Assessing parental awareness and attitudes toward leaving children unattended inside locked cars and the risk of vehicular heat strokes

BACKGROUND: Vehicular heat stroke is considered as one of the preventable causes of non-crash, vehicle-related deaths among children. The prevalence of parents and caregivers leaving children unattended in enclosed vehicles is non-negligible. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to assess parents’ knowledge and beliefs about vehicular heat strokes among children in addition to the prevalence and associated factors of leaving children inside locked cars. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out at King Abdullah Specialist Children’s Hospital in Riyadh. Two hundred nine parents completed a self-administered questionnaire addressing vehicular heat strokes. RESULTS: Among the participants, 24.88% have left at least one of their children unattended inside locked cars during a sunny day; 78.85% of parents have heard about accidental deaths secondary to leaving children in locked vehicles. When assessing parental knowledge of increased sensitivity to heat in infants/children, 81.34% of them knew the correct information. Older age (P = .0150), less paternal education (P = .0157), and increased number of children (P = .0020) were associated with increased incidences of leaving children unattended in enclosed cars. CONCLUSION: Considering the high temperatures in the Gulf region, the prevalence of vehicular heat stroke secondary to locking children inside vehicles is nontrivial. Awareness programs for parents and caregivers are strongly encouraged.