Practice in child restraint system use among attendees of Well-baby clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

The systematic use of child restraint system (CRS) while driving has been promoted by the WHO to improve road safety.

To assess the levels of practice in CRS use for children aged ≤5 years among mothers attending the Well-baby clinics and to explore the associated factors and attitudes.

A cross-sectional study was conducted among mothers visiting the Well-baby clinics at five primary health care centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using a multistage stratified-cluster sampling. Practice in CRS was assessed by interviewing the participants regarding the availability of a CRS in their car, usage frequency for a child <5 years, and alternative child-sitting methods. Sociodemographic data, further road safety parameters, and attitudes were analyzed as independent factors of adequate practice using multivariate logistic regression.

Of the 192 included mothers, eight (4.2%) had a history of accident while driving with a child. Majority of the participants (62.5%) declared not having their cars equipped with a CRS and used inappropriate car-sitting methods. Of the 37.5% who had CRS in their cars, 27.1% declared using it always or frequently. Adequate practice in CRS was independently associated with mother's age (OR = 0.91, P = 0.09), low (OR = 0.10, P = 0.001) and moderate family income (OR = 0.23, P = 0.012), and the belief that CRS is not essential while driving with children (0.32, P = 0.023).

There is inadequate practice in child road safety among families attending the Well-baby clinics in Western Saudi Arabia, which is associated with several misconceptions and negative attitudes towards the utility of CRS.