Classroom Booster Seat Intervention
Beth Bruce PhD
Dalhousie University
Purpose: The leading cause of death among Canadian children is motor vehicle crashes. School
aged children in Canada are ten times more likely than any other age group to experience death
or severe injury in road crashes. Misuse of safety seats and lack of booster seat use are often
the reason for these high rates of automobile death and injury. This pilot study measured the
impact of providing a booster seat restraint intervention in the classroom targeting school-aged
children.
Methods: Three classes (one each of grade 1, 2, 3) from two elementary schools participated,
one as the intervention school and one as a control school. For the intervention group, a
certified car seat specialist and a police officer held an interactive session in the classroom with
the children emphasizing the importance and benefits of correct and consistent use of a
booster seat. The children’s height was measured and they were given a certificate indicating
whether they met the requirements for booster seat or seatbelt use. A post-card with car seat
restraint specifications was given to each child. Self reported and observation of booster seat
use in the school yard pre- and post-intervention was collected at both intervention and
control schools.
Results: Findings from parking lot observation showed a significant decline in booster seat use
at the control school, x2 = 5.58, p = .000 while at the intervention schools, booster seat use
remained stable, x2 = .506, p = .47. The classroom self-reports of booster seat use decreased at
the control school, x2 = 1.38, p = .000 whereas at the intervention school, an increase in booster
seat use was reported, x2 = 1.80, p = .01.
Conclusion: Classroom booster seat sessions were easy to conduct, tools easy to use and well
received by elementary school children and their teachers. Booster seat classroom sessions
have potential to positively influence booster seat use among 6-9 year olds.
Dear Partners,
We are pleased to let you know about a new website that we believe will be exceptionally
useful if you implement car seat and booster seat initiatives in your community. The site is
http://carsafetyandkids.ca/ and it provides a toolkit of evidence-based resources to:
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Help create a broader awareness of the benefits of proper car seat and booster seat use
Encourage correct and consistent child passenger restraint use as the socially expected
norm
Enhance police enforcement of child passenger safety laws in your own communities
The Car Safety and Kids Toolkit contains useful and adaptable resources
for parents, teachers, law enforcement officers, health professionals, and community
agencies, as well as a compilation of recent research concerning child passenger safety. We
encourage you to explore this site and use the resources provided.
The creators of this site are also interested in learning about your experience using it and the
tools provided. Please take 5 minutes to fill out a brief survey,
https://www.sickkids.ca/surveydotnet/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=n42Ml55, to tell them what
you think. Your valuable feedback will help them improve the site. For any questions about the
website or this survey, please contact Dr. Melanie Barwick (melanie.barwick@sickkids.ca). The
survey will be open from October 2nd to November 30th 2012. We hope you will share your
feedback!
Thank you,
Pam Fuselli