Investigating Parents’ Attitudes towards the Use of Child Restraint Systems by Comparing Non-Users and User Parents

Abstract

In developing countries, there are no laws to enforce child safety seat use, so there is still a very low rate of use. This study aimed to understand parents’ attitudes toward CRS use based on the health belief model (HBM) theory. To find realistic policies encouraging the use of CRSs, the model was split into two sub-models: a group of parents using a CRS (CRS user) and a group of parents not using a CRS (CRS non-user). Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), structural equation modeling (SEM), and measurement invariance (MI) to test the differences between the two parent groups, the CFA results indicated that there were six constructs based on the HBM. According to the individual models of SEM, in the CRS non-user model, no significant latent construct was found to affect the use of CRSs, whereas in the CRS user model, the perceived severity and the cues to action were significant for using a CRS (p < 0.05). The MI results indicated that the attitudes of the two parent groups were different. The recommendations for policies obtained from the study results include promotion aimed toward increasing safety awareness, public relations regarding CRS usefulness, and pricing strategies from the government sector.