Young children rely on their parents not only for their transportation needs but also for ensuring their safety. Despite substantial improvements in passenger safety, motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) remain the leading cause of death in children after the first year of life. Each year more than 130,000 children age 1 to 12 years are seen in US hospital EDs for non-fatal injuries sustained as occupants in MVCs. Education and anticipatory guidance increase safety behaviors but the ED visit is currently underutilized for the provision of child passenger safety information. Prior to the development of an education program for the ED setting, we must first understand the child passenger safety practices and perceptions of parents seeking ED care for their children. In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed 653 parents of 1 to 12 year old children presenting to one of 2 Michigan Emergency Departments to determine their current practices regarding child passenger safety and predictors of suboptimal restraint for child age and weight. Parent report of child passenger restraint use was verified through in-vehicle observation for 131 subjects with high levels of agreement (kappa =0.77). Older child age, minority race, lower parental education levels, lower family income levels, “just figuring out” how to use a restraint, and parent not using a seat belt were associated with suboptimal restraint practices. Parents were willing participants in ED-based research related to child passenger safety and reported low levels of anxiety. These factors will be considered in the development of tailored and targeted ED-based interventions to increase passenger safety that can address the safety needs of both children and their parents. (Author/publisher) The full text of this document may be found at: http://m-castl.org/files/2012-15MacyReport.pdf
Abstract