Evaluation of an education, restraint distribution, and fitting program to promote correct use of age-appropriate child restraints for children aged 3 to 5 years: a cluster randomized trial.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated an education, distribution, and fitting program for increasing age-appropriate and correct child restraint use. METHODS: We performed a cluster randomized trial involving 28 early childhood education centers in low socioeconomic status areas in Sydney, Australia. The main outcome was optimal restraint use defined as age-appropriate restraints, installed into the vehicle correctly and used correctly. RESULTS: One service withdrew after randomization, so data are presented for 689 child passengers, aged 3 to 5 years, from 27 centers. More children attending intervention centers were optimally restrained (43% vs 31%; P = .01; allowing for clustering). More 3-year-olds w..