Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and serious injury for children under the age of 14 in Canada and in the United States despitemandatory use of vehicle restraints since 1977. Using a pre- and post-test design, the present study tests the effectiveness of a multi-media intervention study on parents knowledge of car safety seat use for children (0-12 years). The sample included 201 parents from four Ontario cities. Results indicate that parents knowledge of when to accurately and safely transition a child to the appropriate car safety seat based on child's age, weight and height was retained at the 1 year post-test for children 4-8 years of age. The rates of correct use of safety seats significantly increased1 year following the intervention program. Other factors that influenced parent's knowledge included being a parent versus non-parents, gender, income, education, sources of information, and regional location. The resultsof this study can help guide the development and implementation of futureintervention programs and injury prevention policy. (A) Reprinted with permission from Elsevier.
Samenvatting