Dr Leila Cuttle¹, Dr Belinda  Wallis^2,3, Ms Jacquii Burgess³, Ms Erin Meyers¹, Dr Cate Cameron^4,5, Prof Roy Kimble^1,3,6, Mr Steve Huff⁷

¹Centre for Children’s Burns and Trauma Research, Queensland University of Technology, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation at Centre for Children’s Health Research, South Brisbane, Australia, ²Larchill Consulting, Hawthorne, Australia, ³Centre for Children’s Burns and Trauma Research, University of Queensland, Centre for Children’s Health Research, South Brisbane, Australia, ⁴Jamieson Trauma Institute, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital, Herston, Australia, ⁵Menzies Health Institute Queensland, Griffith University, Logan, Australia, ⁶Children’s Health Queensland, Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital, South Brisbane, Australia, ⁷iPug (Injury Prevention Using Gamification), Maroochydore, Australia

Abstract:

Public knowledge of correct burn first aid treatment is poor and burn injury preventative behaviours need to be promoted. Over the past year, we have utilised a smartphone app-based campaign to provide burn prevention and treatment messages and resources to the Australian public. Animations and infographics were developed to target the most common mechanisms of burn injury for adults and children. These were delivered to the public by several different methods: an app (Cool Runnings) which could be downloaded onto participant’s phones, media releases, dissemination by partner organisations, Facebook marketing and public events. Different strategies were trialled to increase reach and public knowledge. The impact of the campaign was measured by: the number of interactions with the app or the messages, extra sharing and promotion of the materials within participant social networks and changes in knowledge, assessed by surveys. Social media-based strategies reached more people than other methods. Marketing strategies which generated the most public support and changes in knowledge will be reported, to enable other effective burn education campaigns to be developed in the future.

Biography:

Dr Leila Cuttle is an NHMRC Career Development Fellow and biomedical researcher, based at the Centre for Children’s Health Research, Queensland University of Technology and Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital. She has been conducting burn research for the past 16 years and is passionate about burn prevention and developing better evidence-based burn treatments. Leila is an expert at facilitating biological research at the clinical interface and has lead clinical trials, laboratory work and public health/injury prevention projects.