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Background Adolescent injury is a serious public health concern. Adolescents classified as high-risk are a population most vulnerable to harm from injury due to increased engagement in risk-taking behaviour. Aims/Objectives/Purpose The aim of this research is to evaluate responsiveness of high-risk young Australian adolescents (13-14 years) to a curriculum based injury prevention programme. Methods Fifteen schools implemented the Skills for Preventing Injury in Youth (SPIY) programme in April to June 2012. Focus groups were conducted with a random sample of teachers after the conclusion of SPIY in July 2012.Teachers classified the risk-level of students based on perceptions of student engagement in risk-taking behaviour (eg, alcohol, violence, transport risks) and reported on dose, adherence, quality of process and participant responsiveness. Results/Outcomes The findings of teacher focus groups are presented regarding perceptions of the implementation of the curriculum based injury prevention programme and perceived responsiveness for high-risk young adolescents. Programme strengths and weaknesses are reported in the context of meeting the needs of high-risk young adolescents and the amount of material high-risk young adolescents received in line with the SPIY curriculum. Significance/Contribution to the Field Teachers provide insight into responsiveness of high-risk young adolescents for a curriculum based injury prevention programme as well as the way it is implemented for high-risk young adolescents. Findings of this research have the potential to enhance implementation of school based interventions for high-risk young adolescents who are still participating in mainstream schooling and maximise programme effect and sustainability. This is an abstract of a presentation at Safety 2012, the 11th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, 1-4 October 2012, Michael Fowler Center, Wellington, New Zealand. Full text does not seem to be available for this abstract.

Background Injury is a leading cause of adolescent death. Risk-taking behaviours, including unsafe road behaviours, violence and alcohol use, are primary contributors. Recent research suggests adolescents look out for their friends and engage in protective behaviour to reduce others' involvement in risk-taking. A positive school environment, and particularly students' school connectedness, is also associated with reduced injury-risks. Aim This study aimed to understand the role of school connectedness in adolescents' intentions to protect and prevent their friends from involvement in alcohol use, fights, drink driving and unlicensed driving. Method Surveys were completed by 540 13-14-year-old students (49% male). Four sequential logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine whether school connectedness statistically predicted intentions to protect friends from injury-risk behaviours. Gender and ethnicity were entered at step 1, students' own risk behaviour at step 2, and school connectedness scores at step 3 for all analyses. Results School connectedness significantly predicted intentions to protect friends from all four injury-risk behaviours, after accounting for the variance attributable to sex, ethnicity and adolescents' own involvement in injury-risks. Significance School connectedness is negatively associated with adolescents' own injury-risk behaviours. This research extends our knowledge of this critical protective factor, as it shows that students who are connected to school are also more likely to protect their friends from alcohol use, violence and unsafe road behaviours. School connectedness may therefore be an important factor to target in school-based prevention programmes, both to reduce adolescents' own injury-risk behaviour and to increase injury prevention among friends. This is an abstract of a presentation at Safety 2012, the 11th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, 1-4 October 2012, Michael Fowler Center, Wellington, New Zealand. Full text does not seem to be available for this abstract.

A process evaluation enables understanding of critical issues that can inform the improved, ongoing implementation of an intervention programme. This study describes the process evaluation of a comprehensive, multi-level injury prevention programme for adolescents. The programme targets change in injury associated with violence, transport and alcohol risks and incorporates two primary elements: an 8-week, teacher delivered attitude and behaviour change curriculum for Grade 8 students; and a professional development programme for teachers on school level methods of protection, focusing on strategies to increase students9 connectedness to school. A comprehensive process evaluation methodology was used, including assessments of dose, adherence, quality of process and participant responsiveness with teachers and Grade 8 students at four Australian high schools. Programme dose, adherence and quality of curriculum delivery were assessed through independent observations. The observer also rated the degree to which teachers used connectedness strategies in class, following participation in professional development. Teachers9 responsiveness to the professional development element was assessed through surveys immediately following the training, and through focus groups for in-depth information. Student focus groups also enabled insight into their responsiveness to the programme and their perceptions of teachers9 use of connectedness strategies. The results of this research provide an understanding of the application of a process evaluation to a comprehensive injury prevention programme and enable insight into the means by which the programme may be better implemented to maximise effect and sustainability. The findings also provide insight into the potential value of school connectedness in adolescent injury prevention.