Knowledge of child car seat safety in a tri-cultural southern California emergency department.

This scientific poster presents a prospective cross-sectional survey study that was conducted in a 37,000 visit per year Level I Trauma Centre Emergency Department (ED) in Southern California between February and April 1999. The questionnaire consisted of two sections of information gathering: (1) demograhics: age, gender, ethnicity, number of children in household under 12 years and their weights, and number of children in household under 12 years that routinely rode in a car with the parent or caretaker; and (2) car seat knowledge: appropriate child safety seat (CSS), and direction and position of CSS according to three weight categories: under 20 lbs, 20-40 lbs, and 40-60 lbs. Two hundred parents and caretakers were enrolled in the study, and 199 questionnaires were completed. Ethnicity was determined for 192 subjects: 60% Hispanic, 23% Caucasian, and 17% Vietnamese and other not specified. The findings suggest that the ED parent/child caretaker population has a significant CSS and air bag safety knowledge deficit. A substantial proportion of parent/child caretakers could not correctly identify the proper direction a child should face. Additionally, parents/child caretakers were frequently incorrect in selecting the safest location in the car for a child less than 12 years of age and in identifying the risk of air bag injury to children.