BACKGROUND: Children under the age of 6 annually account for 1 million childhood poisonings in the United States. The purpose of this study is to determine differences in poison prevention knowledge and behaviors between caregivers receiving “Be Poison Smart!^®” education via individual education and those caregivers receiving group education. This research is guided by the Intervention Wheel for public health interventions. Health teaching at both the individual and group levels is a component of the Intervention Wheel.

METHODS: Using the “Do You Know How to Be Poison Smart!^®?” Evaluation Tool, sixty caregivers, recruited from Women, Infant and Children clinics, will be assessed on their knowledge of poison prevention education based on a pre and post-test score. Participants must be caregivers to children under 6 years old, be at least 21 years old, speak and read English, and have a mailing address. Participants may not have previously participated in the program. Thirty caregivers will receive the Be Poison Smart!^® education in an individual setting and thirty in the group setting to determine the difference in learning between the two educational types. The pre-test will be given before the program and the post-test will be mailed 4 weeks later. The number of poison prevention knowledge questions answered correctly on the Evaluation Tool will be summed for a total knowledge score, and the number of correct poison prevention behavior questions will be summed for a total behavior score. A repeated measures ANOVA test will be used to determine differences between groups on pre and post-test scores on poison prevention knowledge and behavior.

NURSING IMPLICATIONS: This study will help determine which education style (group or individual) will more positively impact caregivers and provide guidance to public health nurses concerning the delivery of poison prevention educational interventions.

KEY WORDS: health education, public health interventions, poison prevention