661 Reducing the risk of choking in children: a mooc (massive open online course) to teach how to prepare food

Background To try to respond to the need for education initiatives targeted at adults supervisors, with an easy and accessible communication format, a MOOC (massive open online course) for disseminating information on food choking injuries, has been realised. Methods The project consists of a series of informative videos freely available on a dedicated website. The contents are intended for an audience mainly of parents, educators and childcare professionals. The video contents are realised on the basis of data provided by the Susy Safe, an International registry of foreign body injuries in children aged 0–14. Currently, it has collected over 25.000 cases. The information regarding the foreign body details and the circumstances of the injury allows the identification of the food foreign bodies causing injuries with greater frequency. Presently Food bones, Nuts and Seeds and grains have the highest incidence. Results Following the recommendations provided by the International Guidelines for food preparation, the videos provide basic information addressed to those who have the task of preparing food for children, explaining in a clear and as simple as possible manner how to reduce the risk presented by certain foods. With simple measures even the most dangerous foods can be safely consumed by children. In each video a specific topic, closely related to the problem of food choking in children is clearly addressed (epidemiology, children anatomy, obstruction mechanism, food preparation) by a field expert. According to the Susy Safe data, almost 40% of injuries happened under adults’ supervision, showing a lack of information and the need to implement specific educational campaigns targeted to families and supervisor. Conclusions The MOOC, available at www.safefood4children.org, has been actively attended by families and firms in the food supply chain. This testifies the interest and the need for education in the field of choking injuries prevention.