health care, and
serving the Hispanic/Latino population. One out of eight reported that their
organization’s mission was something other than the options provided.
3
This category, “injury prevention/public health,” was created during data analysis, on the basis of
responses to the “other” category.
22
Figure 3. Organization Mission
Injury prevention/publ
Injury prevention/
21%
public health
21%
Traffic safety
55%
Other
13%
Serving
Hispanic/
Serving
Hispanic/Latin
Latino population
4%
Health care
4%
8%
N=53
Respondents’ Role
In response to an open-ended question, respondents described their role in developing
the educational material as that of program coordinator, writer, developer, or program
originator. If the developer was no longer with the organization, the person responsible
for editing, updating, or disseminating the item was interviewed. In several instances,
the item was the product of collaboration between agencies; in those cases, the
organization identified as the lead agency responded.
Not all respondents had a full understanding of the development process; many spoke
to colleagues in order to provide more information during the interview about materials.
In some cases, respondents were the developers of materials that had recently been
created. In a few instances, respondents had only minimal familiarity with materials
developed many years earlier, but no one else was available to be interviewed.
Three-quarters (75%) of the respondents served as the materials developer or program
coordinator, and a few played a role in the translation of the material (6%) or were
material reviewers or editors (4%); one respondent collected the information for the
content of the item. Thirteen percent had no direct role in the development of the
material but were knowledgeable about the material. Appendix F lists all the responses
given on this question.
23
2. Material Format and Content
Material Format
Figure 4 summarizes responses on the format of materials. 4 Over two-thirds of the 190
items collected were either brochures (43%) or sheets/cards (25%). The next most
prevalent category was posters, followed by booklets, stickers/tags, coloring and activity
books, and videos. Two items were in the form of public service announcements, and
one was a Web page.
Figure 4. Material Format
Brochure
43%
Video
4%
Poster
8%
Sticker/tag
5%
Booklet
6%
Booklet
6%
Public
service
Public
Service
Announc
Web Site
announcement
Other
1%
1%
1%
Coloring and3%
Activity
4% Other
Web site
3% Color and
0.5%
activity books
4%
Sheet/card
25%
N=190
Topics Covered
Figure 5 shows the distribution of primary and secondary topics addressed in the
materials. 5 Child passenger safety and safety belts were most frequently addressed.
4
The categories “coloring and activity books,” “sheet/card,” and “sticker/tag” were added during data
analysis. “Sheet/card” includes fact sheets, information cards, tip cards, and tip sheets. “Sticker/tag”
includes stickers, mirror hangers, tag cards for seats, hang tags, window clings, and bumper stickers.
5
The category “unattended children in and around vehicles” was added during data analysis. “Child
passenger safety” includes booster seats, seating positions, and children in airplanes. “Bicycle safety”
includes nonmotorized wheel vehicles and helmets. “Large vehicles, trucks, and buses” includes school
buses.
24
The most common primary topics covered were child passenger safety, pedestrian
safety, bicycle safety, safety belts, and DUI. Safety belts and child passenger safety
were the most common secondary topics covered.
Figure 5. Primary and Secondary Topics Covered by the Material
Primary Topic
Child passenger safety
56%
Safety belts
31%
Pedestrian safety
14%
Bicycle safety
12%
Driving under influence
10%
Large vehicles
5%
Teen drivers
4%
Secondary Topics
44% primary; 12% secondary
8% primary; 23% secondary
11% primary; 3% secondary
10% primary; 2% secondary
7% primary; 3% secondary
2% primary; 3% secondary
3% primary; 1% secondary
Unattended children
4%
4%
4% primary; 0% secondary
General/many topics
3%
2% primary; 1% secondary
Road rage/distracted
3%
2% primary; 1% secondary
Specific populations
2%
1% primary; 1% secondary
Speeding
2%
0.5% primary; 1% secondary
Other
9%
5% primary; 4% secondary
N=190
Sources of Information
As shown in Figure 6, developers used traffic safety information from national, state,
and other sources when creating their materials. Most (75%) used multiple sources of
information (ranging from two to six sources). Information from the NHTSA was used in
the development of three-quarters of the materials. Other national sources included the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Safe Kids Campaign, AAA,
and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The state source most often used was the
Governor’s Highway Safety Office, followed by the state department of health. Nearly
half of the educational materials were developed with some use of the organization’s
internal resources, and one-fifth of the materials drew on information from journal
articles. 6
6
National Safe Kids Campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics were added as categories during
data analysis. AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety was changed to AAA to include AAA clubs. In addition,
data from the “other” category was recoded. The responses remaining in the “other” category include
advertising councils, local health departments, law enforcement agencies, specific community agencies,
and individuals.
25
Figure 6. Sources of Information for Developing Materials
NHTSA
75%
Internal resources/research
47%
Governor’s Highway Safety Office
33%
Journal articles
19%
No specific source
14%
Centers for Disease Control
State health department
11%
8%
AAA
7%
National Safe Kids Campaign
7%
American Academy of Pediatrics
4%
17%
Other
Don’t know
4%
N=190
Organizations of all scopes (local, state, and national) used NHTSA sources in
developing at least one educational item (Table 2). Among those surveyed, state
organizations were more likely than national or local organizations to use information
from state Governor’s Highway Safety Offices.
Table 2. Scope of Organization by Source of Information
Scope of Organization
National (n=17)
State (n=25)
Local (n=6)
Other (n=5)
Used Information from NHTSA
n
%
11
64.7
16
64.0
5
83.3
5
100.0
Used Information from State
Governor’s Highway Safety Office
n
%
1
5.9
15
60.0
2
33.3
2
40.0
3. Target Audience
Age Group Addressed
As shown in Figure 7, more than half of the materials targeted elementary or middle
school children aged 5–12, and somewhat less than half targeted infants and toddlers
up to age 4. Roughly a third targeted adults aged 20–59, and another third targeted
teenagers. Only 5% of the materials targeted seniors (age 60 and older).
26
Figure 7. Age Group Addressed by the Material
Elementary age (5-12 yrs)
52%
Infants/toddlers (0-4 yrs)
44%
Adults (20-59 yrs)
31%
Teenagers (13-19 yrs)
Seniors (60+ yrs)
No specific age
29%
5%
7%
N=190
Primary Target Audience
Parents, grandparents, and other adult relatives of children were cited as the primary
target audience for the largest number of materials (see Figure 8), followed by the
general public, all motorists, and children.
27
Figure 8. Primary Target Audience
Parents, grandparents,
and grandparents,
other relatives
Parent,
43%
43%
All motorists
20%
Other
7%
Children
8%
General public
22%
N=189
The majority of materials addressing child passenger safety and bicycle safety targeted
parents, grandparents, and other adult relatives. Materials covering other topics, such
as safety belts and pedestrian safety, tended not to have a single primary target
audience (see Table 3).
Table 3. Primary Target Audience for Topics of Materials
Primary
Target
Audience
All
motorists
Parents
Children
General
public
Other
Other
(n=9)
Unattended
Children
(n=7)
0.0%
44.4%
14.3%
33.3%
0.0%
80.0%
20.0%
11.1%
0.0%
57.1%
0.0%
25.0%
0.0%
0.0%
11.1%
28.6%
25.0%
66.7%
0.0%
33.3%
0.0%
Multiple
Specific
Bicycle Pedestrian Large
Vehicles Populations Topics
Safety
Safety
(n=5)
(n=3)
(n=4)
(n=20)
(n=18)
CPS
(n=83)
Safety Speeding/ Teen
Drivers
DUI
Belts
(n=6)
(n=18)
(n=16)
13.0%
43.8%
66.6%
0.0%
0.0%
5.0%
25.0%
0.0%
59.0%
9.6%
6.3%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
50.0%
0.0%
61.1%
5.6%
35.0%
25.0%
0.0%
25.0%
16.9%
37.5%
27.7%
0.0%
33.3%
30.0%
1.2%
12.5%
5.5%
50.0%
0.0%
5.0%
CPS=child passenger safety; DUI=driving under the influence.
As shown in Table 4, national organizations most often produced materials targeting
parents, grandparents, or other adult relatives, whereas materials from state and local
organizations targeted this group less frequently.
28
Table 4. Scope of Organizations Targeting Relatives
Organizations Targeting Parents,
Grandparents, and Other Relatives
n
%
10
58.8%
11
44.0%
2
33.3%
4
80.0%
Scope of Organization
National (n=17)
State (n=25)
Local (n=6)
Other (n=5)
Demographic Group Targeted
Most of the materials were designed to target Spanish speakers in general (see Figure
9). Other demographic groups specifically targeted included people with low literacy,
people with low income, and Spanish speakers from a specific country or region of
origin.
Figure 9. Demographic Group Targeted
Spanish speakers (in general)
94%
People with low literacy
17%
People with low income
12%
Spanish speakers (specific country/region)
Other
Don’t know
9%
3%
1%
N=190
Of the materials targeting Spanish speakers from a specific place of origin, Mexicans
were the group most often cited. Other identified groups included Spanish speakers
residing in the state where the material was created and Puerto Ricans (see Table 5).
29
Table 5. Place of Origin for Targeted Latino Groups
Latino Group Specified
Mexicans
Spanish speakers in the state where the material was created
Puerto Ricans
Total
Number of Materials
8
6
3
17
In materials targeting low-income populations and low-literacy populations, child
passenger safety was the topic most often presented (see Table 6). Materials targeting
low-literacy populations also covered DUI, bicycle safety, and pedestrian safety.
Table 6. Topics of Materials Targeting Low-Income and Low-Literacy Populations
Targeting Low Income
Targeting low Literacy
Topic of Material
n
%
N
%
Child passenger safety
20
90.9
21
63.6
Driving under the influence
2
9.1
3
9.1
Teen drivers
0
0
1
3.0
Bicycle safety
0
0
3
9.1
Pedestrian safety
0
0
2
6.1
Specific populations
0
0
1
3.0
Unattended children in and
0
0
1
3.0
around vehicles
Other
0
0
1
3.0
4. Materials Distribution and Availability
Primary Distributors
As shown in Figure 10, materials were most often distributed through police
departments and/or through state or local health departments. Other important
distributors included the respondent’s organization, schools and teachers, other
community agencies, Latino/Hispanic community organizations, highway safety offices,
doctors and nurses, volunteer community groups, and child day care organizations.
30
Figure 10. Distributors of Materials
Police Departments
63%
State or Local Health Dept.
63%
Respondents' Organization
56%
Schools/Teachers
56%
Latino/Hispanic Community Organizations
47%
Highway Safety Offices
40%
Doctors, Nurses, etc.
37%
Volunteer Community Groups
37%
Child/Day care
34%
Car Dealers
20%
Retail Businesses
17%
Drivers' Education Programs
16%
Religious/Faith-Based Organizations
16%
Social Workers
15%
Alcohol Education Programs
6%
Senior Centers 2%
Other Community Agencies
49%
Other
23%
No Specific Distributor 1%
Don't Know 1%
N=190
Intended Uses of Material
Most of the materials were intended to be used as stand-alone or giveaway items (see
Figure 11). Many of these materials were also intended to be used as part of a
campaign, part of a workshop or training session, part of one-on-one education or
counseling, or part of a kit or package.
31
Figure 11. Intended Uses of Material
Stand Alone/Giveaway
86%
Part of a Campaign
60%
Part of a Workshop/Training
58%
Part of One-on-One Education/Counseling
46%
Part of a Kit/Package
27%
No Particular Method
4%
Other
5%
Don't Know 0%
N=190
Respondents provided 54 comments on how materials were part of a broader
educational outreach program or campaign. Most respondents described materials as
being part of multifaceted traffic safety outreach efforts, such as promoting awareness
and preventing injuries. Some components of these campaigns included law
enforcement, media involvement, legislative advocacy, and community education
events such as training sessions, bicycle rodeos, and car seat checkpoints. The main
theme in all comments was that using educational materials alone “doesn’t work.”
Quantity and Cost
For two-thirds of the items, more than 10,000 copies had been printed at the time of the
interviews (see Figure 12). The remainder were divided roughly equally into three
groups with smaller total to-date print counts.
32
Figure 12. Quantity of Materials Printed to Date (2004)
5,001 to 10,000
14%
1,001 to 5,000
11%
1 to 1,000
9%
10,000 or more
66%
N=163
Copies of nearly all (98%) of the educational materials are still available (N = 185).
About two-thirds (65%) of the materials are copyrighted (N = 176).
Most materials are available free of charge, and a sizable proportion cost less than
$1.00 per item (see Figure 13). The materials that cost $75 or more per item are mostly
videos and kits.
33
Figure 13. Material Price per Item
Free
60%
Greater than $75 each
16%
Greater than $75 each
16%
$10 to $24.99 each
$10 to $24.99
2% each
$6 to $9.99
2%each
1% each
$6 to $9.99
0.6%
$1 to $5.99 each
$1 to $5.994%
each
4%
Less than $1 each
17%
N=178
Year Produced
More than three-quarters of the materials were created or last revised in 2001 or 2002
(see Figure 14). A smaller proportion were created or revised before 2000, and just a
few were created or revised in 2003–2004.
34
Figure 14. Year Material Produced or Revised
2000 or earlier
17%
2003 or newer
6%
2001 to 2002
78%
N=182
Language Availability
As shown in Figure 15, most of the materials are available in English and Spanish.
Some are available in English, Spanish, and at least one other language, and a few are
available in Spanish only.
35
Figure 15. Language Availability
English and Spanish
79%
Spanish Only
6%
English,Spanish,and
andOt
English/Spanish
Other Languages
15%
15%
N=188
Electronic Availability
As shown in Figure 16, one-quarter of the materials are available on the organization’s
Web site, and about one-fifth are available in another electronic format. About half of the
materials are not available electronically.
36
Figure 16. Electronic Availability
Available on Web site
27%
Not available electron
51%
Not available
electronically
51%
Available electronically,
not on Web site
Yes, not on website
22%
22%
N=179
5. Development Process
Reason Materials Were Created in Spanish
A total of 75 comments were made in response to an open-ended question about the
reason the organization decided to develop traffic safety educational materials in
Spanish. Most indicated that the item was created in response to a rapid increase in
Spanish speakers in their areas. Other reasons included a lack of materials in Spanish
and concerns that Latinos were not receiving, understanding, or absorbing important
traffic safety messages.
One respondent said that the organization had “identified Spanish-speaking Latinos as
overrepresented in alcohol-induced crashes, [and] this fact served as motivation to
produce materials in Spanish.” Another respondent reported that a second organization
had decided, on the basis of data showing a greater traffic safety problem in nonEnglish-speaking communities in the area, to translate its materials into Spanish and
other languages in an effort to reach these communities. A third respondent noted:
“There was a time when the traffic safety materials in Spanish were inadequate in
educating the community or promoting behavior change. We took the initiative and
developed a comprehensive curriculum targeting the Latino community that was not
only in the language but also culturally sensitive.”
37
Developers were asked about the resources they used in determining the content,
format, and other aspects of the materials. Because this interview question sought to
illuminate developers’ strategies for obtaining input from or information about their target
audience, most of the answer options referenced that audience indirectly. As Figure 17
shows, two-thirds of the materials were developed using Spanish-speaking consultants
or staff. Another third were developed with informal input from community members,
and some used focus groups or consulted research conducted by others.
Figure 17. Resources Used to Determine Content, Format, and Other Aspects of Materials
Spanish-Speaking Consultant/Staff
68%
Informal Input from Community Members
36%
Focus Group
11%
Research Conducted by Others
11%
17%
None
Other
7%
Don't Know
6%
N=190
Developers often used more than one of these strategies. As shown in Table 7, two or
three strategies were used in the development of nearly half of the materials on child
passenger safety and in large proportions of those on bicycle safety and pedestrian
safety; a smaller percentage of those on safety belt usage employed two or three of
these strategies. Most of the materials for teen drivers did not use any of these
strategies.
38
Table 7. Number of Strategies Used in Developing Materials, by Topic of the Material
Number of
Steps
Taken
Multiple
Safety Speeding/ Teen Bicycle Pedestrian Large
Specific
Safety Vehicles Populations Topics
Drivers Safety
DUI
Belts
CPS
(n=21)
(n=6) (n=17)
(n=18)
(n=5)
(n=3)
(n=4)
(n=81) (n=15)
Other
(n=9)
Unattended
Children
(n=7)
No
strategies
19.8% 53.3%
38.9%
83.3%
17.6%
14.3%
25.0%
33.3%
20.0%
33.3%
0.0%
One strategy 34.6% 33.3%
33.3%
16.7%
41.2%
47.6%
75.0%
66.7%
60.0%
55.6%
85.7%
Two or three 45.7% 13.3%
strategies
27.8%
0.0%
41.2%
38.1%
0.0%
0.0%
20.0%
11.1%
14.3%
As shown in Table 8, more than half of the national organizations and most of the state
and local organizations used one or more of the strategies for obtaining input from the
target audience. While state and local organizations were more likely than national
organizations to have used one or more of the three strategies, these differences were
not statistically significant (p = 0.325, two-sided Fisher’s exact test).
Table 8. Scope of Organizations That Used One or More Strategies in Developing Materials
Took One or
More Steps
Scope of Organization
n
%
National (n=16)
9
56.3
State (n=24)
17
70.8
Local (n=6)
5
83.3
Other (n=5)
4
80.0
Table 9 provides further details on the use of these strategies. State and local
organizations were both more likely than national organizations to have created
materials using input from community members, using focus groups, and using
Spanish-speaking consultants or staff.
Table 9. Scope of Organizations by Strategies Used in Developing Materials
Scope of
Organization
National (n=16)
State (n=24)
Local (n=6)
Other (n=5)
Solicited Input from
Community Members
n
%
6
37.5
13
54.0
3
50.0
3
60.0
Used Focus Group
n
%
1
6.3
6
25.0
2
33.3
2
40.0
Used SpanishSpeaking Consultant/
Staff
n
%
10
62.5
19
79.2
4
66.7
4
80.0
6. Advice Received by Materials Developers
Advice Received on Content
39
Developers of 70% of the materials reported receiving advice about ways to make the
content appropriate for a native Spanish-speaking audience. These developers
provided a total of 45 comments. Most of the advice came from professional translators
(n = 11), community members (n = 3), and staff affiliated with the developing
organization (n = 2). Suggestions on word usage, message content, and audience
literacy levels were provided. Ten respondents were advised to pay attention to all of
the words and phrases used, since the meaning of a word can vary among different
Spanish-speaking communities. For example, the word “lap” in English can be
translated into Spanish as regazo or falda. The word falda can also mean “skirt,”
therefore causing confusion. Developers were also warned that when translating into
Spanish, “Catchy English phrases may not translate well or have the same meaning.”
Although three respondents were advised to use a more general Spanish that would be
universally understandable, 11 were told to use colloquial words and phrases commonly
used by their specific Latino target audience. For example, words used by Mexicans
may have a different meaning to other Latino groups. Some developers were reminded
that the person who writes the material in Spanish should be familiar with the form of
Spanish used in the target community. It was also suggested that an important step is to
test the material with the target audience and receive feedback to ensure that the
community understands the traffic safety message.
Regardless of whether a general or a colloquial Spanish is used, for an item to be
appropriate to Spanish-speaking audiences it was recommended that the developer
“keep it [the message of the material] simple, because people may speak [Spanish] at
home but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are as adept at writing and/or reading it.”
Listed below are examples of advice developers reported having received about using
accurate, simple, and appropriate language:
“Pay attention to what words are used. One word means one thing to one Latino
group and another to another group.”
“Be sure that the language that was written would be similar to the language if it
was spoken. Make it age-appropriate for the reader.”
“Finding the right translator is key. [An ordinary] Spanish speaker is not always
the appropriate person to do the translation. Working with a Spanish-speaking
professional [translator] is better.”
Other comments signify how important it is to ensure that educational materials state
the facts clearly. In one instance a participant noted: “The people in law enforcement
said that the Latino population did not understand what the term ‘blood alcohol content’
meant and that it should be explained.” For example, a writer should explain that
consuming one beer is equivalent to a certain percentage of alcohol in the body.
40
Advice Received on Format
Developers of 29% of the materials reported receiving advice about ways to make the
format appropriate for a native Spanish-speaking audience. These developers provided
a total of 28 comments. The advice received covered a range of topics. Comments are
summarized below (number of comments appears in parentheses):
•
Make the material simple and direct (9)—for example, use bullet points.
•
Make it colorful, use bright colors to get attention (7).
•
Tell an interesting story using an entertaining format such as fotonovelas,
jingles, or videos (5).
•
Use photographs or images that reflect the target community (4).
•
Use a bilingual format so “that both parents and children can see the English and
Spanish together to enhance understanding in both languages” (2).
Advice Received on Graphics
Developers of 42% of the materials reported receiving advice about ways to make the
graphics appropriate for a native Spanish-speaking audience. These developers
provided a total of 61 comments. Fourteen respondents were advised that it is important
to make the graphics (photographs and pictures) look like or represent the target
audience. They were encouraged to use photographs rather than cartoon characters
and to “use pictures that look like someone from the community and make sure that
clothing looks appropriate.” Five respondents said they were advised to involve the
community in the process by asking for feedback or inviting them to a photo shoot for
the material. One respondent described holding an art contest with the target audience
and using the winning pictures for the material. Finally, five respondents said they were
advised to focus on the message and to make the graphics generic, multiethnic, or
nonethnic.
The following quotations from developers represent some of the advice they received:
“Use photos or graphics that the community can relate to. Keep materials simple.
Have graphics [that] work for everyone.”
“As long as all the people didn’t look like they were blonde-haired and blue-eyed,
it would be okay. The material should reflect a broader population.”
Advice Received on Dissemination Strategies
Developers of 46% of the materials reported receiving advice about ways to
disseminate the material to reach a native Spanish-speaking audience. These
developers provided a total of 41 comments. The following are representative (the
number of respondents who provided them is in parentheses):
41
•
Go to Latino-based community organizations, churches, and other groups that
are already working with this population (23).
•
Get advice or join with other community coalitions like Safe Kids and with child
passenger safety technicians (8).
•
Use focus groups, go to conferences, or get advice from consultants to
determine a strategy (6).
7. Translation Process
It is generally recommended that developers create materials in Spanish or use
professional translators. As shown in Figure 18, few of the materials were developed
originally in Spanish. Over half were translated from existing English items, one-third
were translated from new English items, and a few were translated from a language
other than English.
Figure 18. Process to Create the Material in Spanish
Translated an
existing English Item
55%
Started with existing
55%
Created new item in En
Created32%
new English
item and translated it
into Spanish
32%
Created
original
materoriginal
Started Created
with
Translated
anexisting
material
in Spanish
10%
3% a
existing item from
10%
language other than
English or Spanish
3%
N=189
As shown in Table 10, a greater proportion of the local organizations—about one in
three—than state organizations and national organizations—about one in eight—had
created an original item in Spanish.
42
Table 10. Scope of Organizations That Created Material in Spanish
Created Original Material in Spanish
Scope of Organization
n
%
National (n=17)
2
11.8
State (n=24)
3
12.5
Local (n=6)
2
33.3
Other (n=5)
0
0.0
As Figure 19 shows, translations came from a variety of sources. Nearly two-thirds of
the 162 items that were not originally created in Spanish were translated by a
professional translator. One-fifth were translated by a Spanish-speaking staff person,
and several were translated by a community volunteer.
Figure 19. Source of Translation of Material into Spanish
Professional Translato
Professional
64% translator
64%
Other
11%
Community volunteer
5%
Spanish-speaking staff
20%
N=162
As shown in Table 11, national organizations were most likely to have used a
professional translator, followed by state organizations and then local organizations.
Table 11. Scope of Organizations That Used a Translator
Scope of Organization
National (n=17)
State (n=22)
Local (n=5)
Other (n=5)
Used a Professional Translator
n
%
15
88.2
13
59.1
2
40.0
3
60.0
43
Steps Taken to Check Grammar and Language
Respondents provided 62 comments about the steps they took to check the grammar
and usage of the language in the materials. Twenty-four comments indicated
developers had used advice from a traffic safety and/or a language expert. Twenty-two
comments indicated that organization staff members had reviewed the language and
grammar. Twelve comments indicated that developers used feedback from the target
audience or community. The quotations listed below describe some of the steps taken
to check the grammar and language use.
“Multiple Spanish-speaking staff reviewed the material. The translation
department at the hospital also looked at it.”
“We asked every Spanish speaker we knew to review material as well as law
enforcement officers and community leaders.”
“We had the material in Spanish read by reviewers and worked with a translator
to make sure that the language was as simple as possible. Five
interpreters/translators representing four different countries reviewed the
material. The translator checked to make sure that the grammar and usage were
correct. We also did community reviews and had an editor who was not from the
consulting group [that] translated the materials look at it as well.”
Feedback Received on the Language Used
Respondents provided 55 comments about the feedback received on the quality of the
Spanish language used. Twenty-seven comments indicated that the developer did not
receive any feedback; 17 participants received positive feedback about their material,
and six respondents described going through a process to solicit feedback. Some
developers received feedback telling them that the material was too wordy or contained
too much information. Other respondents were told that the language in their material
was very appropriate. Five comments were related to word usage. For example, one
respondent was told that the term “asiento elevado [booster seat] is an unknown word in
the community; that is why we now use ‘asiento elevado booster.’” Another piece of
advice was that “the word regazo [lap] is confusing to people, because it is not
commonly used.”
8. Evaluation Procedures
Examination of Material’s Use and Impact
Slightly more than half of the materials (52%) underwent some form of evaluation—that
is, the developing organization or another party looked at how the material was used or
at the impact it had on the target audience.
44
As Table 12 shows, greater proportions of state and local organizations than of national
organizations conducted evaluations of the materials they developed. National
organizations and a combined category for state and local organizations were
compared to test for differences between the proportions of these organizations that
conducted evaluations on the materials they developed. While state and local
organizations were more than one and a half times as likely as national organizations to
have evaluated an item they developed (62% versus 39%), the difference was not
statistically significant (p = 0.192, two-sided Fisher’s exact test).
Table 12. Scope of Organizations That Evaluated Materials
Evaluated Materials
Scope of Organization
National (n=13)
State (n=23)
Local (n=6)
Other (n=5)
n
5
14
4
2
%
38.5
60.9
66.7
40.0
Type of Evaluation
Although the terms formative, process, and impact evaluation were not used,
respondents were asked to indicate whether they had taken certain steps that were
subsequently classified according to the following categories:
•
Pilot tested the item (formative evaluation)
•
Counted the number of items distributed, tracked categories of people who
received the item, or tracked how the item was used (process evaluation)
•
Measured changes in knowledge, attitudes, or behavior after use (impact
evaluation)
As shown in Figure 20, materials were most often evaluated with a process
evaluation—predominantly tracking of distribution, but also tracking of recipient type and
materials usage. Some of the materials (7%–8%) underwent formative evaluations (pilot
testing) and various types of impact evaluation.
45
Figure 20. Type of Evaluation Used for Materials
Pilot tested
8%
Counted times distributed
41%
Tracked categories of people who received it
16%
Tracked how it was used
6%
Measured knowledge change after use
7%
Measured attitude change after use
7%
Measured intended behavior change after use
8%
Other
Don’t know
8%
0%
N=190
Nearly all of the items that were pilot tested and three-quarters of those that were
evaluated for changes in knowledge were on the topic of child passenger safety (see
Table 13).
Table 13. Topics of Material by Evaluation Type
Pilot Tested
Topic of Material
n
%
Child passenger safety
14
93.3
Driving under the influence
1
6.7
Pedestrian safety
Measured Changes in Knowledge
n
%
10
76.9
2
15.4
1
7.7
Information Learned from Evaluation
Respondents provided 33 responses to an open-ended question about what they
learned from their evaluations. Eight comments were related to general knowledge the
developer gained about creating materials for a Latino audience.
Other comments had to do with information the developer learned about the specific
item being evaluated (number of comments appears in parentheses):
•
Where the material went and who is distributing it (4)
46
•
•
•
That the material had been helpful and liked in the community (5)
That the demand for the material was greater than (5) or less than (4) expected
That the material helped increase the community’s knowledge (3)
Listed below are additional comments on evaluation. Some respondents provided actual
results of their evaluation, and others provided anecdotes about the usefulness of the
material.
“The videotape of the puppet show has strong appeal for children 4–8 years old.
Pre-post tests indicated that [participants] learned key lessons, and limited
follow-up indicated prolonged behavior change.”
“I was informed of one situation where a state trooper in Virginia made a stop.
The driver had a copy of this brochure and he did not speak English. The driver
was pointing out a specific paragraph in the Spanish version of the document to
the non-Spanish-speaking trooper and [pointing] to the trunk of his vehicle. The
trooper scanned the English version, found the paragraph in question and asked
the driver to step out of the vehicle and open his trunk. Located in the trunk was
the driver’s hunting rifle. The paragraph indicated that if the driver has a weapon,
they should inform the police officer. The trooper expressed gratitude that they
were able to communicate (somewhat) via the brochure and averted a possibly
escalating situation.”
“We made every effort to evaluate the material at every level. However, using
pre- and post-tests with children who cannot yet read is not reliable; we feared
bias toward the investigator.”
Lessons Learned
Respondents provided 22 comments in response to an open-ended question about
lessons they had learned in developing an item. Comments are summarized below
(number of comments appears in parentheses):
•
Involve the community in the process and get feedback in all aspects of the
development of the material and dissemination plan (5).
•
When determining how the material will look—the design font and color—make
sure that the graphics and layout represent the target community. The material should
be colorful so that it will get the reader’s attention. The text should be simple, easy, and
big enough for everyone to read (4).
•
In terms of language, participants suggested using a professional translator who
is familiar with various forms of colloquial Spanish. Making the material bilingual was
also advised (6).
•
Focus groups and pre-post testing are an important way to review the impact of
the material in the target audience (5).
•
Ensure that the material directly addresses the issue and serves the intended
purpose (1).
47
•
Wait until the material is complete before announcing its availability (1).
Additional Comments
A final open-ended question asked participants for any other information or insight they
wanted to share. Selected quotations follow.
Understanding Your Audience
“Some Latino communities are fearful of the police because they may have had a
bad experience with law enforcement in their own countries. If we were to create
a new material, we would not use [a] picture of a police officer; instead we might
use a picture of a safety belt. We also learned that in the future we need to
provide a simple message that is easy to understand.”
“Know your population and what drives their behavior, look at commonalities.
Answer why? Look at the message. Always review, review, review.”
Working with Community Partners and Comprehensive Campaigns
“It is important to determine who exactly may be impacted by problems in traffic
safety. We also learned it is important to involve representatives of the
community in focus groups, so that a proper plan is developed.”
“Some organizations just get something from someone else, slap their logo on it,
and hand it out. This is not enough to really reach your audience. You have to do
the work [to understand the audience]. Always go to the community. Write in
[their] culture. Handing out paper alone is not enough.”
“It is important to get the input from the community, both in designing materials
and in developing a dissemination plan. Brochures should be a supplement to a
broader program that includes other communication strategies.”
Language, Writing, and Translation Issues
“Spanish-language materials in general, no matter how accurate one tries to be,
will always be problematic for some demographic groups. A material in Spanish
may work for Mexicans but might not work for other Spanish speakers.”
“Use a Spanish speaker familiar with the dialect of your target audience.”
“Merely having somebody that speaks Spanish does not solve the problem of
translation.”
48
“Some of our older materials were translated word-for-word rather than
emphasizing the meaning. Now we are working on having translations that really
make sense to people.”
“Use an appropriate version of the language, and consider making it bilingual.”
“We had tried to write materials in Spanish specifically for one population, such
as Mexicans, but it did not work since the language was limited for other
audiences.”
“The first translation we did had to be revised because we translated ‘Buckle or
Busted’ in Spanish as ‘Buckle or get f***ed.’ This came to my attention right as
we were about to get the poster printed. We were able to take the material back
and retranslate so that it wasn't offensive to anyone.”
“We are hoping to produce more materials in Spanish. Instead of translating we
would like to create pieces that are specific for the native Spanish-speaking
culture.”
Font, Graphics, Format, Message
“In the future I'd like to look over this material and modify content/graphics for a
clearer message.”
“Make sure that the font size of the material is appropriate . . . we were later told
that the font was too small to read.”
“This piece was too long. Latinos like question-and-answer format . . . people
want quick information but they also want details. People like colorful materials;
they like bilingual materials, part in English and part in Spanish. People want to
know about the law.”
Impact of Material
“A new coalition was formed to organize the production and distribution of
Spanish-language materials. This coalition is planning an education event in a
popular Cinco de Mayo celebration. They will be passing out materials and
providing a place where people can get additional information about child
passenger safety. Seventy-five percent of the people who attend this event are
Spanish speakers. They have also made contact with a public resource officer
who works and lives with the Latino community to help them out. They are
learning more and more how to target and work with the Latino population.”
“They [community members] were appreciative of our concern for their children
and their families. We did see an increase in the number of children who were
restrained in a car seat, with the biggest increase in booster-age [children]. We
49
also saw an increase, from 60% to 80%, in adults wearing seat belts. Although
the pilot program is over, we hope to continue to be a resource for the community
and will try to develop materials to meet any needs that are identified.”
Reflections on the Interview Experience
“When you [EST interviewer] asked the questions about the format and graphics,
that made me think that we should have made sure that it was well accepted and
read by that population by thinking about some of those things.”
“I'm delighted that you are doing this and looking forward to seeing the results!”
Discussion
The EST study identified a large number of traffic safety materials for Latinos. More
than 60 organizations of all scopes and types—national, state, and local; government,
for-profit, and nonprofit; traffic safety and public health—had created materials, most of
them within the three years preceding our study. This recent production suggests a
growing awareness of the need for materials targeting a Latino population. In fact, many
developers of these materials reported that they had decided to produce them after
recognizing that the numbers of Latinos was increasing, that Latinos had an elevated
risk of traffic injury, and that few Spanish-language educational materials on traffic
safety were available.
Format, Topics, and Audience
Despite the relatively large number of materials identified in the study, there is little
variety in the format used, the topics covered, and the audience addressed. Although
health education experts recommend that developers of materials for Latinos consider
using alternative formats, such as fotonovelas, radio announcements, and videos, few
such materials were identified. Approximately three-quarters of the materials were
brochures, posters, tip sheets, or cards.
In the materials identified, crucial traffic safety issues and groups that are at particular
risk of injury are not adequately addressed. In a large proportion of the materials, child
passenger safety is the only topic addressed. Child passenger safety is an important
topic; Latino children are at greater risk of traffic injury than non-Latino children, and
they are less likely to be properly restrained (CDC 2005; Matteucci et al. 1995; Baker et
al. 1998; Nachiondo, Robinson, and Killen 1996). However, Latino children are also at
greater risk of pedestrian injury and bicycle injury (CDC 2005; Agran et al. 1998), and
few of the materials address these topics.
Latino male teens are at much greater risk of traffic injury than their non-Latino
counterparts (Baker et al. 1998), yet few items have teen drivers as a primary topic.
Most items targeting parents focus on child passenger safety, largely ignoring the role of
parents as sources of information for their teenage children. Few materials address
50
speeding, DUI, or nonuse of safety belts as a primary topic, despite research showing
that Latinos are at high risk of these behaviors.
Only a small proportion (8%) of the materials were written for children. Yet, this may be
a group with a particular need for items written in their native language. Likewise, few
materials address older drivers, another group that could benefit from access to
Spanish-language materials on traffic safety.
Most of the materials do not target specific populations of Latinos who may be at
particular risk of traffic injury. Only 17% target people with low literacy and only 12%
people with low income. The few materials for these populations have child passenger
safety as a primary topic, despite the need for easy-to-understand information on other
crucial issues, such as safety belt use, DUI, and pedestrian safety.
Despite research indicating that Latinos from various countries of origin have
differences in injury rates and risk factors (Voas, Tippetts, and Fisher 2000), only 10%
of the materials target Latinos from specific countries of origin. The majority of the
materials aim to reach all Spanish speakers.
Source and Timeliness of Safety Information
For three-quarters of the materials, the NHTSA was the primary source of safety
information. Given the agency’s solid research base, this provides some assurance that
the information is technically accurate. However, other types of agencies seem to be
underutilized. Public health agencies such as the CDC and state health departments
might be able to supply additional information, such as local data specific to Latino
populations and information on strategies to reach populations at high risk of injury, yet
they were used infrequently. Very few organizations that specifically serve the Latino
population created traffic safety materials or were used as a source of information, yet
they could help ensure that materials are culturally appropriate. National traffic safety
organizations such as the NHTSA and AAAFTS, public health agencies such as the
CDC, and Latino organizations should consider working together to develop traffic
safety materials. These agencies could provide valuable expertise, knowledge, and
resources to state and local organizations seeking to develop accurate, culturally
appropriate materials.
While most of the materials identified were relatively new, 17% were at least four years
old. Given the recent changes in traffic safety recommendations, particularly those
related to child passenger safety, it is important that materials be reviewed regularly for
accuracy and currency.
Distribution and Availability
Many of the materials identified are widely distributed (through police and health
departments, schools, community organizations, and day care facilities, among others),
available in large numbers, and available at low or no cost. In addition, most
51
respondents indicated that they use the educational materials as part of larger efforts,
rather than relying on the materials alone. One finding that indicates a limited availability
of these materials is that half of them are not available electronically.
Development Process
This study gathered information on the processes developers used to create their
materials. Several guidelines for creating culturally appropriate materials recommend
using one or more of the following strategies to obtain input from the target audience:
use consultants or staff who speak the language, obtain input from community
members, and use focus groups (Schiff and Becker 1996; NHTSA 1995). A quarter of
the materials identified in this study were developed without use of any of these
strategies.
A higher percentage of materials on child passenger safety than of materials on other
topics were developed using several of these strategies. Yet, the knowledge gained in
developing appropriate child passenger safety materials is not necessarily transferable
to materials on other topics, such as pedestrian safety and DUI. For example,
developers have learned that emphasizing the importance of family can encourage
parents to secure their children in car seats. However, a similarly family-focused
message may not motivate a teenage driver to use his or her safety belt. Developers of
materials on safety topics should always obtain input from their target audience to
ensure that their materials are effective.
Although national organizations presumably have more resources that can be devoted
to developing educational materials, a higher proportion of state and local organizations
used one or more of the recommended steps in developing materials. This may be
because state and local organizations have better access to community groups. If so,
national organizations should be working with state- and local-level organizations to
improve the development of materials.
Writing and Translating
EST’s Guidelines recommend that materials be developed in Spanish when they are
intended to serve Spanish-speaking communities. If the material is to be adapted from
English, a professional translator should participate in the process. Only 10% of the
materials collected for this study were created in Spanish, and of the materials that were
translated, one-third were translated by someone other than a professional translator,
such as a staff member or a community volunteer. A higher proportion of national
organizations than of state and local organizations used professional translators. In the
interviews, respondents provided a number of ideas on sources from which to solicit
feedback on language and grammar, such as traffic safety experts, language experts,
organization staff, and community members.
Evaluation
52
The Guidelines developed for this project recommend that developers take simple steps
to evaluate their materials. About half of the materials identified were developed and
used without any evaluation. The primary evaluation method used was process
evaluation, such as counting the number of materials distributed and tracking the
categories of people who use them. Less than 10% of the materials were pilot tested,
and less than 10% were evaluated for their impact on the knowledge, attitudes, or
behavior of the target audience. Of the organizations that submitted materials, a greater
proportion of state and local organizations than of national organizations had conducted
evaluations of the materials that they developed.
Nearly all of the materials that underwent impact evaluation were on child passenger
safety. In future work, a selection of materials on other topics should be evaluated, so
that materials developers will better understand what approaches are effective in
reaching Latino audiences with information on DUI, pedestrian safety, speeding, safety
belt use, and other key issues.
Lessons Learned by the Respondents
Few guidelines are available for organizations seeking to develop culturally appropriate
educational materials for Latinos. In the interviews conducted for this study,
respondents shared advice given to and lessons learned by people and organizations
who had actually developed materials. Many respondents had obtained input from the
target community or other forms of advice throughout the development process and
recommended that other developers do the same.
With regard to language and grammar, a key recommendation from respondents was to
pay attention to all of the words and phrases used. An English word may have several
different translations in Spanish, and a Spanish word may mean one thing to someone
from Puerto Rico and another to someone from Mexico. Simple words and phrases,
without jargon or technical terms, should be used. Opinion was divided on whether to
use the colloquial language of a specific Latino group or a more general Spanish. Some
of the respondents highlighted the need for a professional writer or translator who is
sensitive to variations in language usage.
The materials’ format and graphics should be simple and appealing. Photographs that
represent members of the target audience should be used rather than cartoons.
Developers should employ a creative format to tell an interesting story, such as a
fotonovela or video.
Scope of Organizations
Differences in approaches to materials development were observed among the different
organizations by scope—national, state, or local—although these differences were not
statistically significant. Higher percentages of state and local organizations reported that
they used the Spanish-language materials as part of a broader program, that they took
one or more of the recommended steps to enhance the cultural appropriateness of the
53
materials, and that they undertook some evaluation of the materials. On the other hand,
a higher percentage of national organizations used a professional translator in creating
materials.
Limitations of the Study
This study had a number of important limitations. The sample of materials analyzed is
not representative of all educational materials in Spanish. Information was not collected
on 20% of the materials identified because the developers were unable or unwilling to
participate in the interview. In cases where the respondent was not the developer, often
the information available was incomplete. Because Web searches were the primary
mode of identifying organizations that were not already in the EST database,
researchers may have missed some local materials and organizations that do not have
Web sites. Child passenger safety materials may have been overrepresented in this
study because of the researchers’ familiarity with items on that topic from a prior project,
Seated for Safety. Finally, because of the small sample size, statistical tests of
significance could not be performed for most of the variables in the study.
OBJECTIVE 2: DEVELOP GUIDELINES FOR CREATING CULTURALLY
AND LINGUISTICALLY APPROPRIATE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
FOR LATINOS
The Guidelines for Developing Traffic Safety Educational Materials for SpanishSpeaking Audiences were designed for organizations seeking to create culturally and
linguistically appropriate traffic safety educational materials for Latinos. The process
outlined in the Guidelines is primarily for print materials such as brochures, posters,
booklets, and fotonovelas, although the process can also be used to develop videos,
public service announcements, and other materials.
The Guidelines are meant to help developers draft materials that meet three main
criteria: 1) cultural and linguistic appropriateness for the intended Latino audience; 2)
accurate traffic safety information; and 3) use of principles of effective health
communication. Developers are encouraged to identify the audience and topic and then
work in collaboration with partners.
Several sources were used in the development of the Guidelines:
1.
Recent literature and research on Latinos and traffic safety as well as existing
guidelines on creating culturally and linguistically appropriate materials.
2.
Expertise of a group of experts in traffic safety, Latino issues, and health
communication, a panel of expert reviewers, and the EST National Work Group. They
provided feedback, examples, and specific recommendations on the Guidelines.
3.
Results of the interviews described in the previous section. Staff were able to
identify positive examples of materials and lessons learned by the developers of
materials.
54
To ensure that the Guidelines’ recommendations would be relevant in a real-world
setting, they were pilot tested with a community advisory group in Holyoke,
Massachusetts, in developing a model educational item and then modified on the basis
of that process to reflect the actual experience of developing new materials.
The Guidelines contain nine recommendations organized into three main sections:
Research and Planning, Creating Materials, and Dissemination and Evaluation. Also
included are suggestions for adapting existing materials, including the process used to
adapt the Holyoke-area pedestrian safety material for a national audience. The
complete Guidelines are presented in Appendix G.
OBJECTIVE 3: USE THE GUIDELINES TO DEVELOP A MODEL
EDUCATIONAL ITEM
The third project objective involved creating a model item to pilot test the Guidelines. A
brochure on pedestrian safety was developed for Spanish speakers in the 16-to-65-year
age range in several western Massachusetts cities. The brochure, intended to educate
both drivers and pedestrians, is reproduced in Appendix H. Its title—“Manténganse
Alerta. Sean responsables. La seguridad es responsabilidad de todos”—translates to
“Stay alert. Be responsible. Safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
The following sections discuss the nine recommendations in the Guidelines and how
they were used to develop the pedestrian safety brochure.
1. Identify Key Partners
Based on guidance from the EST National Work Group, researchers considered three
Massachusetts communities in which to create the material—Brockton, Holyoke, and
Lawrence, all of which have high percentages of Latinos. Ultimately, Holyoke was
selected because EDC had recently been involved in that community with another traffic
safety project (Greenberg-Seth et al. 2004a, 2004b). In addition, the senior research
assistant worked in the Holyoke area and had contact with professionals and
community members who were interested in this project. Contacts were invited to
become involved with the project, and several community organizations were
represented at the first meeting. The Western Massachusetts EST (WEST) Community
Advisory Group met several times to provide guidance in the development of the model
item.
2. Understand the Traffic Safety Topic
The EST survey results indicated that few Spanish-language materials had been
developed on DUI issues and laws, safety belt use, and pedestrian safety. At the first
meeting with the community group, EDC presented information about the three topics
and asked members of the group to select the topic that was most compelling for their
community. The WEST group members decided that materials on pedestrian safety
were needed most at that time. Awareness about seat belt use had already been raised
55
in the community because of the “Click It or Ticket” enforcement campaign, and more
information was available on DUI issues than on pedestrian safety.
Researchers collected and reviewed local data on traffic injuries among Latinos from
several sources: the Massachusetts Registry of Vital Records and Statistics for
pedestrian death data; the Fatality Analysis Reporting System from the NHTSA for
locations of pedestrian fatalities; the Massachusetts Hospital Discharge Database from
the Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy for pedestrian
hospitalization data; the Massachusetts Emergency Department Database from the
Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy for data on visits to
emergency departments for pedestrian injuries; and emergency department data on
traffic injuries from a local hospital, supplied by Safe Kids. Up-to-date pedestrian injury
prevention information from the NHTSA and the Massachusetts Governor’s Highway
Safety Office and other projects and programs promoting pedestrian safety was
reviewed.
3. Understand the Audience
WEST members decided that the material should target people aged 16–65 years for
several reasons. In western Massachusetts, this age group has higher rates of
emergency department visits for pedestrian injuries than children aged 14 years and
younger. The 16–65 age group also includes new drivers, who are typically less
experienced and may be less aware of pedestrian safety issues. Among persons over
age 65, Puerto Ricans—the predominant Latino group in the Holyoke area—have low
injury rates. WEST members also felt that if parents and other adults knew how to be
safer pedestrians, they would teach those lessons to their children.
WEST members decided that the material should target all Latinos in the area, not just
Puerto Ricans. They also decided to include the Chicopee/Springfield region rather than
limit the project to Holyoke because agencies represented in the WEST group overlap
and service these areas. The same data sources were used to provide information on
pedestrian deaths and medical visits for these two cities. The results were similar,
except that Springfield had higher rates of pedestrian injury than the other two
communities.
Focus groups were conducted to determine what content and format for the brochure
would best address the needs of community residents. An organization was contracted
to train bilingual staff at EDC on how to conduct focus groups, to assist in developing
questions, to plan the groups, and to co-facilitate the sessions. With the help of the
WEST group and through community outreach, 32 participants in the target age group
were recruited for an initial round of three focus groups. The participants were
predominantly of Puerto Rican descent and hence were representative of the Latino
community in the area. A summary of the focus group results is presented in Appendix
I.
56
4. Develop Your Message and Content
The messages and content of the brochure, which were based on focus group findings,
research, and input from the WEST group and the EST National Work Group, can be
summarized as follows:
•
The material targets both drivers and pedestrians and shows them the
consequences of unsafe behavior and how it could affect their families and loved ones.
•
Because the focus group participants were unfamiliar with traffic signs and
symbols, the material includes information about these as well.
•
Since focus group participants noted that broken sidewalks, trash, and
inadequate lighting presented impediments to safe walking in the community, the
brochure includes contact information for the Department of Public Works, the agency
responsible for rectifying problems of this sort.
•
A policeman is shown as the voice of authority, as focus group participants felt
that police officers are those who would know the laws and play an important role in
enforcement.
5. Use Accurate, Simple, and Appropriate Language
After a comprehensive search, the Media Network, an NHTSA contractor, was hired to
assist in the development of the material. The organization has expertise in developing
a broad range of educational materials for native Spanish speakers, including materials
on traffic safety, and their writer develops materials originally in Spanish.
The Media Network described the language used as Pan-Hispanic: no slang or regional
colloquialisms were used. The dialogue was simple yet conveyed all the key points
about pedestrian safety. The text describing traffic signs, pedestrian rules, and contact
information was provided in both Spanish and English, side by side, because most of
the focus group participants reported that they spoke both languages at home.
6. Use Culturally Appropriate Format and Graphics
On the basis of research, focus group results, WEST group input, and the advice of the
contractor, the material was created with the following elements:
•
•
•
•
•
A fotonovela style, rather than cartoon drawings
A large font size
Short, simple text
Bright colors
Scenes from the Holyoke community
7. Solicit Feedback from the Target Audience and Your Partners
Researchers conducted another focus group to show a draft of the fotonovela to
members of the target audience. WEST members were also invited to comment. All
57
focus group participants were able to state the brochure’s key messages, and they felt
the fotonovela was clear and compelling. Two elements were changed on the basis of
focus group feedback: a uniformed, rather than off-duty, police officer was portrayed as
the “voice of reason”; and the back cover, which contained information on signs and
laws, was greatly simplified. In addition, focus group and WEST members provided
many ideas for dissemination.
Two months later, a focus group was convened to review the final draft brochure to
make sure that the pictures and text were effective for the target audience. There were
no negative comments, and all words and phrases and the underlying messages were
found to be clear. In addition, Spanish-speaking staff from AAA, AAAFTS, and NHTSA
reviewed the content, language, and presentation of the messages.
8. Effectively Disseminate
A press conference was held to announce publication of the brochure, and copies were
sent to 22 community agencies and organizations for distribution to their clients,
members, and visitors. The organizations included health centers, Safe Kids, AAA
Clubs in Massachusetts, Latino social service agencies, the Holyoke mayor’s office,
Head Start, and the Women, Infants, and Children nutrition program.
9. Evaluate and Review
The AAAFTS conducted follow-up surveys of recipients of the brochure to determine
how it was used and which organizations ultimately received copies and to elicit
feedback. The AAAFTS also sponsored an independent evaluation to solicit input from
experts around the country to determine whether the brochure could be adapted for
other regions and Latino communities around the country and to obtain input for
improvements of the brochure.
OBJECTIVE 4: DEVELOP A WEB SITE THAT CONTAINS THE
GUIDELINES AND TRAFFIC SAFETY RESOURCES FOR SPANISH
SPEAKERS
EST and AAAFTS staff created a Web site to host information about the project
(http://www.aaafoundation.org/projects/index.cfm?button=EDCintro). The site has
information about the extent of the traffic safety problem among different Latino
communities and a list of existing traffic safety materials for native Spanish speakers.
The final Guidelines, the final report, and the model educational item—the brochure on
pedestrian safety—are also posted on the site.
A second dissemination strategy has been to inform colleagues about the project and to
share preliminary results through a series of oral and poster presentations at
professional meetings. A presentation titled “Developing Educational Materials on
Traffic Safety for Spanish-Speaking Audiences” was delivered at the following
conferences:
58
Eighteenth Annual California Conference on Childhood Injury Control. September
27–29, 2004, San Francisco. Workshop presentation.
Lifesavers 2005 National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities. March 13–15,
2005, Charlotte, North Carolina Poster presentation.
2005 National Injury Prevention and Control Conference, “Injury and Violence in
America: Meeting Challenges, Sharing Solutions.” May 9–11, 2005, Denver,
Colorado. Poster presentation.
59
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8ik,
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Appendix A: Members of the EST National Work Group and Expert
Reviewers
This document was developed by Education Development Center, Inc., under the
guidance of the Educación de Seguridad en el Tránsito (EST) National Work Group
members—experts on traffic safety, Latino culture, and/or developing culturally
appropriate materials—who provided ideas and feedback in person, by telephone, and
in writing.
National Work Group Members for Educación de Seguridad en el Tránsito
Suzanne M. Bronheim, PhD
National Center for Cultural Competence
Alberto Concha-Eastman, MD, MSc
Pan American Health Organization
Hilda Crespo
ASPIRA Association, Inc.
T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, MPH
AAA National
Richard Fimbres
Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
Susan Scavo Gallagher, MPH
Education Development Center, Inc.
Tania Garcia, MPH
Education Development Center, Inc.
Cynthia Harris
California State Automobile Association
Adam Howard
AAA National
Robin Mayer
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
J. Scott Osberg, PhD
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
Sylvia Veitía
AAA Mid-Atlantic
63
Dannielle Sherrets, MPH, CHES
AAA National
Expert Reviewers for Educación de Seguridad en el Tránsito
The EST Guidelines reviewers are experts in traffic safety, Latino culture, and/or
developing culturally appropriate materials. They provided ideas and feedback via email.
Maria Anderson
Carolinas Center for Injury Prevention and Control
Rosalie Mendez Argüelles
Center for Injury Prevention Policy and Practice
Loretta Armenta
Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce
Gabriel Cano
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Brian Ford
National Traffic Safety Institute
Rose Guilbault
California State Automobile Association
Mario Leiderman
Institute of Transportation Engineers
Yvette Lopez
Arizona AAA
Nena de Mazire
Safer New Mexico Now
Sherilyn Pearce
Education Development Center, Inc.
Irene Rodríguez
National Latino Children’s Institute
Antonia Romero
Jim Thorpe Rehabilitation Center
64
Julie Ross, MPH
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Rene Salgado
Doña Ana County Government, New Mexico
Kevin Techau
Iowa Department of Public Safety
Jose Ucles
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
65
Appendix B: List of the 388 Organizations Contacted for Traffic Safety
Educational Materials in Spanish
AAA Akron Auto Club
AAA Alabama
AAA Alberta
AAA Alliance Auto Club
AAA Arizona
AAA Auto Club South
AAA Automobile Club of Southern California
AAA Berkshire County
AAA Blue Grass/Kentucky
AAA Carolinas
AAA Chicago
AAA Colorado
AAA Columbiana County
AAA East Central
AAA East Penn
AAA East Tennessee
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
AAA Hartford/Cincinnati
AAA Hartford/Cincinnati/Kansas
AAA Hoosier Motor Club
AAA Kentucky
AAA Lancaster County
AAA Massillon Auto Club
AAA Merrimack Valley
AAA Miami Valley
AAA Mid-Atlantic
AAA Minneapolis
AAA Minnesota/Iowa
AAA Missouri
AAA Mountain West
AAA National
AAA Nebraska
AAA New Mexico
AAA Niagara-Orleans
AAA North Dakota
AAA North Penn
AAA Northern Jersey
AAA Northern New England
AAA Northampton County
AAA Northway
AAA Northwest Ohio
AAA of Tidewater Virginia
AAA Ohio
66
AAA Oklahoma
AAA Oregon/Idaho
AAA Reading-Berks
AAA Schuylkill County
AAA Shelby County
AAA South Jersey
AAA Southern New England
AAA Southern New York
AAA Southern Penn
AAA Susquehanna Valley
AAA Tri County Motor Club
AAA Tuscarawas County
AAA Utica and Central New York
AAA Washington
AAA Western and Central New York
AAA Wheeling
AAA Wisconsin
AARP
ABS Education Alliance
Accident Reconstruction Communications Network
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign
Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs
Alaska Injury Prevention Center
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Institute
Alliance for Community Traffic Safety in Oregon
Allstate Insurance Co.
Ambulatory Pediatrics Association
America Walks
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Academy of Pediatrics
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American Driver and Traffic Safety Education Association
American Highway Users Alliance
American Public Health Association
American Trauma Society
American Trauma Society, Pennsylvania Division
American Trucking Association
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
Arkansas Highway Safety Office
ASPIRA Association
Association for the Advancement of Automotive Medicine
67
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Auto Club of Pioneer Valley
Automobile Club of Southern California
Automotive Safety Program at Riley Hospital for Children
Automobile Club of New York
Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety, Inc.
Automotive Occupant Restraints Council
Bacchus and Gamma Peer Education Network
Bassett Healthcare
Bemidji Area Indian Health Service
Bicycle Federation of America
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute
Boost America! Ford Motor Company
Boston Pedestrian Protection Program
Boy Scouts of America
Brain Injury Association of Mississippi
Buckle Down Cleveland
Buckle Up America
Buckle Up Baby Program
BuckleBear
Bureau of Indian Affairs Highway Safety Program
CAA Manitoba
CAA Mid-Western Ontario
CAA Quebec
CAA Saskatchewan
CAA South Central Ontario
California Department of Health Services
California Highway Patrol
California Office of Traffic Safety
California State Automobile Association
Carolinas Medical Center
Cascade Bicycle Club Seattle
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Central Sun Bonifacio
Channing L. Bete Co., Inc.
Chicano/Latino Youth Leadership Project
Child Safety Solutions Corporation/I’m Safe Productions
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways
Coalition Against Bigger Trucks
Coalition for Vehicle Choice
Colorado Department of Transportation
Colorado Injury Control Research Center
Colorado Injury Prevention Program
68
Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands Highway Safety
Connecticut Department of Transportation
Connecticut Motor Club
Contra Costa Health Services
Children's Safety Network National Injury and Violence Prevention Resource Center
Children's Safety Network National Injury Data Technical Assistance Center
Custer Health
D.A.R.E. (Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education) America
Daimler Chrysler
Delaware Office of Highway Safety
Department of Transportation and Public Facilities
El Pueblo, Inc.
Emergency Medical Services for Children
Emergency Nurses Care–Emergency Nurses Association’s Injury Prevention Institute
Evenflo Company, Inc.
Families Acting for Community Traffic Safety
Families, 4-H and Nutrition Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service
Farm Safety 4 Just Kids
Federal Highway Administration
Findlay Automobile Club
Fit for a Kid
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Department of Public Works
Florida Department of Transportation
Ford Advanced Safety and Regulations
Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety
General Motors Corporation
Government of the District of Columbia, District Department of Transportation,
Transportation Policy and Planning Administration
Governors’ Highway Safety Association
Graco Children’s Products, Inc.
Greater Sacramento Safe Kids Coalition
Harleysville Mutual Insurance Co.
Harvard Injury Control Research Center
Hawaii Department of Transportation
Health Edco
Held in Trust Program
Hispanic Federation
Hispanic Information and Telecommunications Network
Idaho Department of Education Motorcycle Safety Program
Idaho Office of Highway Safety
Illinois Department of Transportation
Illinois Division of Traffic Safety
Independent Transportation Network
Indian Health Service
69
Indiana Criminal Justice Institute/Governor’s Council on Impaired and Dangerous
Driving
Injury Control Resource Information Network
Injury Prevention Web
Inland Automobile Association
Institute of Transportation Engineers
Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Intermountain Injury Control Research Center
International Association of Chiefs of Police
International Center for Injury Prevention
International Council on Alcohol, Drugs, and Traffic Safety
International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention
International Truck and Engine Corporation
Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau
Johns Hopkins Injury Prevention Center
Journeyworks Publishing
Juneau Public Health Center
Kansas City Injury Coalition for Kids
Kansas Department of Transportation, Bureau of Traffic Safety
Kansas Safety Belt Education Office
KARS/Special KARS
Keck Center of the National Academies
Kentucky Governor’s Highway Safety Program
Kids in the Back/Niños Atrás
Kids ’N Cars
Kiwanis International/Circle K/Key Club
Latin America Health Institute
Latino Issues Forum
Latino Social Workers Organization
League of United Latin American Citizens
Learning for Life
Liberty Mutual Insurance
LISBOA, Inc.
Maine Association for Pupil Transportation
Maine Automobile Dealers Association
Maine Bureau of Highway Safety
Maine Department of Transportation
Maine Highway Safety Commission
Maine Injury Prevention Program
Maine Motorcyclist and UBM
Maine Operation Lifesaver
Maine Transportation Safety Coalition
Make the Right Call
Mana, National Latina Organization
Maryland Department of Public Safety
70
Maryland Highway Safety Office
Maryland Kids in Safety Seats
Maryland Office of Highway Safety
Maryland State Highway Administration
Massachusetts Brain Injury Organization
Massachusetts Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau
Maternal and Child Health Bureau
Michigan Department of Community Health
Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning
Michigan Resource Center
Michigan Safe Kids
Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Driver Vehicle Services
Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety
Minnesota Safety Council
Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol
Mitsubishi
Missouri Division of Highway Safety
Montana State Highway Traffic Safety Office
Montgomery County Child Passenger Safety Program
Mothers Against Drunk Driving
Motorcycle Safety Foundation
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
National Association for the Advancement of Hispanic People
National Association for the Education of Young Children
National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Association of Hispanic Publications
National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund
National Association of State Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors
National Association of State EMS Directors
National Association of State Motorcycle Safety Administrators
National Bicycle Education Consortium
National Center for Bicycling and Walking
National Children’s Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety
National Coalition of Hispanic Health and Human Services Organization
National Commission Against Drunk Driving
National Community for Latino Leadership, Inc.
National Council of La Raza
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.
National Easter Seals Society
National Families in Action
National Federation of State High School Associations
National Group Rides and Designated Drivers
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
National Hispanic Institute
National Hispano/Latino Community Prevention Network
71
National Latino Children’s Institute
National Organizations for Youth Safety
National Parent and Teacher Association
National Safe Kids Campaign
National Safety Belt Coalition
National Safety Council
National Sheriffs Association
National Sleep Foundation
National Transportation Safety Board
Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles
Network of Employers for Traffic Safety
Nevada Department of Public Safety
New Hampshire Governor’s Highway Safety Office
New Jersey Automobile Club
New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety
New York State Bureau of Injury Prevention
New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Governor’s Highway Safety
Representative
New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee
New York State Police
Nissan North America, Inc.
North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program
North Dakota Child Passenger Safety
North Dakota Department of Transportation
North Dakota Drivers License and Traffic Safety Division
Ohio Governor’s Highway Safety Office
Ohio Department of Health
Oklahoma Department of Public Safety
Oklahoma SAFE KIDS Coalition
Operation Lifesaver
Optimist International
Oregon Department of Transportation
Otsego County Office of STOP-DWI and Traffic Safety
Outdoor Empire Publishing
Parents Against Tired Truckers
Partnership for Safe Driving
Pediatric Society of North America
Pennsylvania Bureau of Highway Safety and Traffic Engineering
Primary Children’s Medical Center
Prison Moratorium Project
Projecto FIESTA (Facilitadores Instructores en Seguridad Tránsito Alcohol)
Propulsion International, Inc.
Public Health Foundation
Puerto Rico Emergency Medical Services for Children
Rhode Island Department of Transportation Office on Highway Safety
Rubber Manufacturers Association
72
RV Alliance: America’s Safety Driving Program
RW Insurance
Sacramento Police Department
Safe America Foundation
Safe Ride News Publications, Inc.
Safe Riders Traffic Safety Program, Texas Department of State Health Services
Safer New Mexico Now
Safety Industries, Inc.
Safety on the Move
Safety Restraint Coalition
SafetyBeltSafe USA
San Francisco Injury Center
Saskatchewan Institute on Prevention of Handicaps
Seattle Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center
Share the Road Coalition
Shasta County Public Health Department
Shelness Productions
Snell Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Society for Academic Emergency Medicine
South Carolina Office of Highway Safety
South Dakota Department of Public Safety
South Dakota Office of Highway Safety
Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center
Southwest District Health Department
State and Territorial Injury Prevention Directors Association
State Farm Insurance Companies
Students Against Destructive Decisions
Tennessee Department of Health
Tennessee Department of Safety
Texas Bureau of Disease and Injury Prevention
Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Injury Prevention
Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Texas Department of Transportation
Texas Transportation Institute
The every 15 minutes program
Think First Foundation
THINK FIRST Program–Oregon chapter
Thomas Built Buses, Inc.
Traffic Injury Research Foundation
Transportation and Public Works (Puerto Rico)
Trauma Foundation
Travelers Protective Association
Tri-State Foundation for Safety and Education
Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center
UAB Injury Control Research Center
United Bikers of Maine, Inc.
73
United Tribes Technical College
University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center
University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center
University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center
U.S. Department of Transportation
Utah Department of Public Safety
Utah State Office of Education
Vermont Department of Public Safety
Vermont Division of Community Public Health
Victims of Irresponsible Drowsy Drivers
Virgin Islands Office of Highway Safety
Virginia Department of Health
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles
Walk Boston
Washington Area Bicyclist Association
Washington State Booster Seat Coalition
Washington State Department of Health
Washington Traffic Safety Commission
Wausau Insurance Corporation
West Virginia Department of Transportation
West Virginia Division of Motor Vehicles
Western Maine Transportation Services
Western Massachusetts Safe Kids Coalition/Baystate Medical Center Children’s
Hospital
Westfield Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety
Wisconsin Bureau of Transportation Safety
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
Wyoming Highway Safety Program
74
Appendix C: Letter Requesting Materials
We need your help!
Do you produce traffic safety educational materials that target Hispanics?
If you do, we'll like to see them! If you don’t please let us know.
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration are sponsoring a project to see what types of
educational materials are available to the public and how, as educators, we can make
certain that materials are culturally appropriate. We need copies of your brochures, fact
sheets, child activity books, posters, advertisements, videos, CD-ROMs, etc that target
Hispanics (if you have the English version we will like to see it too). We prefer to receive
electronic files, but if you are unable to provide files electronically, please send them in
the mail to the address below.
As you are aware, Hispanics in the United States are at a higher risk for traffic-related
injury compared to the general population. We hope that by seeing what materials are
available and how they are used, we can find better ways to get information into the
hands of Hispanic adults and children—and you can help!
For more information about the project, please call Magda Rodríguez at
(617) 618-2917 or Viviana Cataño at (617) 618-2238.
Please send materials or comments as soon as possible to:
Magda Rodríguez
Senior Research Assistant
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458
Phone (617) 618-2917
Fax (617) 969-9186
[email protected]
Thanks for your help with this important traffic safety research!
Magda
75
Appendix D: List of Organizations That Developed Spanish-Language
Materials
Altogether, 65 organizations were identified as having developed Spanish-language
traffic safety educational materials. Of these, 54 were surveyed and 11 were not; they
are listed separately below.
Organizations Surveyed
AAA Arizona
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
AAA New Jersey
Air Bag and Seat Belt Safety Campaign, National Safety Council
Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs
Automobile Club of Southern California
Automobile Safety Program at Riley Hospital for Children
Boston Pedestrian Protection Program
California State Automobile Association
Car Safety for Latino Children Coalition
Carolinas Medical Center
Channing L. Bete Co., Inc.
Child Safety Solutions Corporation/I’m Safe Productions
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Children’s Hospital and Health Center
Delaware Office of Highway Safety
District of Columbia Department of Transportation/Transportation Policy and Planning
Administration
El Pueblo, Inc.
Harvard Injury Control Research Center/Kids in the Back, Niños Atrás
Hass MS&L
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
Iowa Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau
Journeyworks Publishing
Kansas Department of Transportation, Bureau of Traffic Safety
Kansas Department of Transportation, Safety Belt Education Office
Kentucky Governor’s Highway Safety Program
Kids ’N Cars
Maryland Highway Safety Office, State Highway Administration
Massachusetts Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau
Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
National Latino Children’s Institute
National Safe Kids Campaign
New York Department of Health
Oregon Department of Transportation
Outdoor Empire Publishing
76
Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Highway Safety and Engineering
Primary Children’s Medical Center
Propulsion International, Inc.
Rhode Island Department of Transportation, Office of Highway Safety
Safe Ride News Publications, Inc.
Safe Riders Traffic Safety Program, Texas Department of State Health Services
Safer New Mexico Now
SafetyBeltSafe USA
South Carolina Office of Highway Safety
Southwest District Health Department (Idaho)
State Farm Insurance Companies
Students Against Destructive Decisions
Tennessee Department of Safety
Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Injury Prevention
Utah Department of Public Safety
Washington State Booster Seat Coalition
Washington State Department of Health
Western Massachusetts Safe Kids/Bay State Medical Center Children’s Hospital
Organizations That Developed Materials and Were Not Surveyed
AAA National
Connecticut Department of Transportation
Ford Motor Company
General Motors Corporation
Indiana Criminal Justice Institute/Governor’s Council on Impaired and Dangerous
Driving
Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning
New Jersey Automobile Club
Snell Memorial Foundation, Inc.
Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Virginia Department of Health
Wisconsin Department of Transportation
77
Appendix E: Interview Protocol for Survey of Materials Developers
Date of Survey:
Interviewer:
[Date]
Dear [Name]
On behalf of Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) thank you for taking the time to
participate in this survey. The survey will be conducted over the phone and it will take
approximately [45] minutes to an 1 hour. It consists of 34 questions about the brochures
titled, [“Material(s) Titles”] which were created by your organization.
Educación en Transito Seguro (ETS) is a research project conducted by Education
Development Center with funds from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. EDC is collecting and describing traffic
safety educational materials written in Spanish. Hispanics in the United States are at
higher risk for traffic-related injury compared to the general population. We hope that by
compiling available materials and learning how they were developed and used, we can
find better ways to get information into the hands of Spanish-speaking adults and
children.
Your responses will help us understand how these materials are developed and used.
Your responses will be kept confidential, and all data will be reported in aggregate only.
A copy of the final report will be made available to you. You do not need to respond to
the questions now, however we suggest that you take a moment to review the questions
before the phone conversation. Some questions may require consultation with other
colleagues before the actual telephone survey.
Some people use the term Hispanic to refer to people who are from Spanish-speaking
regions of the world. Others use the term Latino. For purposes of this survey we will use
“native Spanish speakers” to refer to the population of interest.
Once again thank you for your participation. If you would like more information about
Education Development Center, Inc., please visit our Web site: www.edc.org.
Sincerely,
[Name of interviewer]
[Title]
Education Development Center, Inc.
55 Chapel Street
Newton, MA 02458
Phone
Fax
E-mail
78
Descriptive Information
Name of your organization:
Your name:
Title:
Mailing Address:
Address 1
Address 2
City
State
Zip
Phone:
Fax:
E-mail:
Interview #:
Title of the education material we are going to be asking you about is:
Indicate your organization’s scope: [select ONE of the following]
National
State
Regional
Local
Other,
specify:________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
_____________
Indicate your organization type: [select ONE of the following]
Government
Private for-profit
Private nonprofit
Other,
specify:________________________________________________________
79
______________________________________________________________
_____________
Which of the following best describes your organization’s main mission? [select
ONE of the following]
Traffic safety
Serving the Hispanic/Latino population
Health care
Other,
specify:________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
_____________
What is the format of item? [select ONE of the following]
Brochure
Video
Poster
Booklet
Kit
Public Service Announcement
Web Materials
Other,
specify:________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
_____________
Survey on Spanish Language Education Materials
Involvement
1. What was your role in developing and distributing this educational
material?
Content/ Audience
2. What is the primary topic covered? [select ONE of the following]
Child passenger safety
Safety belts
Speeding
Teen drivers
80
Bicycle safety
Pedestrian safety
Large vehicles, trucks, buses
Driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs
Road rage/distracted drivers
Specific populations (example: seat belt use during pregnancy; population
with special needs; rural issues)
General/many topics,
specify:_________________________________________________
Other,
specify:______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________
3. What other topics are covered? [select all that apply]
Child passenger safety
Safety belts
Speeding
Teen drivers
Bicycle safety
Pedestrian safety
Large vehicles, trucks, buses
Driving under the influence of alcohol and other drugs
Road rage/distracted drivers
Specific populations (example: seat belt use during pregnancy; population
with special needs; rural issues)
General/many topics,
specify:_________________________________________________
Other,
specify:______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________
None
4. What are the primary sources that were used for the traffic safety content
of the educational material? [Select all that apply]
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Your state Governor’s Highway Safety Office
Centers for Disease Control
Your state Health Department
Journal articles
AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
Internal resources/research of your organization
81
No specific source/combined information from many
Other,
specify:______________________________________________________
______
Don’t know
Comments
____________________________________________________________
_______
5. What is the primary age group addressed in educational material? [select
all that apply]
Infants/Toddlers (0-4 years)
Elementary age (5-12)
Teenagers (13-19)
Adults (20-59)
Seniors (60+)
No specific age group
6. What is the primary target audience? [select ONE of the following]
All motorists
Parents, grandparents, and other relatives
Healthcare providers
Teachers and child care providers
Children
General public
Other,
specify:______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________
Don’t know
7. What is the demographic group targeted? [select all that apply]
Spanish speakers in general
Spanish speakers from a specific country of origin
(specify:_________________________)
People with low income
People with low literacy
Other,
specify:______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________
Don’t know
82
Distribution/ Availability
8. Who is the primary distributor(s) of the educational material? [select all that
apply]
Our Organization
State or local health departments
Doctors, nurses, etc
Social workers
Schools/teachers
Child/day care
Latino/Hispanic community organizations
Religious/faith-based organizations
Volunteer community groups
Alcohol education programs
Drivers’ education programs
Highway safety offices
Police departments
Retail businesses
Car dealers
Senior centers
Other community agencies
Other,
specify:______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________
No specific distributors
Don’t know
9. How is the material intended to be used? [select all that apply]
Stand alone/giveaway
As part of workshop/training
As part of one-on-one education/counseling
As part of a campaign
As part of a kit/package
(specify______________________________________________)
No particular method
Other,
specify:______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________
Don’t know
83
Comments
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________
10. Is this material part of a broader educational outreach program or
campaign?
Yes
No
Don’t know
If yes, describe:
11. Can you provide us with contacts in several agencies or organizations that
are using your material in some way that may be of interest to others? For
example, as part of a broader educational program or with a particular
population, etc?
Yes
No
Don’t know
If yes, what are their contact names, phone numbers and/or e-mail
addresses?
12. What is the estimated total number of the educational material printed to
date? [select ONE of the following]
1-1001
1001-5000
5,001-10,000
10,000 +
Don’t know
Comments
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________
13. What year was the most recent version of the material produced?
14. Are copies of this educational material still available? [select ONE of the
following]
Yes
No
Don’t know
84
15. How much would it cost an agency or organization to purchase the item?
[select ONE of the following]
Free
Less than $1 per copy
$1-$5.99 per copy
$6–$9.99 per copy
$10–$24.99 per copy
$25 to $74.99 per copy
greater than $75 per copy
Don’t know
Comments
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________
16. Is this educational material copyrighted? [select ONE of the following]
Yes
No
Don’t know
17. In what language(s) is the educational material available? [select ONE of
the following]
Spanish only
English and Spanish
English/Spanish and other languages (specify)
____________________________________
Don’t know
18. Is this educational material available electronically? [select ONE of the
following]
Yes, on website
____________________________________________________________
_____________
Yes, not on website but available in PDF, Digital or other format. If so, what
format?______________________________________________________
_____________
No
Don’t know
Development Process
85
19. Why was it decided to create this educational material in Spanish?
20. Which of the following steps were taken to determine the content, format,
graphics and dissemination strategy for the material in Spanish? [select all
that apply]
Informal input from community members
Focus group
Used Spanish-speaking consultant/staff
Research conducted by others,
specify:_______________________________
Other, specify:_____________________________
Don’t know
None
21. What advice, if any, was received about ways to make the content of the
material appropriate for a native Spanish-speaking audience? [select ONE of
the following]
Some advice, specify:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________
No advice
Don’t know
22. What advice, if any, was received about ways to make the format
(example: layout, size, font, colors) appropriate for a native Spanish-speaking
audience? [select ONE of the following]
Some advice, specify:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________________
No advice
Don’t know
86
23. What advice, if any, was received about ways to make the graphics of the
material appropriate for a native Spanish-speaking audience? [select ONE of
the following]
Some advice, specify:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________
No advice
Don’t know
24. What advice, if any, was received about ways to disseminate/use the
material to best reach a native Spanish-speaking audience? [select ONE of
the following]
Some advice, specify:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________
No advice
Don’t know
Translation
25. What process was used to write the material in Spanish? [select ONE of
the following]
Created original material in Spanish (skip question 28)
Created new item in English and translated into Spanish
Started with existing English item and translated into Spanish
Started with an existing item in language other than English or Spanish and
translated into Spanish
Other,
specify:______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
_____________
Comments
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________
26. Who was responsible for translating the material? [select ONE of the
following]
Professional translator
Spanish-speaking staff person
Volunteer from community
87
Other, specify:______________________
Don’t know
Comments
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
______________
27. What steps, if any, did you take to check the grammar and usage of the
language?
28. What feedback, if any, have you received regarding the quality of the
translation?
29. Have you or anyone else looked at how this material is used or the impact
it had? [select ONE of the following]
Yes
No (skip to question 34)
Don’t know
Comments
___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
______________
30. If yes, which of the following was completed? [select all that apply]
Pilot tested and received feedback
Counted numbers of items distributed
Kept track of categories of people who received it
Kept track of how it was used (example: as part of training, etc.)
Measured changes in knowledge after recipients used it
Measured changes in attitudes about traffic safety after recipients used it
Measured changes in intended behavior after recipients used it
Other,
specify:_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
______________
Don’t know
Comments
31. What did you learn from these activities?
88
32. How can we obtain a copy of the findings?
33. What did you learn from these activities that would be helpful if you were
creating another educational material in Spanish?
34. Is there anything else you would like us to know? Do you have any
additional comments?
89
Appendix F: Respondents’ Roles in Developing Educational Material
Respondents were asked, “What was your role in developing and distributing this
educational material?” The table below presents the various responses; the number of
items covered by the response is listed in the right-hand column.
As a member of NHTSA internal review team
As the project manager was in charge of pulling the project together, provide
funding, and make decisions about distribution
Collected data on Latino males’ increase of crashes and DWI offenses.
Looked at the causes for behavior and identified knowledge gap and not
understanding the ongoing message as the problem
Coordinated development process
Coordinated the development and distribution of the video, was also in
charge of supervising the filming
Coordinated the development process
Coordinator
Corporate communications group developed this material before he started
working there. Currently as the director he is in charge of the distribution
Created by someone else before my time in the organization, now my role is
to follow up with the update, use, and distribution of the material
Created jointly with the California state automobile club. Her organization
arranged for the translation
Creator and developer of idea. I came up with the idea and with the help from
a friend who is a graphic designer we put it together
Developed and distributed with the help of the AAA club in southern California
Developed before she joined the organization, now she manages the
distribution
Developed before she worked at this org. The material has been modified
since and she is in charge of creating awareness about the material
Developed the text for the English version and distributed through coalition.
Lead the overall process
Did not develop the material; her staff assistant is in charge of the distribution.
Developed outside of their departments
Directed development of all publications
Directed effort to create materials in her previous position. Oversaw design
and format
Edited and revised the existing English item and arranged for its translation
into Spanish. Distributed the material to all jurisdictions in Maryland and other
organizations
Edited and updated the English version and oversaw the production of the
translation into Spanish
English developed by AAA National, her organization had it translated by a
professional
Helped develop and distribute the material
Frequency
8
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
3
2
1
1
2
1
4
1
1
2
3
21
3
2
90
Helped with writing/production/graphics and coordinated to getting to National
Safe Kids Coalition. Did not work on the translation
Her organization did research on this topic and put the whole material
together from creation to production
Her organization is the developer and primary distributor of this material
Her organization makes the material available to schools. She had no direct
role in development. California State Automobile Association did the
translation
Her organization was in charge of the whole production and distribution
Her role was getting the video duplicated to sell and give away. She is in
charge of giving copies to the distribution list
Her role was to consult with experts in the field and put together an outline of
how they wanted to cover the traffic safety information. She mentioned that
she received some expert advice on traffic safety laws. She was also in
charge of coordinating the illustration and writing of the material in English,
which was then translated
Her role was to coordinate the translation; for this she worked with a
professional translation agency. She worked with the Latino community
coordinator to make sure that the material was culturally correct. She also
distributes the material at special events and is in charge of general
distribution. She lets people in her network know about its availability
Her supervisor created the brochure. She is the child passenger specialist.
I participated in the design, content, coalition review, and dissemination plan.
I was the program coordinator for the occupant protection enforcement
campaign from May 00 to January 04. In August 2000, South Carolina
Department of public safety was asked to implement the Click It or Ticket
safety belt enforcement campaign. The plan that was developed established
three main committees to oversee the components of the Thanksgiving
mobilization. One of the committees established was the Diversity Outreach
Committee. Committee members suggested a one-page flyer about minority
crashes in South Carolina to explain the depth of issues facing minority motor
vehicle occupants. The flyer was designed and printed with facts about
African American occupants and Hispanic occupants. Because the Hispanic
flyer was written in English, a suggestion was made to translate this to
Spanish. A few months later, a suggestion was to publish a short one-page
explanation of the South Carolina law. The law card measured 4.25 x 11".
The child restraint law (children under 6 years of age) was printed on one
side and the safety belt law was printed on the other side. The law cards were
also translated into Spanish for our Hispanic citizens who could not read
English.
I wrote it/distributed it
In charge of all the aspects of the production of the material
In charge of the actual translation
Initiated and then coordinated the process to create the document. Met with
Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative of the Hispanic American
Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA), HAPCOA, and the
1
3
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
3
2
1
2
1
1
91
contractor
Lead writer, head researcher
My department monitors market needs and makes decisions regarding what
publications to develop. We are not involved in distributing the materials
My role is to follow up with the updates, use, and distribution of the materials
No role; the person who was in charge of the development retired
No role
None for development, but for distribution within the confines of the The
National Coalition of Hispanic Health and Human Services Organizations
(COSSMHO) cooperative agreement, I was in charge of making sure that the
11 sites participating in the program received the materials for implementation
in the various programs that were utilizing them. At that time I was employed
at COSSMHO
She was not there when the material was created. It was created at her
organization. She is in charge of publicizing its existence
Our office is assigned the task of doing drunk driving prevention for the state,
and that includes creating educational materials. She supervises the creation
of different materials
Oversaw and assisted with all aspects of development, implementation,
evaluation
Oversee people that do research/write material, have a board of parents and
professionals to test/discuss the value of the document
Part of a team that developed the information. She is in charge of the
distribution of the material
Partnered with local agencies and businesses to create material
Primary person selection of a translator; her organization did the printing and
they have the materials in their warehouse. She was in charge of notifying
people that the material was available for distribution
Program coordinator
Project manager
Project originator; developed the content of the material and saw the project
through
Representative of the lead agency to develop materials with local police
department, community, and outside contractor. Took care of all details
She assembled different information from different sources and gave it to a
contractor, she told them what they wanted, and they took care of the
graphics. She was also in charge of developing the title and content. She also
directed the compilation of technical information
She did not work on the production but her company produced it
She helped develop it in English and arranged to have it translated
She served as a technical and content specialist
She started from ground zero and worked with a coalition to find a designer
for the material. She was also in charge of creating the material and having it
translated
She was in charge of selecting the translator. Once it was translated, she had
a bilingual child passenger safety technician review it to make sure that the
7
19
1
2
1
1
1
2
1
5
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
92
technical language was correct. Then they had it printed
She was involved in different aspects of development; the material was
created by her organization and translated by a professional translator and
reviewed by staff
She was involved in the development and distribution. They used some of the
language from a previous material and made it their own
She was involved in the development of the material from beginning to end
She was one of the authors for the English piece. She also helped with the
design. Currently she helps with distribution
She was the coordinator of the whole project
She wrote the English version, and for Spanish and English she developed a
method of distribution
Spoke with key coalition members to find out what would be a useful design.
She also worked with internal staff and people in the school community to
develop ideas from the material. Based on feedback from other materials
created before, they decided not to make the material too long or short. This
material was also designed to act as a coupon to get people’s attention.
Currently, this material is being distributed in PTAs in school districts that
have large number of Latinos
Started the Buckled or Busted campaign designed after Click It or Ticket.
Worked with a safe community program, which did the translation. She had
the material translated then reviewed by several Latinos.
The brochure was developed before she stated working at Safe Kids. As the
publications manager she manages the distribution
The campaign wrote designed and printed materials
The English version was put together by General Mills. It was made
specifically as an article that could be run in newspapers or as a newsletter.
Since they felt that there was a need for Spanish speakers to know this
information, they had it translated. This piece was part of a program that
General Mills put together for their organization; the article is part of a public
service announcement and it was meant to help enforce the message
The material was done in partnership with other community agencies,
specifically the city of Phoenix
Their organization came up with an idea for their material. They then gave it
to [a nonprofit that does government advocacy], which edited, did some
rewriting, and published it. Safe Riders constantly reviews the material and
makes sure that it is technically correct
Their organization was the lead in the creation of the material. They started
by distributing it in their region and then they provided the language for AAA
National to produce their own
They wrote the script and then worked with [a nonprofit that does government
advocacy], which edited, rewrote, and published the video.
This material had already been created before she came on board. Right now
she is one of the people in charge of distribution. This was one of the first
pieces for their overall campaign. It is one of a set of many multilanguage
pieces
11
1
3
4
4
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
93
This material was developed at her site and she was very involved in its
creation
This material was translated before he started working for this company. He
is not sure who was in charge of translating it but, it was produced in-house
We were the lead state agency that developed the video; worked with other
state agencies and police and other safety professional to develop video.
Contractor helped them with technical aspect of the video. He was the lead in
all these aspects of the development
When she was part of the Boston Pedestrian Protection Program she worked
with others to create and research the data that was used as well as
implementing a design for the material
With the help of expert in health issues she developed the format and
graphics of the booklet. She knew from experience to use more pictures since
kids have a lower reading level. She was also in charge of supervising the
translation of the material into Spanish
Write grant for funding/lead coordinator in all aspects to get it produced
Wrote and reviewed the content for technical accuracy
Wrote the original screenplay, supervised production, and evaluated final
product
Wrote the slogan for the state’s child passenger safety week campaign
Total
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
190
94
APPENDIX G: GUIDELINES FOR DEVELOPING TRAFFIC SAFETY
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR SPANISH-SPEAKING AUDIENCES
[insert Guidelines here]
95
Appendix H: Model Educational Item
“Manténganse Alerta. Sean responsables. La Seguridad es responsabilidad
de todos.”
(“Stay alert. Be responsible. Safety is everyone’s responsibility.”)
96
Appendix I: Summary of Focus Group Results
Phase 1: Focus Groups on Pedestrian Safety
Responses from Three Focus Groups in Western Massachusetts
Dates and time: September 1, 2004 (one group), and September 8, 2004 (two groups).
Each group lasted 90 minutes; the first 30 minutes were spent completing a brief survey
and having refreshments.
Facilitator: Magda Rodriguez, EDC; and James Arana, Western Mass Center for
Healthier Communities
Location: Spanish American Union in Springfield, Holyoke Heritage State Park, and
Holyoke Public Library
Purpose: To understand the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of Latinos in
Holyoke and Springfield related to pedestrian safety, in order to create an effective
educational item.
Participants: Three focus groups were conducted. A total of 32 community members
from Holyoke and Springfield, Massachusetts, participated. Participants were recruited
through community organizations such as Nueva Esperanza, Inc., La Casa Hispana,
Holyoke Heath Center, and the Carlson Center for Traumatic Brain Injuries and with
assistance from the Western Massachusetts EST (WEST) Community Advisory Group,
the members of which posted notices in their places of work and recruited at community
events. Participants received a small stipend.
The first focus group consisted of 10 participants—two men and eight women—all
Spanish speakers. The focus group was run solely in Spanish.
The second focus group was made up of 11 participants, two men and nine women.
While most participants could speak Spanish fluently, two or three preferred to respond
in English. The facilitator asked all the questions in Spanish, and most of the time
people responded in Spanish. In some cases, a participant responded to the questions
in English and sometimes in both languages at the same time.
The third focus group had 11 participants, four men and seven women. This group was
run by James Arana in English, and Magda Rodriguez translated what he said into
Spanish. When participants spoke in English, Magda translated for those who had
limited English abilities. Because the process of translation took time, there was
somewhat less time for discussion in this group.
97
Description of participants
The majority of the participants were between 23 and 59 years old; were originally from
Puerto Rico but have lived in the United States for many years; and preferred to speak,
read, and listen to both Spanish and English. Approximately 15% of the participants
were young drivers; two-thirds were parents; one-third were not drivers.
Characteristic
Age range
16–22
23–59
65+
No response
Country of origin
United States
Puerto Rico
El Salvador
Honduras
Years in United States
5 or less
6–10
11+
Primary language spoken at
home
English
Spanish
Both
Language preferred when:
Reading/hearing about health
issues
English
Spanish
Both
Not important
Watching TV
English
Spanish
Both
No response
Consider yourself a …
Driver
Pedestrian
Parents
Age range of children
Number of
participants
5
22
2
3
7
21
3
1
0
3
29
2
6
24
9
7
15
1
7
4
19
2
21
26
20
3 mos. to 24 years
98
Responses
The same questions were asked of each group. The questions were intended to help
staff understand the participants’ general level of knowledge and attitudes about
pedestrian injury, how they felt these injuries could be prevented, and educational
messages and methods of delivery that would be effective. Because the comments in
each group were very similar, they are synthesized below.
1. What do you think of when you hear the term pedestrian safety? (Goal:
understand awareness and general knowledge)
It is interesting to note that the Spanish term for pedestrian, peatón, was not well
understood by all participants prior to the focus group discussion. Participants were
asked to complete a survey while waiting for the group to begin, and among the
questions was one asking them if they consider themselves to be a peatón. Many asked
for clarification. At the outset of the discussion, this term was defined.
Participants indicated that both drivers and the pedestrians have roles to play in
ensuring the safety of pedestrians. “When you are driving you need to look out for
pedestrians, but pedestrians need to look out as for drivers too.” “As a driver I think of
fines, and of the fact that I have to beware of people walking, and to be careful. As a
pedestrian I know to be careful.”
Nearly twice as many participants focused on the responsibility of drivers rather than the
pedestrian, with many describing unsafe drivers. “Drivers should use more caution.”
“Elderly drivers can be dangerous.” “People speed on my street and it makes me feel
unsafe.”
Many participants associated pedestrian safety with signs and lights, and several
expressed confusion about their meaning. “Pedestrian safety is a written sign with a
message.” “If the sign is flachiando (flashing) you have to stop.” “I don’t understand the
signs.” “Signs are not translated into Spanish. People who speak Spanish won’t know
what those signs mean if they came from another country.” “Near the lights is Main
Street. It says that if you block the intersection you will get a $500 fine. I never saw that
in Puerto Rico.”
2. Have you heard of anyone or had experience getting struck by a car? (Goal:
understand attitudes, behaviors)
A surprising number of participants had personal experience with pedestrian injury: Nine
respondents had either been hit by a car, had a family member who had been hit, or
had witnessed an incident. “I saw my brother get hit by a car.” “A friend of mine got ran
over. The driver wasn’t cautious he went on the sidewalk.” “I was driving, the light was
green, a child ran out of nowhere into the street. I did not hit the kid but the car coming
on the other side of the street did.” “I was hit by a car when I was four years old. I was
walking to school. They had built a bridge to cross over the traffic. I did not want to use
99
the bridge that morning because there was drunk man standing in the entrance, so I
crossed the highway instead and was hit by a car.” “My father was hit by a drunk driver
and killed. I was four at the time.” “My daughter got hit by a car in Springfield. Her knee
bone was broken. This happened because the driver ignored the Stop sign.”
Why does this happen?
Participants assigned blame fairly equally to pedestrians for not paying attention, drivers
for not being careful, and lack of enforcement of driving laws. In response to a question
in one group about the role of the police, everyone began laughing. Several felt the
police could do more to protect pedestrians. “They should have a policeman at every
crosswalk. If they have police patrol construction sites, then why can’t they have
policemen patrol sidewalks? The crosswalk near the library is very dangerous; there are
many children who visit the library, and they have a right to be protected. If policemen
can protect a construction site, then they should also be protecting the kids who go to
the library.” “Where I lived in Illinois the laws were enforced. Here they don’t enforce the
law; that’s why everyone does whatever they want.” “In New York pedestrians follow the
rules and everyone knows the pedestrian safety rules.”
Several felt parents need to be more vigilant. “Parents have to be responsible for the
action of their children. Somebody has to be in control.” “Children should learn how to
cross the street from the time they are at school. Parents and teachers have the
responsibility to teach this to children.”
3. Considering our discussion, what can we do to make walking safer? (Goal:
leading prevention message and testing assumptions)
Although many participants had indicated that they felt pedestrians and drivers were to
blame when someone is hit by a car, when asked how walking can be made safer, the
two most common responses were to improve the environment (sidewalks and streets)
and increase enforcement. Without prompting, many participants in all the groups
indicated that people walk in the street because of the poor condition of the sidewalks,
and that streets are unnecessarily hazardous. “The roads and sidewalks are in poor
condition for people who walk. There is water on the sidewalk, there are no places to
cross, and the streets are dark.” “They should fix the sidewalk and illuminate the streets.
There are many streets with trash and debris on the sidewalks, and people have to get
off the sidewalk and walk on the road.” “The town should make sure that there is not
trash that is preventing people from walking on the sidewalks. The town should also
make sure that streets are well lit.” “The money the city makes in parking tickets should
be used to fix the streets.” “Sidewalks are bumpy and slanted, they should be fixed.” “In
the winter people don’t clean the sidewalks and you have to choose between the street
or the snow banks that the same city trucks create.”
Participants also had a lively discussion about ways police could better protect
pedestrians, noting that laws and signs are not enough to slow drivers. “Enforce the
Yield sign. Nobody pays attention to it.” “In a zone where the speed limit is 15 MPH
100
people drive at 80 MPH. Two kids were killed there. This particular street is a shortcut to
the mall. The street is a hill, and when cars are coming down they go full speed.”
“Reinforce the law.” “Police see people speeding in streets that children cross and they
don’t do anything. They don’t stop people.” “Even with the white lines, drivers do not
stop for pedestrians. They don’t care.”
Participants suggested ways to educate community members, including more effective
signs and sign placement and different venues for education. “There are people who
can’t read, so we should have signs with drawings. There should be a picture that
shows you how your life will be affected if you cross at the wrong time.” “There should
be information in the public buses for pedestrians.” “They should also give more
information out with the license. In the DMV they should show a 15-minute video on
pedestrian safety while people wait in line to be helped. In the video they should talk
about the laws and what drivers are supposed to do.” “There should be visual signs that
tell people to watch out for pedestrians. For example, those triangular ones that say
‘Yield to Pedestrians’.”
4. What kind of images and words should we use to get this information across to
people in a way that gets their attention? (Goal: identifying messages and testing
assumptions)
Participants were asked to suggest messages for a pedestrian safety material. The
discussion was broader and included ways to educate the public in general.
Suggestions included using billboards, flyers, radio public service announcements,
providing information at school, at the DMV, at Wal-Mart and Kmart, on bumper
stickers, and at the doctor’s office. Several people noted that drivers education classes
could better inform new drivers about pedestrian safety.
In terms of specific messages, participants felt that material should definitely indicate
the consequences that might ensue if a pedestrian or a driver is not careful in or near a
crosswalk—for example, a careless driver could be jailed and thus unable to provide for
his family, or a careless pedestrian could be seriously injured or killed. Many also felt
that parents needed to be better educated about children’s safety.
5. If you had 30 seconds, what kind of advice on walking or driving safely would
you give a family member or a friend?
This question elicited a number of interesting suggestions. Many thought an educational
item should target drivers with a message reminding them of their responsibility for
others’ safety.
“Piensa que el que va cruzando puede ser un ser querido tuyo.” “Think that the
person who is crossing the street could be somebody dear to you.”
101
“Conductores den paso, respeten a los peatones.” “Drivers give pedestrians the
right of way, respect pedestrians.”
“Evitar choques el la responsabilidad de todos.” “Preventing crashes is
everyone’s responsibility.”
“Tenga mas precaución y control.” “Have more precaution and control.”
“Respete el que va a cruzar, la persona tiene derecho.” “Respect the person who
is going to cross, that person has a right.”
“In Puerto Rico they have this message that says ‘Guié ala defensiva’”: “Drive
defensively.”
“Driving is not just a privilege, it is a responsibility.”
Participants also suggested messages reminding pedestrians that they need to look out
for themselves or their family, and not rely on drivers or signs.
“Stop, look, and listen before you cross the street. Use your eyes, and your ears,
and then you use your feet.” The participant had heard this message in English
before and it always stuck with her.
“No te confíes de los carros, ten precaución. No te confíes de un letrero.” “Don’t
rely on (trust) drivers, be cautious. Don’t rely on a sign.”
“Cuídate y no hagas sufrir a tus seres queridos.” “Take care of yourself and don’t
make your loved ones suffer.”
Participants in all the groups felt that it was necessary to use graphic descriptions or
images to impress people with the consequences of being hit by a car. They advised
focusing on the emotional impact of a mistake—you could kill or injure someone—
perhaps even someone you love. And this would make you and your family suffer
(financially, emotionally).
“Give examples or real stories of people who have been run over by a car.
Pedestrians shouldn’t be relying on drivers for their safety.”
“Show positive and negative consequences. For example, the positive picture is
a driver stopping for a pedestrian and the pedestrian crossing safely. The
negative would be a pedestrian who is injured because she was hit by a car.”
“Have a picture of something that will impact people and get their attention. For
example, have the picture of a child that was killed by a drunk driver while
crossing the street. Then say, that could have been your child.”
102
“I would also give the picture of a child that was injured when they crossed the
street at the wrong time. In this case it was not the driver’s fault.”
6. Considering our discussion, look at the following Spanish materials. What do
you like or dislike about the design and graphics, the message, the information,
colors, font size?
Each participant was asked to assess one item. The same items were used in each
group. Assessments of the same item across groups tended to match, and people
agreed on what they liked and didn’t like. In general, people liked materials that were
short and to the point, and did not like items that used a small font and a lot of text.
People commented favorably on the following aspects:
Colors
Portrayal of children
Use of photos
Short text
People responded unfavorably to the following aspects:
Small font
Too much text
Bad translations
Big words
Cartoons
The following comments from different groups, about the same three items,
demonstrate the similarity in responses:
Material A
If people let this material guide them, we would be better off. The information is
good.
I like it because it talks about protecting kids.
Material B
This is about laws, the translation is terrible.
I like it but I don’t like it. I like it because it talks about the laws, but I don’t like it
because it is to long and it bores me.
Should have fewer words and more pictures. People don’t like to read.
Material C
The writing is too small.
I don’t like it. This is a bad translation. It has grammatical errors. It is not
attractive and the font is small, which means that people with poor vision won’t
be able to read it.
“Senda” is a biblical word. I would use “cruce de peatones.”
103
Implications of the Focus Group Responses for Development of an
Educational Item
The word pedestrian needs to be defined. Focus groups’ association of the term with
signs and lights indicates that they think of a pedestrian as someone crossing at an
intersection or crosswalk, not everyone on foot. Therefore, drivers and pedestrians
would not necessarily feel that an educational item on pedestrians was referring to them
whenever they were walking or whenever they were driving and saw someone in the
street.
The material should address the fact that safe walking is seen as the responsibility of
many people in the community. First, it needs to speak to both drivers and pedestrians.
For drivers, the message is: You have a responsibility to the people in the street. For
pedestrians, it is: You have to be responsible for your own (and your children’s) safety;
no one else will.
The walking environment also needs to be addressed. The issue of unsafe sidewalks
and streets was very important to focus group participants. The material could give
readers a place to call if they are aware of litter on sidewalks, lights not working,
crosswalks that need painting, and so on.
Police also have a role to play in enforcing traffic laws. Perhaps the police department
could be enlisted to help prepare the brochure. It could include a message from the
police with a promise to enforce the law.
Many focus group participants felt the message needs to be graphic to get people’s
attention. Perhaps an anecdote of a tragedy could be used.
With regard to the actual content of the brochure, the advice is: keep it short and easy
to understand and use colors, photos, and real examples.
Broader Application of the Focus Group Findings
Although the purpose of the focus group was to collect information to be used in
developing an educational item, many of the suggestions could be applied to a broader
campaign to promote pedestrian safety: Involve police in increasing enforcement of
traffic laws. Solicit the participation of highway engineers in improving the safety of
sidewalks, streets, signs, and lights. Engage school officials and parent groups in
teaching children safe walking behaviors. Create messages that emphasize the
responsibility of both drivers and pedestrians and disseminate these messages in a
variety of ways—billboards, bus signs, at the registry of motor vehicles, radio public
service announcements, and so on.
One Idea for a Brochure
104
Phase 2: Focus Group on Draft Fotonovela
Responses From Focus Group in Western Massachusetts on March 21,
2005
Dates and time: March 21, 2005, 5:30–7 p.m. The focus group lasted 90 minutes; the
first 30 minutes were spent completing the financial forms and having refreshments.
Facilitator: Magda Rodriguez, EDC; guidance provided by Brandon AlvarezMontgomery, Media Network; Recorder: Viviana Cataño-Merino. Recorded on tape
Location: Holyoke Public Library
Purpose: To receive feedback on the draft of the pedestrian safety educational item
that we are creating for Holyoke and Springfield. The material consists of drawings and
text.
Participants: We had nine participants, three males and six females. Participants have
been in the country for at least eight years and up to 35 years. They expressed having
strong connections with their country of origin and communicating mostly in Spanish. A
few had attended our previous focus groups.
1.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
2.
What is your initial reaction to this fotonovela? Why?
No one should be driving while they are talking on the phone. It is everyone’s
responsibility to keep people safe.
The message is for the driver.
Yes, but it is also the responsibility of the child.
Kids are not being protected, there is no crossing guard.
The kid is crossing where he is not supposed to.
Yes, but the child is crossing the street by himself. It is very irresponsible.
Maybe the driver who is taking on the cell phone because it is an emergency.
(The group laughs and call out “No!”)
Something like that happened to me. I was talking on the phone because my
child was sick and I hit somebody who was crossing the street.
This person should not be on the cell phone.
I think the kid is dead.
Do you think you would be interested in picking this story up and reading it? Why
or why not?
•
Yes, I would pick it up to see what happens.
•
(Most people nodded their heads)
(Magda distributed the material and asked people to look only at the pictures without
reading the text.)
• At least two participants were confused about the sequence of the pictures.
106
The following is an example of using the findings of the focus groups in designing a
brochure.
Format: Bifold, multicolor
Language: Bilingual—text would be in Spanish, with English below it
Cover
Heading: [something like this] Let’s work together to make sure pedestrians in
Holyoke/Springfield look like this. . . .
Photo 1—a driver stopped at a crosswalk; mother with child crossing in front of the
car, an elderly person getting ready to step into crosswalk; police on corner; a
Department of Public Works (DPW) worker cleaning the sidewalk.
Not this. . . .
Photo 2—same scene: car, ambulance, upset mother.
Text across the bottom: Pedestrian safety: It’s all our responsibility.
Inside
Five photos, close-ups of the same people as in photo 1 on the cover. Each is speaking
to the reader. [Their words to be less cheesy than those here!]
1. Driver: “That could be my sister and her child, or my mother. I’m glad I stopped at
the crosswalk.”
2. Child: “My mom says I can cross by myself, at the light, after my 10th birthday.
[not sure about that] For now, I can only cross the street if I’m holding her
hand.”
3. Elderly person: “The light says ‘Walk’ and I’m in the crosswalk. I’m still going to
double-check that no car is coming.”
4. Police: “Call us if you have drivers speeding on your street. We want to keep you
safe.”
5. DPW worker: “Call our office if you see a sidewalk with trash or a broken sign.”
Across the bottom: repeat: Pedestrian safety: It’s all our responsibility.
Back cover:
Text: Know the signs:
Pictures of Yield, Walk, School Crossing, and crosswalk signs, with definitions of each
Text: Call for help:
List telephone numbers to call for police, DPW, Safe Kids
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3.
Was this what you were expecting from looking at the cover? If yes, how so? If
no, why not?
• I thought the kid was alone, but he is actually with his grandma. (Magda asked if
they read it.) No, I can see from the pictures that it is a grandmother. I can tell
what is happening from just looking at the pictures.
• The message is clear in the first page. Don’t drive and talk on a cell phone. You
have to be responsible.
• An adult should also be taking care of the child.
• It is as much the responsibility of the driver as the pedestrian. As a parent you
have to teach your child to be safe. We have to be conscious of our kids.
• Safety is everyone’s responsibility.
• People using cell phones need to go somewhere else to make the calls instead
of talking in the car. (Note: The same person keeps making the comments about
the cell phone use in cars.)
(Magda gave people some time to read the fotonovela.)
4.
Now that you’ve read it, what’s your reaction to this fotonovela? Did you like it?
• Take your time; the child and the driver were both too much in a hurry.
• The child didn’t even look where he was going.
• What happened was everyone’s fault: the grandmother, the driver, and the
pedestrian.
• If the child had been killed, the material would have been more interesting.
People would learn the lesson better if the child had been killed since it would
have been more solid and it would grab one’s attention.
5.
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6.
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Tell me the story in your own words.
It is both the driver’s and the pedestrian’s responsibility to keep everyone safe.
The lesson here is that we should take our time. People are always running late,
kids are late for school, and if they are all in a hurry something bad can happen.
One person’s need to rush could mean somebody else’s death.
The man driving could be stressed. The material talks about the importance of
being careful. Even if you are an adult, you should be careful when crossing the
street.
The main message is the importance of being responsible. Knowing that you
have other people’s lives in your hands. One moment of distraction can be very
dangerous.
Who is the story for? Who do you think needs to hear this message?
The target audience is everyone.
This material is for kids since they are still growing.
I think this is for kids as well as for adults.
This could have been my son.
Yes, this could have been my grandchildren.
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7.
Let’s talk about how interested various people would be in reading this
fotonovela. How interested would kids be in this story? Teenagers? Younger
adults? Middle-age adults? Older adults?
• (Four people) This message is for everyone, including teens.
• Kids would be very interested.
• (When Magda asked if teens would be interested, many just said “Humph.”)
• Kids would be more interested, for teens it would have to be more graphic.
• Teens would not want to hear the message since they are the ones that are
always on their cell phones.
8.
Are there other people involved in pedestrian safety that this fotonovela does
not mention? Who are those people? What is their role?
• Crossing guard and the police.
• The crossing guard is missing. There should be a crossing guard there since
they are near a school.
• The police.
9.
What is your reaction to this information coming from an off-duty police officer?
(Magda asked whether, if a police officer was there, should he or she be in uniform.)
• Yes, they should be in their uniform.
• They should be in their uniform because that way they get more respect.
• I would trust a police officer in uniform. If they don’t have an uniform on, at least
they should show a badge.
10. Who would you would trust to give the information?
• (Four people) Police.
• The police because they have authority.
• The police have the responsibility to keep people safe.
• If the material is for children, then the person who gives the information out
should be a crossing guard. If it is for adults, it should be a police officer.
• If it is for the community, then it should be the police.
• Maybe a friend of mine who is concerned about me.
• But if a regular person like me goes up to a driver and starts telling him what he
did wrong he will not listen to me. He would get mad.
• Police officers help sometimes, but sometimes they see things happening and
they just keep going.
• I think it is because there are too many people doing bad things and not enough
officers.
• The police have authority and respect.
11. What is your general reaction to the pictures, which will be photos in the final
material?
• This is very detailed. You can see from just looking at people’s faces what
happened.
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This happens every day.
I like how real it is, the expressions.
I like the fact that it involves kids as well as adults.
I like it because both the driver and the pedestrian felt sorry.
12. Do you understand the information on the last page? Why or why not?
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People are not going to read this. Once you look at it, you don’t even want to
read it. People won’t stop to read this.
They would read the information that goes with the drawing in the other pages
because those are interesting.
This would be very unappealing for people who don’t read well.
13. Where should this material be disseminated?
• Schools
• Hospitals
• Community centers
• Stores
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Phase 3: Focus Groups on Final Fotonovela
Responses from Focus Group in Western Massachusetts on May 2, 2005
Dates and time: May 2, 2005. The focus group lasted 90 minutes; the first 30 minutes
were spent completing the financial forms and having refreshments.
Facilitator: Magda Rodriguez, EDC; Recorder, Viviana Cataño-Merino. Guidance
provided by Bela Saini, Media Network
Location: Holyoke Public Library
Purpose: To receive feedback on the draft of the pedestrian safety educational item
that we are creating for Holyoke and Springfield. At this point, the material had
photographs and text.
Participants: We had 11 participants, five males and six females. Four were teens, and
the rest were 23 to 50 years of age. Four participants were Puerto Rican, three were
from the local area, three were Ecuadorian, and one was from New York. Participants
had lived in the country from 3 months to 22 years.
Initial Reactions to Material
First, I want to show you the cover for this fotonovela [show cover only]:
What is your initial reaction to this fotonovela? Why?
• I think somebody is going to get run over.
• I think about who is at fault—the driver? the pedestrian? Sometimes people cross
without looking.
• This could be a photo that just shows that this type of thing happens. This is very
appealing. It says to be responsible and it doesn’t say what happened.
• Maybe the driver was distracted because he was on his cell phone or he was
thinking. Then he saw the kid and got scared.
• It depends on the situation. It could be that the kid just crossed the street without
looking.
• The law always covers the pedestrians more. In my country pedestrians have more
rights. Maybe he jumped into the street because he needs money. (Woman from
Ecuador)
Do you think you would be interested in picking this story up and reading it? Why
or why not?
• The group nodded.
• Because we all have families. We are drivers and pedestrians.
• As pedestrians this also refers to us.
• As drivers we just think of cars as something that takes us where we need to go.
We forget that it can also be a lethal weapon. It all depends on how you drive.
• As a driver I would like to learn more about the rules, my rights, and what I
should do.
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Like the speed limit.
And new laws.
This is something that could happened to anyone.
Now, I’m going to pass out a copy of the fotonovela to each of you. I want you
to look through all the pages of it, but don’t read it right now. Right now, I just
want to know your initial thoughts.
How interested are you in reading this fotonovela and finding out what happens
in this story? Why is that?
• Yes, I am very interested. I need to know what happened.
• You can see the light is changing and he is in a hurry. As a young person I am
always in a hurry, so this reminds me to slow down. (Male teen).
• It teaches you to be cautious.
• The driver can be distracted by a cell phone, or the radio, or even by beer. There
are people who drive under the influence.
Detailed Reactions to Material Content
Okay, now I want each of you to read the fotonovela, and then we’re going to
talk about it as a group. I’ll give you some time to read it on your own. [Allow 4–6
minutes for each group member to read booklet.]
Now that you’ve read it, what’s your reaction to this fotonovela? Did you like it?
Using a scale from 1 (I didn’t like it at all) to 10 (I liked it a great deal), how would
you rate it?
• 10—because we should all be paying attention, both of us should look where we
are going.
• I would give it a 7 or 8 because both were in a rush. If he had stopped at the
yellow light, this could have been prevented.
• 9—The light signals around here don’t work sometimes.
• 9–10—because it has pictures, so that without reading the words you understand
what you are not supposed to do.
• The material is short and to the point. The pictures relate to what it is telling you.
• I know where this street it. I am always a little bit scared walking there because
people turn the corner and I think they are going to run me over. I give this
material a 10 because I can relate to it.
• What the young people said. The expressions say what is happening. I give it a
9. Everything is cool. It is a little bit comic in a way. It’s to the point and it tells you
what is going on. Both the kid and the driver where in a rush. I really like it, it’s
pretty good.
• 10—because we are all in a hurry, especially those who drive. So it is good to
know about the signs.
• 10—because of the pictures and the words. It represents something that
happens to all of us every day. We are always in a rush. Kids don’t get
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pedestrian education in schools. They just know what they learn at home and
sometimes parents don’t have the time to teach them about this. I like the
sequence of the story and everything that the policeman said to the people.
Just by looking at the pictures you know what is happening without having to
read it. This can reach youth and adults alike. It is like real life.
The message is clear. An accident can happen not only because a kid gets
loose. A dog can also get loose and cause an accident. You should also put in
the back a sign that says don’t drive with your cell phone or one that says be
careful with your pets. New issues come up and laws need to address them.
These signs in the back have been around for ages. They should have laws
saying to people don’t let your animals loose because they can cause accidents.
This particular message (point to material) I would give a 10.
What is the main message in this fotonovela? What is the story trying to tell
you?
• Safety is the number one priority.
• Safety and responsibility.
• Follow the rules be careful.
• Drive with fear. We think that nothing is going to happen, we overestimate, we
think: I am in car made out of metal nothing is going to happen.
• Be more responsible when you are driving. You have other people’s lives in your
hands, like kids. Think of your family.
• Respect.
• Be patient when you drive.
• Respect other people’s lives and your own.
• This can happen to anyone. It can happen to a grown-up or a kid. You have to
know the rules.
• The mission of the policeman is fundamental. But this also says that we have to
be policemen ourselves and follow the rules.
Who is this story for? Who do you think needs to hear this message?
• The community, young people, safety is a priority … those who drive. People
who think they know everything. This message is for everyone. It gets your
attention by just seeing it or reading it.
• In this material it is a young man driving, but it could also be somebody older. A
pedestrian could be walking normally and still be at risk if an older person is
driving. The law should have restrictions about elderly drivers. The driver in the
photo could be anybody.
• Younger kids, kids in kindergarten, second graders and up.
• The community in general, not just drivers but pedestrians too, everyone in the
community, because don’t forget that the grandmother wasn’t holding his hand.
This has to be a community-wide effort.
Is the story told in a culturally relevant way?
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Yes, this is for everybody: Latinos, blacks, and the whole public. This information
opens people’s eyes. I drive a lot in the city. This is well made, people who don’t
have time to read will see it and get it. You see the pictures and you get the
information quickly.
In this society things are very visual. People don’t read a lot.
A few images show a whole concept.
On page 1 should the word vecindario or barrio be used to open the story and
describe the scene?
• Vecindario.
• Vecindario.
• Vecindario—it sounds better.
• Vecindario—every culture understands it.
• What does vecindario mean? (Male teen who speaks mostly English.)
What did you think of the uniformed officer? (PROBE: Is he friendly, unfriendly?)
• You understand him more because he is Latino. He will understand more the
situation because he is Latino.
• He sees what is happening and he goes to the situation right away. He seems
understanding.
• He looks friendly.
• His recommendations are good, but you know how on TV they do the whole
wear-your-seat-belt thing? The police should do something about pedestrian
safety for pedestrians and drivers on TV.
Would you want to learn about this issue from this man?
• You don’t need somebody specific to tell you this.
• The officer knows what he is talking about because he has been there and done
that.
• He has authority. So it’s more likely that people will listen to him.
• People are sometimes intimidated by the police. That’s why it is also good to
hear it from other people, like schools. Have this be a community effort.
• He seems really nice … sometimes people don’t listen to them because they are
full of it. (Male teen.)
• It would be good if the police reacted like this.
• I think the policeman is helping the people. He is helping us but we can also help
him. As a person he is nice and he is doing a good job.
• Like somebody said, the police and the schools should join together and make
materials to give out to people. Teach them about signs and responsibility.
• The police came to establish peace. If he had come demanding the license he
would have made them panic, but he was calm.
• I have two things to say. This is likely to carry forward the message. Everything is
very nice. He didn’t ask for a license and the grandmother didn’t hit him with her
purse. (Group laughs.) In real life the driver might have been scared that the
policeman would punish him. If we teach kids from the time they are young that
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the police are their friends, through things like this material, the relationship
people have with them will improve. You also have to teach kids that the police
will punish you if you do drugs or break the law. (Male, recent immigrant.)
Now let’s look at the very last page.
Do you understand the information on this page? Why or why not?
• It depends on the age group. This is good information to share with young kids
since it is simple and to the point. For teens there should be more information.
We know this already. Give us more details. (Male teen.)
• The crosswalk is missing. People don’t respect the crosswalk.
• You should take care of the people who live in the neighborhood. There should
be signs that say that kids live and walk around an area.
• These signs are only about pedestrian safety? Isn’t there a sign that says don’t
drive while talking on a cell phone?
• There are signs that say, use your seat belt.
• This is good for adults, so you can read it and tell your kids about it.
• They should make videos about this.
Anything else about the back page?
• I would call the department of public works. I’ve seen this light that always stays
red. People get tired of waiting there, so they just go. I didn’t know you could call,
this is good.
• I see the numbers that you call when things need to be fixed, what about having
800 numbers?
• 911 is an international number. You should add 911.
• Police cars have 911 on them.
• In this case (points to material) the police arrived and nothing had happened. But
some good advice to put in the material is that if the police is not around, you
should call 911.
Where would you like to see the brochure disseminated?
• Magazines, newspapers, everyone reads them.
• The free newspapers.
• In the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA.
• In school notebooks.
• In doctor’s offices.
• At the grocery store.
• Restaurants.
• The mailman can put them in people’s mailbox.
• In restaurants like McDonald’s where you get that paper cover in the tray, they
should have something like this. While kids are waiting for their burger they can
play games that teach them where to cross.
• In school. That is where kids start learning at a young age. They should have a
game with traffic safety signs. Kids learn by playing.
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Thank you for coming! Your feedback and thoughts have been very important, and we
really appreciate your assistance.
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