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Violators of a Child Passenger Safety Law
- Source :
- Pediatrics. 114:109-115
- Publication Year :
- 2004
- Publisher :
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 2004.
-
Abstract
- Background. Nonuse of child car safety seats (CSSs) remains significant; in 2000, 47% of occupant fatalities among children Methods. Focus groups (in English and Spanish) were conducted with individuals cited for violation of the law (N = 24). A thematic analysis of notes made by an observer, supplemented by audiotapes of the sessions, was conducted. In addition, a study of the effects of exposure to a violator class on knowledge and correct CSS use was conducted among violators. Certified CPS technicians conducted the classes and interviews. Subjects were parents cited as the driver with a child of 20 to 40 pounds, between 12 and 47 months of age. One hundred subjects recruited from the class were compared with 50 subjects who did not attend a class. Follow-up home interviews, with inspection of CCS use, were conducted 3 months after payment of the fine and completion of all court requirements. Fisher’s exact test was used for 2 × 2 tables, because some of the tables had small cell sizes. The Mann-Whitney rank sum test was used for child restraint use, knowledge, and correct use scales, because some of these variables were not normally distributed. Linear and logistic regression models were used to examine the effects of several variables on these parameters.Results. Factors influencing CSS nonuse were 1) lifestyle factors, 2) transportation and trip circumstances, 3) nonparent or nondriver issues, 4) parenting style, 5) child’s behavior, and 6) perceived risks of nonuse. Violator subjects were mostly Hispanic and female, with incomes of less than $30 000 per year. Those exposed to the class (citation and education group) scored 1 point higher on a knowledge test and had 1 more item correct on a CSS use instrument than did the group not exposed to the class (citation only group). In the logistic model, the citation and education group scored higher on the 2 items that were corrected by the instructor during the class.Conclusion. Our focus group study of CPS law violators revealed that multiple complex factors influence consistent use of a CSS. The interplay of the particular vehicle, the trip circumstances, and family/parent/child factors affected the use of a CSS at the time of parent citation. Addressing transportation issues and parenting skills in CPS programs is necessary. Among parents who had been ticketed for not restraining their children, exposure to a violator class demonstrated some benefit, compared with a fine alone. Correct CSS use improved most on items corrected by the instructor. Violator classes that include “hands-on” training show promise for improving rates of correct use of CSSs.
- Subjects :
- Adult
Male
Parents
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Population
Poison control
Logistic regression
California
Occupational safety and health
Injury prevention
Humans
Medicine
education
education.field_of_study
business.industry
Infant Equipment
Infant
Human factors and ergonomics
Focus Groups
Focus group
Test (assessment)
Child, Preschool
Law
Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health
Female
Crime
Safety
business
Automobiles
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 10984275 and 00314005
- Volume :
- 114
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Pediatrics
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....86e4e4fd22b0ba9c2633baf180c2097c
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.114.1.109