title: Hospital-based program to increase child safety restraint use among birthing mothers in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate a hospital-based educational program to increase child safety restraint knowledge and use among birthing mothers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective experimental and control study was performed in the Obstetrics department of hospitals. A total of 216 new birthing mothers from two hospitals (114 from intervention hospital and 102 from comparison hospital) were recruited and enrolled in the study. Intervention mothers received a height chart, an 8-minute video and a folded pamphlet regarding child safety restraint use during their hospital stay after giving birth. Evaluation data on the child safety seat (CSS) awareness, attitudes, and use were collected among both groups before and after the intervention. An additional phone interview was conducted among the intervention mothers two months after discharge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No significant differences existed between groups when comparing demographics. Over 90% of the intervention mothers found the educational intervention to be helpful to some extent. A significantly higher percentage of mothers in the intervention than the comparison group reported that CSS are necessary and are the safest seating practice. Nearly 20% of the intervention mothers actually purchased CSS for their babies after the intervention. While in both the intervention and comparison group, over 80% of mothers identified the ages of two through five as needing CSS, fewer than 50% of both groups identified infants as needing CSS, even after the intervention.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicated that child safety restraint education implemented in hospitals helps increase birthing mothers' overall knowledge and use of CSS. Further efforts are needed to address specific age-related needs to promote car seats use among infants.
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China; Injury Prevention Research Center, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China.
authors.forename: Xiaojun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Injury Prevention Research Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jingzhen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Injury Prevention Research Center, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, United States of America.
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Peek-Asa
authors.affiliation: The Women and Children Hospital of Shantou, Shantou, China.
authors.forename: Kangwen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Injury Prevention Research Center, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China.
authors.forename: Xiangxiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China; Injury Prevention Research Center, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou, China.
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D057207:Child Restraint Systems; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D049590:Postpartum Period; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies