Shoulder Height Labeling of Child Restraints to Minimize Premature Graduation

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that parents and caregivers would make better judgments about child restraint fit if shoulder height labeling was used to communicate appropriate child restraint transition times. METHODS: Participants were recruited at a shopping center in New South Wales, Australia, and were observed choosing restraints, with and without shoulder height labels indicating appropriate restraint fit, for each of 2 test mannequins (representing a 3-year-old child and a 5-year-old child). Demographic and child restraint use experience data also were collected. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine associations between labeling condition and participant's judgment of restraint appropriateness. RESULTS: Participants (N = 86) made significantly fewer errors in judging restraint appropriateness for the test mannequins when the restraints included shoulder height labels (P < .001). Depending on label format, the odds that a participant would always make the correct decision were 5.2 (95% confidence interval: 2.7–9.8) to 3.7 (95% confidence interval: 2.0–6.9) times greater when shoulder height labels were included than when they were not. CONCLUSION: The use of shoulder height labels on child safety seats and booster seats is an effective means of communicating child restraint fit to parents and caregivers.