Practice in child restraint system use among attendees of Well-baby clinics in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: The systematic use of child restraint system (CRS) while driving has been promoted by the WHO to improve road safety. OBJECTIVES: To assess the levels of practice in CRS use for children aged ≤5 years among mothers attending the Well-baby clinics and to explore the associated factors and attitudes. METHODS AND MATERIAL: A cross-sectional study was conducted among mothers visiting the Well-baby clinics at five primary health care centers in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, using a multistage stratified-cluster sampling. Practice in CRS was assessed by interviewing the participants regarding the availability of a CRS in their car, usage frequency for a child <5 years, and alternative child-sitting methods. Sociodemographic data, further road safety parameters, and attitudes were analyzed as independent factors of adequate practice using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Of the 192 included mothers, eight (4.2%) had a history of accident while driving with a child. Majority of the participants (62.5%) declared not having their cars equipped with a CRS and used inappropriate car-sitting methods. Of the 37.5% who had CRS in their cars, 27.1% declared using it always or frequently. Adequate practice in CRS was independently associated with mother’s age (OR = 0.91, P = 0.09), low (OR = 0.10, P = 0.001) and moderate family income (OR = 0.23, P = 0.012), and the belief that CRS is not essential while driving with children (0.32, P = 0.023). CONCLUSIONS: There is inadequate practice in child road safety among families attending the Well-baby clinics in Western Saudi Arabia, which is associated with several misconceptions and negative attitudes towards the utility of CRS.