Booster seat promotion in Winnipeg: Evaluation of a campaign targeting parents
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Date
2012-11-23
Authors
Cormier, Faith
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Abstract
Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of injury death for Canadian
children, with improper restraint being an important and preventable contributing factor.
Children 4-8 years of age are the least likely to be properly restrained, and should be in forwardfacing
car seats or booster seats until they are at least 4 foot 9 inches tall in order to prevent lap
belt syndrome and other serious injuries.
A three-year booster seat promotion campaign was launched in 2010 in
Winnipeg. The primary goal of this project was to determine the effectiveness of this
campaign, in terms of observed booster seat use, using a roadside observational study.
Secondary objectives were to measure self-reported booster seat use; to examine parental
estimations of their child’s height and weight; and to explore parents’ understanding and
use of booster seats, using a parent survey.
Booster seat use increased significantly throughout the campaign, from 14.7%
in 2010 to 31.4% in 2012 (p<0.001). Booster seat use was significantly higher by selfreport
(68.3%) and dropped significantly by 8 years of age (p=0.001). Parents tended to
underestimate their child’s height and weight. 13 of 14 children in seat belts should have
been using a booster seat, however their parents did not know that a booster seat was
recommended.
The next phase of the booster seat campaign and the introduction of legislation in
2013 will be important to further increase use, particularly among children 7-8 years of
age. These results may be used to inform and improve on these efforts.
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Medicine