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Determining the Proportion of Children Too Heavy for Age-Appropriate Car Seats in a Practice-Based Research Network

South Carolina Pediatric Practice Research Network, the Division of General Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, bascob{at}musc.edu

Paul J. Hletko, MD

South Carolina Pediatric Practice Research Network, the Division of General Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Lynn West, MA

College of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Paul M. Darden, MD

South Carolina Pediatric Practice Research Network, the Division of General Pediatrics, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina

Introduction more information is needed on how trends in childhood weight might influence legally compliant child safety seat (CSS) use.

Objective to determine the proportion of child passengers who cannot comply with one state's CSS law because of weight.

Method 6 practices in a practice-based research network provided data on patient demographics, heights, and weights. The authors calculated percentages of children above age-appropriate CSS weight cutoffs (20, 40, and 80 pounds, respectively) for the cohort below 6 years.

Results there were 717 participants below 6 years of age. Among all infants (<12 months), 16.4% weighed >20 pounds. Among children 12 months to <6 years old, 20% weighed >40 pounds. One weighed >80 pounds. There were no significant differences among racial groups. There was wide variation among practices, but differences did not achieve statistical significance.

Conclusion many children in this diverse cohort were too heavy to be compliant with the state CSS law.

Key Words: child passenger safety • overweight • car seats

This version was published on January 1, 2009

Clinical Pediatrics, Vol. 48, No. 1, 37-43 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0009922808321676


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