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EDITOR---Rory Watson in his news roundup (1) focused on childhood
injuries, the cost to society and the cost in lives, but also the fact how
little it takes to prevent, if there is a political will.
We have recently conducted a survey of seven hundred and five Jewish
families with at least one child at home younger than 15 year old (a total
of 1,345 children) as a randomized sample of stratification of the Jewish
population who resided in cities and towns with more than 20,000
inhabitants (2).
We found (2) that the level of parental knowledge regarding
restraining children in cars and their alleged behavior was a major public
health concern. It seems that too many parents lack the knowledge that a
baby up to one year of age should be restrained in the back seat and
facing back. Many parents do not know that a safety belt without a booster
seat is not safe enough for children aged 4 to 10 years. The parents are
therefore exposing their children to unnecessary risks without even
knowing about it. Children in the greatest risk were from families of low
socioeconomic status, as poor knowledge about car safety and inappropriate
behavior are related to poverty and parental level of education.
Educating parents about car safety should focus on the recommended
positioning of children in the car, on the appropriate facing of the child
and the age-appropriate restraining device with age 4 years as the right
time to change from baby seat to a booster seat. Non adherence to this
recommendation is endangering the child as the car baby seat is too small
to restrain a toddler.
The target population for education about car safety for children is
the parents and parents with babies should be aimed in particular. Babies
are completely passive in regard to safe behavior and thus totally
depending on their parents' behavior. Should a car accident happen, while
they are not properly restrained they are at greater risk to encounter a
head injury, secondary to their size and elevated center of gravity.
Legislation on car safety and low enforcement should supplement other
modes of intervention. Only a combined action over an extended period of
time can make the necessary change in parental behavior. The effect of
such educational programs should be reflected in the reduction of car
related injuries for children, since it should be possible to reach a
higher level of preventable childhood injury.
AFFILIATION
Jacob Urkin, MD, MPH, is a primary pediatrician and also director of
the Pediatric Primary Care Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. E-mail: jacobur@clalit.org.il
Michal Hemmo-Lotem, MD, a pediatrician established Beterem-The
National Center for Children’s Health and Safety in Israel and currently
the director (CEO). She is also lecturer at the School of Public Health,
Haifa University. E-mail: mhemmo@beterem.org Website: http://www.beterem.org/Pages/english.asp
Liri Endy-Findling, MPH is the Director of the Department of
Research, Development and Policy at Beterem-the National Center for
Children’s Health and Safety, Israel. E-mail: liri@beterem.org.il
Joav Merrick, MD, DMSc is professor of child health and human
development, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development and the medical director of the Division for Mental
Retardation, Ministry of Social Affairs, Jerusalem, Israel.
E-mail: jmerrick@internet-zahav.net. Website: www.nichd-israel.com
REFERENCES
1. Watson R. EU is urged to reduce injuries to children. BMJ
2005;331:1163.
2. Hemmo-Lotem M, Urkin J, Endy-Findling L, Merrick J. Parental
knowledge on car safety for children: An Israeli survey. Accepted by
ScientificWorldJournal
Safety for children. Possible to prevent if political will
EDITOR---Rory Watson in his news roundup (1) focused on childhood
injuries, the cost to society and the cost in lives, but also the fact how
little it takes to prevent, if there is a political will.
We have recently conducted a survey of seven hundred and five Jewish
families with at least one child at home younger than 15 year old (a total
of 1,345 children) as a randomized sample of stratification of the Jewish
population who resided in cities and towns with more than 20,000
inhabitants (2).
We found (2) that the level of parental knowledge regarding
restraining children in cars and their alleged behavior was a major public
health concern. It seems that too many parents lack the knowledge that a
baby up to one year of age should be restrained in the back seat and
facing back. Many parents do not know that a safety belt without a booster
seat is not safe enough for children aged 4 to 10 years. The parents are
therefore exposing their children to unnecessary risks without even
knowing about it. Children in the greatest risk were from families of low
socioeconomic status, as poor knowledge about car safety and inappropriate
behavior are related to poverty and parental level of education.
Educating parents about car safety should focus on the recommended
positioning of children in the car, on the appropriate facing of the child
and the age-appropriate restraining device with age 4 years as the right
time to change from baby seat to a booster seat. Non adherence to this
recommendation is endangering the child as the car baby seat is too small
to restrain a toddler.
The target population for education about car safety for children is
the parents and parents with babies should be aimed in particular. Babies
are completely passive in regard to safe behavior and thus totally
depending on their parents' behavior. Should a car accident happen, while
they are not properly restrained they are at greater risk to encounter a
head injury, secondary to their size and elevated center of gravity.
Legislation on car safety and low enforcement should supplement other
modes of intervention. Only a combined action over an extended period of
time can make the necessary change in parental behavior. The effect of
such educational programs should be reflected in the reduction of car
related injuries for children, since it should be possible to reach a
higher level of preventable childhood injury.
AFFILIATION
Jacob Urkin, MD, MPH, is a primary pediatrician and also director of
the Pediatric Primary Care Unit, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion
University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel. E-mail: jacobur@clalit.org.il
Michal Hemmo-Lotem, MD, a pediatrician established Beterem-The
National Center for Children’s Health and Safety in Israel and currently
the director (CEO). She is also lecturer at the School of Public Health,
Haifa University. E-mail: mhemmo@beterem.org Website:
http://www.beterem.org/Pages/english.asp
Liri Endy-Findling, MPH is the Director of the Department of
Research, Development and Policy at Beterem-the National Center for
Children’s Health and Safety, Israel. E-mail: liri@beterem.org.il
Joav Merrick, MD, DMSc is professor of child health and human
development, director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development and the medical director of the Division for Mental
Retardation, Ministry of Social Affairs, Jerusalem, Israel.
E-mail: jmerrick@internet-zahav.net. Website: www.nichd-israel.com
REFERENCES
1. Watson R. EU is urged to reduce injuries to children. BMJ
2005;331:1163.
2. Hemmo-Lotem M, Urkin J, Endy-Findling L, Merrick J. Parental
knowledge on car safety for children: An Israeli survey. Accepted by
ScientificWorldJournal
(http://www.thescientificworld.com/SCIENTIFICWORLDJOURNAL/main/TSWJHomePa...)
Competing interests:
None declared
Competing interests: No competing interests