Using a Modified Theory of Planned Behavior to Examine Adolescents’ Workplace Safety and Health Knowledge, Perceptions, and Behavioral Intention: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bernard AL ; Guerin, Rebecca J. ; Okun, Andrea H. ; Rojas-Guyler L ; Toland MD
• Description:
  Work, a defining feature of adolescence in the United States, has many benefits. Work also has risks, as adolescents experience a higher rate of serious job-related injuries compared to adults. Talking Safety, a free curriculum from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, is one tool educators may adopt to provide teens with essential workplace safety and health education. Adolescents (N = 2503; female, 50.1%; Hispanic, 50.0%) in a large urban school district received Talking Safety from their eighth-grade science teachers. This study used a modified theory of planned behavior (which included a knowledge construct), to examine students' pre- and post-intervention scores on workplace safety and health knowledge, attitude, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention to enact job safety skills. The results from confirmatory factor analyses indicate three unique dimensions reflecting the theory, with a separate knowledge factor. Reliability estimates are omega ≥ .83. The findings from the structural equation models demonstrate that all paths, except pre- to post-test behavioral intention, are statistically significant. Self-efficacy is the largest contributor to the total effect of these associations. As hypothesized, knowledge has indirect effects on behavioral intention. Hispanic students scored lower at post-test on all but the behavioral intention measure, possibly suggesting the need for tailored materials to reach some teens. Overall the findings support the use of a modified theory of planned behavior to evaluate the effectiveness of a foundational workplace safety and health curriculum. This study may inform future efforts to ensure that safe and healthy work becomes integral to the adolescent experience. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Behavior Occupational Health Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Adolescents Attitude Author Keywords: Adolescents Future Of Work Information Dissemination Injury Prevention Intervention Occupational Safety And Health Safety Education Structural Equation Modeling Teenagers Theory Of Planned Behavior Training Workforce Development Young Workers

  More +
• ISSN:
  0047-2891
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Kentucky ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  EID - Education and Information Division ; OD - Office of the Director
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  47
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20051295
• Citation:
  J Youth Adolesc 2018 Aug; 47(8):1595-1610
• Contact Point Address:
  Rebecca J. Guerin, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 1090 Tusculum Ave. MS C-10, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
• Email:
  rguerin@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Youth and Adolescence
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c806b08a8eb2cd12bdf47a71d9fdb7f7e3d03369014f9d277ac103aef34523954a94a6b6abf3171261640885cf0a38f51c54b32c448a73d9f313bc418095df54
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/211337/cdc_211337_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 869.54 KB ]