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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Michael J. Kallan, MS, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, 523 Blockley Hall, 423 Guardian Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-573-4594, mkallan@cceb.upenn.edu and Flaura K. Winston, MD, PhD, TraumaLink, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, 3535 TraumaLink, 10th Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

BACKGROUND: Mothers remain the primary target of child passenger safety research and outreach. Therefore, we aimed to assess the child restraint and front row seating practices and injuries for children in father-driven versus mother-driven crashes.

METHODS/DATA SOURCES: Data were collected on crashes involving child occupants from December 1, 1998 to December 31, 2004 in three large regions of the US. A stratified cluster sample was employed to select vehicles for the conduct of a validated telephone survey with the driver. Injuries were defined as those with Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) scores of 2 or higher plus facial and scalp lacerations.

RESULTS: Data were obtained on 12,297 vehicles driven by parents involving 18,299 children. 27.7% of crashes involved father-drivers. Injuries were reported in 1.30% of the population (father-driver: 1.14%; mother-driver: 1.37%, unadjusted OR=0.83, 95% CI=0.67-1.03). Overall, one-third of child occupants were restrained inappropriately for age, with little difference between father-driver or mother-driver crashes. Front-row seating by children was more common with fathers (father-driver: 40.0% vs. mother-driver: 25.7%, p<0.001). In crashes where the driver was the only adult in the vehicle, children in father-involved crashes had a reduced risk of injury compared to those in mother-involved crashes (adjusted OR=0.74, 95% CI=0.57-0.96).

IMPLICATIONS: Children in father-involved crashes were at a somewhat lower injury risk compared to those in mother-involved crashes. However, this father-driver injury risk is still sufficiently high as to require attention. Safety messages of rear seating and appropriate restraint should be directed to fathers possibly through media geared towards men.

Learning Objectives: After this session, attendees will have information that will allow them to

• Better target the dissemination of child passenger safety prevention messaging based on characteristics of parent drivers in crashes.
• Develop better messaging for fathers based on evidence of child restraint practices and injuries to children in father-driven car crashes.
• Develop better messaging for mothers based on evidence of child restraint practices and injuries to children in mother-driven car crashes.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered