Hazard Ridge: A serious gaming intervention for preventing injury to rural farm youth: The economics of prevention: Agricultural injury costs us all!

Annually, an estimated 23,100 children and adolescents were injured on farms; 5,800 of these injuries were due to farm work. Teens aged 15-19 are at highest risk for agricultural injury and in Kentucky, the statistics reach 3x the national average. Closed head injuries from ATV incidents, tractor overturns, motor vehicle-farm machinery collisions and hearing loss top the list of causes. Building on a decade of research showing improved safety attitudes and behaviors, using simulation and interactive learning tools, an immersive serious game, Hazard Ridge, was developed to engage this at risk population and motivate them toward changed attitudes and safe behaviors. The game design and preliminary findings from a multi-state evaluation are reported in this paper.