The impact of car seat giveaways on compliance among newborns in Saudi Arabia
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S Alghnam1, F Alshehri2, Z Alnjeidi3
1Population Health Section, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAUHS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Insights
Providing free car seats to newborns in Saudi Arabia increased usage rates. However, compliance with car seat laws remains lower than in developed nations, especially for larger families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Traffic Safety
Background:
- Road traffic injuries are a major cause of child morbidity and mortality in Saudi Arabia.
- Poor adherence to traffic safety measures, including car seat use, contributes to childhood injuries.
- Despite proven benefits, national car seat compliance for children is low.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the association between providing free car seats for newborns and compliance with car seat use.
- To identify predictors of car seat usage 3 months post-hospital discharge.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 500 free car seats distributed to mothers at hospital discharge in three regions.
- Follow-up contact with parents 3 months later to determine car seat usage prevalence.
- Multiple logistic regression analysis to identify predictors of car seat use.
Main Results:
- 76% of children were reported to be using car seats 3 months after discharge.
- Parental age and family size were significant predictors of car seat use.
- Smaller families (≤4 members) showed higher compliance rates (OR 2.2) compared to larger families.
Conclusions:
- Distributing free car seats is linked to increased adoption of traffic safety measures for newborns.
- Car seat compliance in Saudi Arabia, while improved, still lags behind developed countries.
- Further interventions are needed to enhance child safety seat usage, particularly within larger families.
Objectives:
Road traffic injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in Saudi Arabia. Previous literature suggests that poor compliance to traffic safety measures is exacerbating the burden of childhood injuries. Although car seats have been found to reduce injuries among children, their compliance remains poor nationally. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether providing free car seats for newborns is associated with the compliance of car seat use 3 months after hospital discharge.
Methods:
This study was conducted in three regions of the country following a national public health campaign aimed to improve traffic safety. In November 2020, five hundred car seats were given to mothers at the time of discharge. Three months later, parents were contacted to evaluate the prevalence of compliance. In addition to estimating the prevalence of car seat use at 3 months, the analysis assessed predictors of use using a multiple logistic regression model.
Results:
Of the 486 initial participants, 375 (77%) responded. According to the parents, 76% of children still use the car seat 3 months after hospital discharge. The age of the parents and the number of family members were significant predictors of car seat use. Smaller families (≤4 members) were 2.2 (95% confidence interval: 1.36-3.82) times more likely to comply with the car seat law 3 months after discharge than larger families. Most of the respondents (70.5%) strongly agree that child restraint systems are an essential device while driving with children.
Conclusions:
We found that providing free car seats for newborn children is associated with uptake of improved traffic safety, but compliance remains lower than in developed countries. Further studies are needed to facilitate improving child seat safety among large families. As the country strives to invest in reducing traffic injuries, similar initiatives may facilitate adopting safety measures among parents, which may reduce preventable injuries and improve population health.
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