Are mHealth Interventions to Improve Child Restraint System Installation of Value? A Mixed Methods Study of Parents

Abstract

Childhood death from vehicle crashes and the delivery of information about proper child restraint systems (CRS) use continues to be a critical public health issue. Safe Seat, a sequential, mixed-methods study identified gaps in parental knowledge about and perceived challenges in the use of appropriate CRS and insights into the preferences of various technological approaches to deliver CRS education. Focus groups (eight groups with 21 participants) and a quantitative national survey (N = 1251) using MTurk were conducted. Although there were differences in the age, racial/ethnic background, and educational level between the focus group participants and the national sample, there was a great deal of consistency in the need for more timely and personalized information about CRS. The majority of parents did not utilize car seat check professionals although they expressed interest in and lack of knowledge about how to access these resources. Although there was some interest in an app that would be personalized and able to push just-in-time content (e.g., new guidelines, location and times of car seat checks), content that has sporadic relevance (e.g., initial installation) seemed more appropriate for a website. Stakeholder input is critical to guide the development and delivery of acceptable and useful child safety education.

Perceptions and Attitudes Toward Mobile Health in Development of an Exclusive Breastfeeding Tool: Focus Group Study With Caregivers and Health Promoters in the Dominican Republic

“…Caregivers in our study expressed that although an mHealth tool to promote EBF would be useful, it would be desirable if the tool could provide additional information and self-management support for other maternal and child health topics, such as growth and development, vaccines, prenatal and postnatal health, and common childhood illnesses. This corresponds with previous literature in which caregivers described mobile apps to be better suited for more broad topics that would be accessed more frequently or to meet a repeated, unique need to be worth the significant space and data on their devices [ 76 ]. In addition, in considering the design of an impactful mHealth tool that is highly valued and frequently used by parents, a previous systematic review recommended combining educational elements with troubleshooting support [ 71 ].…”

“…This study integrates the perspectives of stakeholders (caregivers and health promoters) throughout the design process. Formative research with stakeholder involvement is foundational to delivering effective maternal and child health educational interventions and facilitating a more sustainable and broader dissemination [ 76 ]. Furthermore, within the global health community, we must look across specific content areas toward the broader themes emerging within the literature on technology-based interventions.…”

Situational Use of Child Restraint Systems and Carpooling Behaviors in Parents and Caregivers

“…Recruitment occurred via TurkPrime, an online crowdsourcing platform targeting participant enrollment for academic research purposes from Mechanical Turk (mTurk). Behavioral science surveys have used the mTurk and TurkPrime platforms as a way to recruit participants [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Participants from these platforms are often more educated, less diverse and have a higher income than a nationally representative sample [ 18 ].…”

Facilitators and barriers to child restraint use in motor vehicles: a qualitative evidence synthesis

“…• focus group discussions only 21 24-26 28-32 35 41 • in-depth interviews only 34 • focus groups and in-depth interviews 23 • mixed method study designs [37][38][39][40]…”