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While education programs are essential for changing public health behavior, they are
not sufficient. Examples drawn from campaigns to reduce drunk driving and to increase
the use of child safety seats, seat belts, and motorcycle helmets illustrate how education—both
public information and more formalized education—can help catalyze other actions.
However, by itself, education has not generally resulted in significant changes in
the behaviors targeted. On the other hand, education of the public and advocacy groups
has often helped enact necessary legislation. This sequence has frequently resulted
in major behavioral changes. Even in such cases, however, when enforcement is inconsistent,
public compliance frequently decreases. Education is an important first step in changing
public behavior for better health.
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References
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- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.Results of population-weighted average of statewide seat belt surveys conducted in 1992. NHTSA, Washington, DC1993
- Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.Interim results on North Carolina enforcement blitz efforts to increase seat belt usage. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, Arlington, Virginia1993
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© 1994 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.