Seat belt education program--a model for public health settings

A cohort of 268 low-income mothers participating in the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Supplemental Food Program was enrolled in a seat belt education and motivation program. The goal of the study was to determine whether seat belt use could be increased by incorporating a brief educational intervention into an existing public health program. Seat belt use was monitored by an unobtrusive observer prior to and one month following the intervention. Seat belt use increased from a baseline of 4.9 to 12.6% one month following education (p less than .01).