Improving awareness and use of booster seats in Head Start families

To determine the knowledge level of Head Start providers, parents, and students about booster seats and to directly observe booster seat use before and after a combined educational program and booster seat giveaway.

Before and after a short educational session and child safety seat giveaway, Head Start providers and parents received a brief questionnaire on booster seats and the state child restraint law. Direct parking-lot observation of booster seat use was performed before and after the giveaway.

Forty-three students were enrolled in the study, with 33 receiving booster seats and 5 receiving forward-facing car seats, dependent on the weight and age of the child. Before the study, 15 (35%) of the children had weight/age appropriate child safety seats; after the giveaway, this number increased to 42 (98%; P<0.001). The proportion of children observed using booster seats before the giveaway was 6%, which increased to 34% after the giveaway (P<0.001).

This study indicates that a booster seat giveaway can be successful in increasing the number of children who use booster seats; however, the majority (66%) of participating children still rode inappropriately restrained after the giveaway. Steps beyond providing booster seats, such as combining this intervention with ongoing parent and community education efforts, as well as legislation and enforcement, are needed to bring booster seat use to a high level. The information from this study may be helpful in designing future programs intended to increase booster seat use, as well as emphasizing the need for booster seat legislation.