Jodi A. Lapidus ^1*, Nicole H. Smith ², Beth E. Ebel ³, Francine C. Romero ⁴

¹ Dept of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University
² Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board
³ Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, University of Washington
⁴ Northern Plains Tribal Epidemiology Center, Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen's Health Board

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: lapidusj{at}ohsu.edu.

	Abstract

Objectives: Estimate restraint use among Northwest American Indian children age 8 or younger, and determine factors associated with proper restraint. Methods: We surveyed vehicles in six tribes in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Associations between proper restraint and child, driver, and vehicle characteristics were analyzed using logistic regression models for clustered data. Results: We observed 775 children traveling in 574 vehicles, 41% of who were unrestrained. Proper restraint ranged from 63% among infant seat-eligible to 11% among booster seat-eligible children, and was associated with lower child age (OR per year: 0.60, 95% CI: 0.48-0.75), seating location (OR front vs. rear: 0.27, 95% CI: 0.16-0.44), driver seat belt use (OR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.51-3.80), and relationship (OR non-parent vs. parent: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.14-0.58). More than half of drivers felt children could use an adult seat belt earlier than recommended guidelines, and 63% did not correctly identify whether their tribe had child safety seat laws. Conclusions: Children in these communities are inadequately restrained. Restraint use was exceedingly low among booster-eligible children and children riding with unrestrained adults. Interventions emphasizing appropriate restraint use and enforcement of child passenger safety laws could potentially reduce the risk.

Key Words: Child and Adolescent Health, Injury/Emergency Care/Violence, Prevention, Native Americans, Surveys

This article has been cited by other articles:

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