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Objective. To describe parental preferences for FDA-approved prescription medications for their children. Study design. Cross-sectional Web-enabled survey of a national sample of 1562 parents. Results. Response rate was 61%. Most parents (77%) preferred prescription of only FDA-approved medications for their child. However, one half of parents preferred that their child’s doctor prescribe medication that is safest and works best, even if not FDA approved for children. One third of parents (34%) preferred nothing but FDA-approved medications for their child, regardless of drug safety, effectiveness, or cost. Controlling for parent race and education, mothers (odds ratio = 1.52; P = .004) and older parents (odds ratio = 1.60; P = .025) were more likely to prefer nothing but FDA-approved medications for their children compared with fathers and younger parents. Conclusions. Although most parents initially indicate preference for FDA-approved medications, one half of parents will accept a non-FDA-approved medication for their children with the understanding that it is safer or more effective than the FDA-approved alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

OBJECTIVE: Booster seat use among school-aged children has been consistently lower than national goals. In this study, we sought to explore associations between parental experiences with booster seats and carpooling. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional Web-based survey of a nationally representative panel of US parents in January 2010. As part of a larger survey, parents of 4- to 8-year-old children responded to 12 questions related to booster seats and carpooling. RESULTS: Of 1612 parents responding to the full survey (response rate = 71%), 706 had a 4- to 8-year-old child and 681 met inclusion rules. Most parents (76%) reported their child used a safety seat when riding in the family car. Of children reported to use seat belts, 74% did so in accordance with their state law. Parent report of child safety seat use was associated with younger child age and with the presence of state booster seat laws. Sixty-four percent of parents carpool. Among parents who carpool and whose children use a child safety seat: 79% indicated they would always ask another driver to use a booster seat for their child and 55% reported they always have their child use their booster seat when driving friends who do not have boosters. CONCLUSIONS: Carpooling is a common driving situation during which booster seat use is inconsistent. Social norms and self-efficacy are associated with booster seat use. Clinicians who care for children should increase efforts to convey the importance of using the size- appropriate restraint for every child on every trip. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVE: Increasing numbers of parents use alternative vaccination schedules that differ from the recommended childhood vaccination schedule for their children. We sought to describe national patterns of alternative vaccination schedule use and the potential "malleability" of parents' current vaccination schedule choices. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional, Internet-based survey of a nationally representative sample of parents of children 6 months to 6 years of age. Bivariate and multivariate analyses determined associations between demographic and attitudinal factors and alternative vaccination schedule use. RESULTS: The response rate was 61% (N= 748). Of the 13% of parents who reported following an alternative vaccination schedule, most refused only certain vaccines (53%) and/or delayed some vaccines until the child was older (55%). Only 17% reported refusing all vaccines. In multivariate models, nonblack race and not having a regular health care provider for the child were the only factors significantly associated with higher odds of using an alternative schedule. A large proportion of alternative vaccinators (30%) reported having initially followed the recommended vaccination schedule. Among parents following the recommended vaccination schedule, 28% thought that delaying vaccine doses was safer than the schedule they used, and 22% disagreed that the best vaccination schedule to follow was the one recommended by vaccination experts. CONCLUSIONS: More than 1 of 10 parents of young children currently use an alternative vaccination schedule. In addition, a large proportion of parents currently following the recommended schedule seem to be "at risk" for switching to an alternative schedule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]