University of California - Los Angeles Project Descriptions
Jess F. Kraus, PhD,
MPH
University of California, Los Angeles
School of Public Health
10911 Weyburn Avenue #200
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone: 310 794 2706
Fax: 310 794 0787
E-mail: jfkraus@ucla.edu
Project Title: Media Literacy as a Violence Prevention Strategy
Project Period: 08/01/04-07/31/09
Description: This project will conduct a multiphase evaluation study
of the media literacy violence prevention curriculum, Beyond Blame:
Challenging Violence in the Media. The study will be conducted in randomly
selected seventh-grade classrooms in middle schools throughout Los Angeles
County. The formative stage of the evaluation will test the age
appropriateness and identify any shortcomings of the curriculum and source
materials, determine the suitability of the teacher training program, and
expand alliances between UCLA students and the middle school pupils involved
in the intervention. The impact evaluation will test changes in knowledge,
beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors among study children; the concurrent
process evaluation will assess coverage, integrity, delivery, and use of
program intervention; and the diffusion evaluation will assess the
dissemination strategies of Beyond Blame.
Project Title: Needs Assessment of Emergency Preparedness and Response
Activities in California Schools
Project Period: 08/01/04-07/31/07
Description: Schools are an environment in which a wide range of
medical emergencies may occur to children both in the normal course of
events and as a result of extraordinary events such as natural,
technological, and human induced disasters. During 2002 and 2003, SCIPRC
began an exploratory pilot study of emergency preparedness in public schools
in 12 school districts in Los Angeles County. Building on the information
obtained, a population based needs assessment of emergency preparedness in
schools in 100 school districts in California will be conducted using mail
questionnaires with telephone follow up. The objectives are to describe the
types of emergencies that occur in schools; to describe the intended
(written) and actual emergency preparedness activities that exist in
schools; to identify the types, methods, and perceived adequacy and
inadequacy of training provided to school staff; and to examine differences
in perceived and actual preparedness across school districts as defined by
an urban rural setting.
Project Title: An Evaluation of the 2003 Scooter/Skateboard/Skate Helmet
Law in Reducing Children’s Head Injuries in California
Project Period: 08/01/04-07/31/07
Description: The increasing popularity of non powered scooters,
skateboards, and in line and roller skates among children in the United
States has also led to an increase in injuries associated with these
recreational vehicles/toys. To lessen serious morbidity and mortality due to
head injury, California amended their state bicycle helmet law requiring
children younger than 18 years of age to wear a helmet when riding non
powered scooters, skateboards, and in line and roller skates. This state law
was enacted on January 1, 2003. This study will evaluate the new helmet
law's impact on reducing head injuries of children riding these
vehicles/toys and to determine the level of compliance with the law.
Findings from this research should help legislators and public health
professionals determine the law's effectiveness and identify strategies to
improve the helmet law.
Project Title: Evaluation of Existing Sports Injury Interventions and
Countermeasures in High School Varsity Football
Project Period: 08/01/04-07/31/07
Description: The highest rates of injury in high school sports are
reported in football. Little is known about what schools are doing to
prevent these injuries of the effectiveness of current prevention efforts.
This project, using a multilevel study design, will identify primary,
secondary, and tertiary prevention measures in place in local high schools;
measure whether these interventions affect the frequency and severity of
injury; compare treatment protocols across schools; and estimate costs of
medically treated injuries in selected sports clinics. The investigators
will focus on two samples of football teams: those that are under medical
supervision by a local sports clinic and those that are not.
Project Title: The Effectiveness of Rumble Strips in Reducing Motor
Vehicle Crashes on Rural Highways and Freeways
Project Period: 08/01/04-07/31/07
Description: The objective of this study is to determine to what
extent a physical modification to highway construction—rumble strips—reduces
the incidence of motor vehicle crashes on rural highways and freeways. The
study’s specific aims follow: