Abstract

Background
: Injuries caused by motor vehicle crashes are the leading causes of death in children. An effective countermeasures in prevening the children from unnecessary premature death is child safety seat. The objectives of this study was to determine the attitude and knowledge of parents about child safety seat as well as to identify factors affecting child safety seat use. Material and Method : Data came from telephone interview surveys using a questionnaire of 1,784 car owners who have children aged 2 or 3years old. Awareness, ownership and child safety seat usage were investigated. Socioeconomic status, perceptions of susceptibility, severity, and benefits were analyzed as independent variables according to Health Belief Model and frequency of child safety seat use as the dependent variable. Result : Of the subjects, 1,461 (81.9%) knew about the child safety seat. Among these, 610 (41.8%) had a child safety seat and 302 (20.7%) used it at any circumstances. Factors affecting ‘the use of a child safety seat under any circumstances’ were high level of education (OR=1.64), perceptions of severity (OR=1.01), and perception of benefit (OR=1.98); therefore car owners who received a university education perceived a high level of severity and benefit always use the child safety seat. Conclusion : Based on these results, various interventions to motivate child safety seat usage are needed. For the child safety seat pervading programs to be developed and implemented, it is essential to consider the factors affecting the use of child safety seat such as the perceptions of severity and benefits.

• Keywords: Infant equipment, Child safety seat