Parental practice of child car safety in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria

• Published in: Pediatric health, medicine and therapeutics medicine and therapeutics, 2016-01, Vol.7, p.141-148
• Main Authors: Ndu, K I, Ekwochi, U, Osuorah, D C, Ifediora, O C, Amadi, F O, Asinobi, I N, Okenwa, O W, Orjioke, J C, Ogbuka, F N, Ulasi, T O
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis; Automobile safety; Automotive safety; Car restraints; Car safety; Child care; Child restraints; Children; Enugu; Fatalities; Management; Original Research; Parenting; Seat belts; Traffic accidents & safety; Vehicles
• ISSN: 1179-9927; 1179-9927
• DOI: 10.2147/PHMT.S115842

Child safety restraints and seat belts are regarded as the most successful safety and cost-effective protective devices available to vehicle occupants, which have saved millions of lives. This cross-sectional descriptive study evaluated the practice and use of child car restraints (CCRs) among 458 purposively selected respondents resident in two local government areas in Enugu State, Nigeria. Self-administered questionnaires were sent to parents of children attending private schools who owned a car. Chi-square and multivariate analyses were used to assess the determinants of the use of car restraints in children among respondents. In all, 56% and 45% of adults and children, respectively, used car restraints regularly. The awareness of child safety laws and actual use of age-appropriate CCRs among respondents was negatively and weakly correlated ( =-0.121, =0.310). Only respondent's use of seat belt during driving ( =0.001) and having being cautioned for non-use of CCRs ( =0.005) maintained significance as determinants of the use of CCRs in cars on multivariate analysis. The most frequent reasons given for the non-use of CCRs included the child being uncomfortable, 64 (31%); restraints not being important, 53 (26%), and restraints being too expensive, 32 (15%). Similarly, for irregular users, exceptions for non-use included the child being asleep (29%), inadequate number of CCRs (22%), and the child being sick (18%). There is a need for a strategy change to enforce the use of CCRs in Nigeria.