Analysis of the factors influencing parents’ support for child safety seat legislation in Nanjing

Abstract

Objective Although the use of child safety seats can effectively ensure the safety of children in cars, the utilization rate of such seats in China is still low (<5%, 2021). Therefore, it is urgent to promote the use of child safety seats. The goal of this study was to examine the factors affecting parents' support for child safety seat legislation. Methods Data were collected via 1200 questionnaires distributed in several community hospitals in Nanjing. We used the data to do a multivariate logistic regression analysis to find the influencing factors of parental support for child safety seat legislation. Results On the whole, the respondents had low support for legislation mandating the installation of child safety seats. Although only 5.83% of the respondents expressed opposition to the relevant legislation, more than 40% expressed a neutral attitude rather than a supportive attitude. Multinomial logistic regression analyses revealed that gender, monthly household income, educational level, number of children in the family, comprehension of child safety seat-related publicity information, and cognition of children’s riding safety significantly affected parents' support for child safety seat legislation. In addition to gender and cognition of children's riding safety, other influential factors had significant positive impacts on legislative support for compulsory installation of child safety seats. Conclusion These results have implications for making more effective recommendations to advance child safety seat legislation and keep child passengers safe.