The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #69356

Jill F. Cooper, MSW¹, David Ragland, PhD, MPH², and Kara MacLeod, MA¹. (1) Traffic Safety Center, UC Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall, MC 7360, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360, (2) Traffic Safety Center, University of California, School of Public Health, 140 Warren Hall MC 7360, Berkeley, CA 94720-7360

Purpose: The UC Berkeley Traffic Safety Center (TSC) is evaluating the Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Initiative, developed to promote children’s health and safety at selected California public hospital systems through increasing use and decreasing misuse of child safety seats. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of child deaths, and safety seats are a key injury prevention tool. Underserved populations face barriers in appropriate use of car seats. Evaluation results will further understanding of effective interventions to maximize child passenger safety among at-risk populations.

Methods: The population-based quasi-experimental design consists of a pre-intervention survey primarily administered Winter/Spring, 2002. A post-intervention survey will be administered Winter/Spring, 2003, and analyzed in Summer 2003. Pending approval, results will be presented at APHA. Data includes self-reported information from parents/guardians through interviews conducted in Spanish or English and observations of children aged 0-8 in safety seats.

Results: The pre-intervention study found that 81.0% of adults reported always using safety seats; 67.2% of children were in the appropriate restraint for age and weight; misuse due to improper securing of the child in the safety seat was high; and while knowledge of the 2002 California “booster seat” law was high (84.4%), self-reported use of booster seats was substantially lower (53.8%).

Conclusions: Baseline results indicate need for greater information and training about installation and use of child safety seats; integration of CPS into health care systems; and increased attention to environmental factors that impede correct use of child safety seats.

Learning Objectives:

• 3. Describe 3 considerations which must be addressed in doing a child passenger safety evaluation.
  6. Identify 3 types of common misuse of child safety seats.
  9. Describe a study design for evaluating child passenger safety interventions in a public hospital setting.
  12. Discuss implications for child passenger safety programs.

Keywords: Children's Health, Motor Vehicles

Related Web page: www.safetynetinstitute.org/aboutcpsi.htm

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: UC Berkeley UC Davis California Health Care Safety Net Institute California Office of Traffic Safety Contra Costa Health Services Department Monterey Public Health Department San Joaquin General Hospital Martin Luther King Health Clin
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.