Increased Booster Seat Use after ED Intervention

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Emergency Medicine| August 01 2006 Increased Booster Seat Use after ED Intervention AAP Grand Rounds (2006) 16 (2): 15–16. https://doi.org/10.1542/gr.16-2-15 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation Increased Booster Seat Use after ED Intervention. AAP Grand Rounds August 2006; 16 (2): 15–16. https://doi.org/10.1542/gr.16-2-15 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All PublicationsAll JournalsAAP Grand RoundsPediatricsHospital PediatricsPediatrics In ReviewNeoReviewsAAP NewsAll AAP Sites Search Advanced Search Topics: car seats Source: Gittelman MA, Pomerantz WJ, Laurence S. An emergency department intervention to increase booster seat use for lower socioeconomic families. Acad Emerg Med. 2006;13:396–400; doi:10.1197/j.aem.2005.11.002 Booster seats are recommended by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for children who are at least 4 years old and weigh 40 pounds or more.1 The AAP Car Safety Seat guide states that children should be in booster seats until the lap/shoulder seat belts fit correctly, which is usually when a child reaches 4 feet, 9 inches and is between 8 and 12 years of age.2 Despite national recommendations, studies have shown that only 11%–28% of children aged 4–8 years use booster seats.3,4 Serious injuries can occur when families do not follow national guidelines or manufacturer recommendations.5 Researchers from the Divisions of Emergency Medicine and Trauma Services at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center conducted a prospective randomized trial comparing 2 intervention strategies to increase the use of booster seats. Families from low socioeconomic areas with children between 4 and 7 years of age, weighing between 40–80 pounds, and who reported they did not already use a booster seat were eligible for enrollment. Eligible study children were patients seen in the emergency department (ED) for a variety of reasons. Study participants were randomized to 1 of 3 groups: 1) a control group that received standard discharge instructions; 2) an educational group that received a 5-minute instruction from a certified car seat technician that included pamphlets and a video regarding the importance of booster seat use; and 3) a group that received the educational intervention and a free booster seat that was properly installed in the family’s car by the certified car seat technician. Families were contacted 1 month after the initial ED visit by telephone to determine booster seat usage. There were 225 patients enrolled, 75 in each group. At enrollment, study children were most often restrained with a lap/shoulder seat belt (79.6%) or forward-facing car seat (13.3%). The most common reason for not using a booster seat included belief that a lap/shoulder seat belt was appropriate (reported by 44.9% of parents of study children), no knowledge of booster seats (16.4%), cost (8.4%), and child resistance to booster seat use (5.3%). At the 1-month follow-up phone call, 147 (65.3%) families could be contacted. Only 1 family in the control group (1.3%) and 4 families in the education group (8.7%) had purchased a booster seat. Cost was given by 32/91 (35.2%) families as a reason for not purchasing a booster seat. Conversely, 55 of 56 families in the education and free booster seat group reported using the booster seat for their child, and 42 (75%) reported using the seat 100% of the time when the child was in the car. Dr. Paul has disclosed/no financial relationship relevant to this commentary. This commentary does not contain a discussion of a commercial product/device. This commentary does not contain a discussion of an unapproved/investigative use of a commercial... You do not currently have access to this content.