Safety Stop: Child Passenger Safety Education

An Evidence-Based Practice

Description

St. Louis Children's Hospital seeks to prevent motor vehicle injury and death by offering education and safety products in its hospital safety center, Safety Stop. In 2012, 68% of St. Louis Children's Hospital Safety Stop guests arrived with a child safety seat installed incorrectly in their vehicle. Safety Stop offers free education about child passenger safety and how to properly restrain their child in a child safety seat. Education is provided by Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. Parents and caregivers call to make an appointment or stop by during hours of operation. For help with child safety seats, the child must be present to ensure an accurate fit. In addition to education, safety products such as child safety seats, helmets, and home safety products are available at a reduced cost. St. Louis Children's Hospital Safety Stop has satellite locations in St. Louis and St. Charles Counties.

Goal / Mission

The mission of Safety Stop is to increase the number of children who are properly secured in safety seats during trips made in a vehicle by educating parents and caregivers participating in Safety Stop car seat fittings and consultations.

Impact

Safety Stop increased mean scores on child safety seat knowledge by 5% (p < 0.01) among participating parents and caregivers.

Results / Accomplishments

When parents and caregivers arrive at Safety Stop for a car seat consultation, they are asked to complete a short pretest to test knowledge of child safety seat practice. The pretest shows pictures of children properly and improperly installed in child safety seats. Parents and caregivers are asked to identify if children are properly installed. All registrants of Safety Stop who have email addresses are sent a post-test via SurveyMonkey.com two to four-weeks after their appointment. From September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013, 1,432 received car seat instruction from Safety Stop. During this time, 366 parents and caregivers took a pretest and 234 parents and caregivers took a posttest about their knowledge of child passenger safety specific to their child's safety seat. Mean scores were compared using an independent samples t-test. The average total score on pretest was 72% and the average total score on posttest was 77%. The mean increase in knowledge was 5% (95% CI: 1.2% - 8.5%, p < 0.01). These results show that St. Louis Children's Hospital Safety Stop is improving knowledge about child passenger safety among parents and caregivers. Safety Stop has been presented to a national audience as a promising practice in the National Lifesavers Conference 2013 and Kidz In Motion Conference in 2012 and 2013.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
St. Louis Children's Hospital
Primary Contact
Carolyn Schainker
314.454.5437
Topics
Health / Children's Health
Health / Prevention & Safety
Community / Public Safety
Organization(s)
St. Louis Children's Hospital
Date of implementation
3/1/2007
Geographic Type
Urban
Location
St. Louis, MO
For more details
Target Audience
Children, Adults, Families
Additional Audience
Parents/Guardians
Submitted By
Catherine Rains, Barnes-Jewish Hospital