Booster seat use by children aged 4-11 years: evidence of the need to revise current Australasian standards to accommodate overweight children.

Publisher: Australasian Medical Publishing Co Country of Publication: Australia NLM ID: 0400714 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 0025-729X (Print) Linking ISSN: 0025729X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Med J Aust Subsets: MEDLINE

Publication: : Pyrmont, NSW : Australasian Medical Publishing Co.
Original Publication: Sydney : Australasian Medical Pub. Co.

Obesity*; Infant Equipment/*standards; Australia ; Body Height ; Body Weight ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; New South Wales ; Seat Belts/standards ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Victoria

Objective: To examine the relationship between child weight and vehicle booster seat usage in the context of current Australasian booster seat standards.
Design, Setting and Participants: Questionnaire survey conducted between February and April 2005. A convenience sample of parents with children aged 4-11 years in New South Wales and Victoria completed a questionnaire, reporting on the height and weight of their children and the nature of restraint devices used in the family vehicle.
Main Outcome Measures: Proportion of children meeting standard-specified weight and height criteria who are not restrained in booster seats; proportion of children who meet the specified height criteria but whose weight exceeds the specified weight.
Results: 699 of 3959 questionnaires were returned (response rate, 18%), of which seven lacked essential details. The remaining 692 responses provided information on 1500 children. Of these children, 633 aged 4-11 years fell within the recommended height range for using booster seats, but only 29% were typically restrained in booster seats, the majority (70%) being restrained in normal seatbelts. A key finding was that 37% of the children who met the recommended height criteria exceeded the maximum weight for booster seats stipulated by the current Australasian safety standard.
Conclusion: In view of increasing rates of overweight and obesity in children, it is important to reassess current Australasian standards for child restraints in vehicles. A concerted parental education campaign is also needed to raise awareness of which restraint types are appropriate for children of various heights and weights.

Date Created: 20080318 Date Completed: 20080522 Latest Revision: 20210216

20221213

10.5694/j.1326-5377.2008.tb01647.x

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