U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
| < Previous | Table of Content | Next > |
The word corazón means "heart" when translated literally from Spanish, but like many Spanish words the cultural meaning is more complex. Corazón is an endearment used among family members and loved ones. Corazón de mi vida conveys a deeper message – "you are the center of my life." This concept is the focus of a new initiative to inform Latino families about the importance of placing their young children in child safety restraints. The public information messages and outreach strategies to Latino families utilize the concept (loosely translated) this way:
"You are the center of my life, and I love you so much that I will…
…put you in a car seat."
…put you in the backseat."
…wear my own seat belt."
Corazón de mi vida was developed by the National Latino Children's Institute in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Nationwide Insurance. The remarkable partnership brought together the best thinking about what works in the Latino community with resources from the public and private sectors.
Corazón de mi vida was tested with diverse Latino populations in ten cities. In every city, a community-based organization took the lead in carrying out the project.
Preliminary findings for the Corazón de mi vida project indicate that Latinos will become more conscious of child passenger safety, buckle up their children in correctly installed safety seats and use their own seat belts when they receive safety information through culturally heartfelt messages delivered by trusted family members or community leaders.
What types of messages are most likely to have the most impact?
This campaign centered on the value of the family as the reason to practice passenger safety. The central concept was "Corazón de mi vida" (You are the center of my life).
What are the best "media" for getting the messages across? Could the messages be effectively promoted in specific locations frequented by Hispanics?
The materials included a variety of hangers, tags, bumper stickers, lotería games, and a video. They were disseminated through parent plática, press conferences, safety seat blessings and safety seat clinics. The parent plática were gatherings held at Head Start and childcare centers, churches, clinics and community centers. Participants received materials and watched a demonstration of how to correctly install a child safety seat. Frequently, participants received a gift voucher for a child safety seat.
In a safety seat blessing, a religious leader blesses the child safety seats to be distributed and reminds parents that they have been entrusted with their child's well-being.
Which age groups of Hispanics should be targeted and why?
This campaign targeted parents of young children.
Should materials be presented just in Spanish, or in English and Portuguese as well?
This campaign conveyed information in both Spanish and English. It did not include Portuguese.
In what pedestrian and bicycle safety-related areas is communication with Hispanic audiences most needed?
This campaign did not address pedestrian and bicycle safety.
Which Hispanic groups should be targeted and why?
This campaign did not target specific Hispanic groups such as migrant workers or recent immigrants. However, the report recommends that future projects include outreach activities and messages for immigrant groups, who may not be familiar with the latest information on child passenger safety.
Should different cultural groups be targeted and why?
This campaign did not target different cultural groups.
| < Previous | Table of Content | Next > |
