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Published on: September 21, 2017
Evaluation of child safety seat checkpoint events
Gina P Duchossois1, Michael L Nance, Douglas J Wiebe
1Safe Kids Southeastern Pennsylvania Coalition, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Trauma Program, and Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. duchossois@email.chop.edu
Objective:
To determine the effectiveness of child safety seat checkpoints in generating change in child restraint practice to reduce the prevalence and extent of misuse.
Methods:
Child safety seats underwent an initial checkpoint evaluation and participants received a training session. Participants were asked to return within 6-12 months to a checkpoint for follow-up evaluation. During each visit, a data collection sheet was used to assess the participants' use of their child safety seat, and to subsequently calculate a restraint misuse score to characterize the child safety seat's usage before and after the intervention.
Results:
During the period of study, 42 participants underwent both the initial and follow-up child safety seat check. Before the intervention, at least one misuse was identified in 100% of installed child safety seats. After the intervention, there was a significant reduction in the proportion of rear-facing child safety seats (18.8%) and forward-facing child safety seats (64.0%) that had at least one misuse (p<0.001). Almost all (93.4%) of those using rear-facing child safety seats and the majority (64.0%) of those using forward-facing child safety seats improved their safety score as measured after the intervention.
Conclusions:
Although misuse was universally observed, child safety seat checkpoint events were successful in improving usage practices.
