Alghnam S, Alshehri F, Alnjeidi Z, Al-Saud N, Alqahtani M, Al-Eissa M
Population Health Section, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAUHS), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Injuries and Control Department, Public Health Authority, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Public Health. 2022 May;206:77-82. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2022.01.037. Epub 2022 Apr 11.
Road traffic injuries are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children in Saudi Arabia. Previous literature suggests that poor compliance to traffic safety measures is exacerbating the burden of childhood injuries. Although car seats have been found to reduce injuries among children, their compliance remains poor nationally. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether providing free car seats for newborns is associated with the compliance of car seat use 3 months after hospital discharge.
This study was conducted in three regions of the country following a national public health campaign aimed to improve traffic safety. In November 2020, five hundred car seats were given to mothers at the time of discharge. Three months later, parents were contacted to evaluate the prevalence of compliance. In addition to estimating the prevalence of car seat use at 3 months, the analysis assessed predictors of use using a multiple logistic regression model.
Of the 486 initial participants, 375 (77%) responded. According to the parents, 76% of children still use the car seat 3 months after hospital discharge. The age of the parents and the number of family members were significant predictors of car seat use. Smaller families (≤4 members) were 2.2 (95% confidence interval: 1.36-3.82) times more likely to comply with the car seat law 3 months after discharge than larger families. Most of the respondents (70.5%) strongly agree that child restraint systems are an essential device while driving with children.
We found that providing free car seats for newborn children is associated with uptake of improved traffic safety, but compliance remains lower than in developed countries. Further studies are needed to facilitate improving child seat safety among large families. As the country strives to invest in reducing traffic injuries, similar initiatives may facilitate adopting safety measures among parents, which may reduce preventable injuries and improve population health.
道路交通事故伤害是沙特阿拉伯儿童发病和死亡的主要原因。以往文献表明，对交通安全措施的依从性差正在加重儿童伤害负担。尽管已发现儿童安全座椅可减少儿童受伤情况，但全国范围内对其的依从性仍然很差。本研究的目的是评估为新生儿提供免费儿童安全座椅是否与出院3个月后儿童安全座椅的使用依从性相关。
本研究在该国三个地区开展，此前进行了一项旨在改善交通安全的全国性公共卫生运动。2020年11月，在出院时向母亲们发放了500个儿童安全座椅。三个月后，联系家长以评估依从性的普遍性。除了估计3个月时儿童安全座椅的使用普遍性外，分析还使用多元逻辑回归模型评估了使用的预测因素。
在486名初始参与者中，375人（77%）做出了回应。据家长们说，76%的儿童在出院3个月后仍在使用儿童安全座椅。家长的年龄和家庭成员数量是儿童安全座椅使用的重要预测因素。出院3个月后，小家庭（≤4名成员）遵守儿童安全座椅法律的可能性是大家庭的2.2倍（95%置信区间：1.36 - 3.82）。大多数受访者（70.5%）强烈同意儿童约束系统是带孩子驾车时必不可少的装置。
我们发现为新生儿提供免费儿童安全座椅与交通安全改善的接受度相关，但依从性仍低于发达国家。需要进一步研究以促进改善大家庭中的儿童座椅安全。随着该国努力投资减少交通伤害，类似举措可能有助于家长采取安全措施，这可能减少可预防的伤害并改善人群健康。
