Improving the health of children is an international goal (UNICEF, 2007). Barriers to the achievement of this goal are still documented in poor and underserved communities (Collins, 2006). This exploratory intervention study sought to better understand pediatric home injury risk in immigrant Hispanic families in Texas and New Mexico. A pretest and posttest experimental design identified demographic and maternal psychological predictors of child hazards and explored changes in these variables as a result of a promotora-delivered home visit intervention. Recruitment site, depression, and the number of preschool-age children in the home emerged as significant predictors of child hazards. Results suggest the intervention likely reduced maternal depression and that maternal worry may be a previously undiscovered home safety barrier. Policy implications impact immigrants in ways communities must investigate and assess. © 2008 Springer Publishing Company.

Hispanic Preschool Intervention research immigrants Safety Promotoras home

cultural anthropology educational status immigrant depression public health service accidental injury home care community care child safety human risk assessment priority journal Maternal Behavior social support child behavior social status geography Hispanic environmental factor prediction preventive health service self concept Article intervention study distress syndrome child health care ethnicity cause of death health hazard evidence based medicine child parent relation behavior change