Booster Seat Use in an Inner-City Day Care Center Population

Abstract

This is the first observational study of booster seat use in this Milwaukee population with appropriate restraint use varying widely from reported state and national data. The low rates of appropriate booster seat use, particularly by Latino and African American caregivers and those living in low-income neighborhoods, in this large metropolitan center supports the need for further study and targeted interventions.

A comparison of self-report and direct observation of booster seat use in Latino families

“…Previous observational studies have indicated that Latino children are significantly less likely to use booster seats than non-Latino children 9 10. On average, Latino respondents score higher on psychometric measures of social desirability bias,11 which might further overstate reported booster seat use.…”

Child safety seat usage errors in under-4s

“…Tais observações permitem inferir que o alto nível de escolaridade e renda, presente nos estratos A e D, foi mais relevante que a tipificação da creche no sentido de favorecer a correta utilização de ASI. Tais achados são concordantes com a literatura internacional que atesta menores índices de utilização de ASI em populações menos favorecidas e maiores índices de utilização entre camadas mais abastadas 6,21,22 .…”

“…Quando adequadamente utilizados, reduzem em 71% as chances de mortes 3 . Embora de uso obrigatório por lei em diversos países, inclusive no Brasil 4 , dados internacionais apontam frequente negligência quanto à sua utilização associada ao uso errôneo 5 e queda da frequência de utilização com o crescimento da criança 6 . Dados do National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 7 estimam que 80% dos ASI apresentam erros de utilização.…”

Validation of two child passenger safety questionnaires

“…Our validation of a car seat questionnaire was conducted on low-income families who receive public insurance and live in the Milwaukee central city zip codes. Previous observational studies in Milwaukee have shown that this population is indeed at high risk of being improperly restrained 19. As many interventions are aimed at such high-risk populations, it is beneficial that the questionnaire proved valid with this group.…”