The Related Factors of Safety Behaviors and Accident in Elementary School Children

This study was conducted to investigate the elementary school students` consciousness of safety, activities to prevent their accidents and factors causing such accidents. For this aim, a research was conducted from Nov. 19 through Dec. 22, 2007 by means of questionnaires distributed to 800 students enrolled in the 5th and 6th grades of 4 elementary schools in a urban-rural combined city. Out of the questionnaires distributed, 785 were collected and put to analysis by using SPSS 13.0 program to determine t-test, ANOVA, logistic regression, etc. 1. The maximum scores of safety consciousness revealing relatively high level of safety consciousness. There was, however, statistically significant difference by grade, type of residence, school life and academic achievements. In detail, 5th graders featured higher level of safety consciousness and those who live in apartments, lead a pleasant life at school and get better academic scores tended to keep higher level of safety consciousness. 2. The subjects of the high scored of activities to prevent accidents, with a statistically significant difference by gender, grade and individual personality. Females, 5th graders and active students were found to be more conscious of preventive activities for accidents. 3. In general, 6th graders and active students turned out to have experienced more accidents. 4. The main factors exerting influence on occurrence of accidents on the part of elementary school students are known to be preventive actions and consciousness of traffic safety in the category of safety consciousness. The significant variable in preventive actions was preventive actions of traffic accidents, burns and intoxication by category of accidents, but individual personality by category of general characters. Sixth graders and male students experienced more accidents, without significantly significant difference, though. As a result, From the above findings, prevention of safety accidents is found to be very important for elementary school students. It is therefore suggested that schools as well as homes should continue to conduct practical education to prevent accidents with priority placed on familiarizing students with preventive activities in daily life in consideration of their personal characters.