Child restraint system use and its associated factors in Shenzhen

Child Safety Seat‒Use Behavior Among Parents of Newborns: A Trans-Theoretical Model‒Guided Intervention in Shantou, China, 2021

We evaluated the effect of a trans-theoretical model-based intervention on child safety seat (CSS)‒use behaviors among parents of newborns in Shantou, China. Parents' knowledge, attitude, and self-efficacy scores on CSS use were significantly higher at one, three, and six months after the intervention compared with scores at baseline. Parents' stage of CSS use also advanced as the intervention progressed. The trans-theoretical model‒based intervention and evidence generated from this study may provide guidance for future individualized interventions to improve CSS use. (Am J Public Health. 2023;113(12):1271-1275. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2023.307415).

Predictors of parents' use of child restraint systems: Evidence from China

OBJECTIVE

Child restraint systems (CRS) can significantly lower the chance of child harm and death. Despite the benefit of CRS, their use in developing countries is low. Therefore, examining the factors that affect parents' use of CRS is essential.

METHODS

In this study, the associations of demographic characteristics and the exogenous constructs in the health belief model (HBM) and the theory of planned behavior (TPB) with parents' CRS use were investigated with structural equation modeling.

RESULTS

Demographic factors alone explained 23.1% of the variance in CRS use. The model's explanatory power increased greatly when exogenous constructs were incorporated from the HBM and TPB. Having a college degree, knowledge about CRS, perceived susceptibility, self-efficacy, and attitude significantly impacted parents' use of CRS.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of CRS in China is still low. Much effort should be done to increase the use of CRS in China, including education, and publicity.

The use of car safety seats for children in China: A questionnaire survey based on the theory of planned behavior

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to analyze the psychological characteristics underlying Chinese parents' behaviors in using child car seats and to understand their decision-making processes. Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), three extended variables of perceived accident severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers were introduced. From the perspective of social psychology, the psychological factors that influence parents' use of child car seats and their interrelationships were explored.

METHODS

A questionnaire was designed to collect data, including information on demographic characteristics, basic components of the TPB, and relevant extension variables. Using on online survey, 585 valid questionnaires were collected. Structural equation modeling was used to calibrate the data, and multiple group analysis was performed on the demographic variables.

RESULTS

The extended TPB can effectively explain and predict parents' behaviors when using children's car seats. The results of the model show that parents' positive attitudes toward child safety seats (CSSs), others' recognition of their own use and perceptual control of the use of CSSs increase their willingness to use CSSs. Parents' willingness to use has a positive impact on the use of CSSs. Additionally, for the three extended variables introduced, perceived benefit significantly promoted parental intention and behavior to use CSS for children; perceived barriers significantly reduced parental use of CSS; and perceived accident severity had no significant effect on parental use of CSS.

CONCLUSIONS

This study established the validity of the extended TPB model in predicting parents' behaviors in using car seats for their children. In addition, the current findings may provide a theoretical basis for policy development to promote CSS use.

Analysis of factors influencing the use of child restraint system by parents of children aged 0-6 years: an information, motivation, behavioral skills model-based cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Children's injuries from traffic accidents have been identified as a global public health issue. Child restraint system (CRS) is a useful tool for lowering the risk of injury to children. Nevertheless, CRS usage is really low in China. The goal of the current study was to investigate the use of CRS after the legislation revised in China and to explore the influencing factors based on Information, Motivation, and Behavioral Skills model (IMB).

METHODS

The study is a cross-sectional survey of parents who took their 0 to 6-year-old children for seeking primary care services at the Children Preventive Health Care Clinic of a tertiary hospital in Shandong Province, China. Parents were invited to complete the self-administered questionnaire between March and June 2022, including their knowledge, motivation, and behavioral skills, use behavior of CRS and socio-demographics. Ordinal logistic regression was used to explore the factors associated with CRS use by using SPSS software (version 26.0).

RESULTS

In total, 442 parents participated in the study; 56.1% (n = 201) of the parents utilized CRS for their child passengers, however only 29.0% used CRS frequently. The result of logistic regression analysis show that parents with junior college (OR = 0.398, 95%CI: 0.185 ~ 0.857), possessing a high family economic status(OR = 0.225, 95%CI: 0.088 ~ 0.578), being trained on children's unintentional injuries(OR = 0.435,95%CI: 0.272 ~ 0.695), and having high scores on CRS riding mode cognition(OR = 0.476, 95%CI: 0.368 ~ 0.616), CRS type cognition(OR = 0.519, 95%CI: 0.392 ~ 0.689), CRS use motivation(OR = 0.392, 95%CI: 0.295 ~ 0.520) and installation skills(OR = 0.559, 95%CI:0.411 ~ 0.761) were the main factors promoting the usage of CRS.

CONCLUSIONS

This study found that the use of CRS can be increased by improving parents' knowledge, motivation and behavior skills and hence related educational programs is necessary for increasing CRS use in China.