NHTSA - People Saving People - www.nhtsa.dot.gov
King County
United States Department of Transportation - www.dot.gov
Contents

Introduction

Promoting Booster Seat Use

Know the Facts About Booster Seats

Learn From Others — Challenges and Lessons Learned

Reach Out to All Populations

State and National Resources

Additional Reading

Appendix A

Appendix B

Exhibits (Booster Seat Demonstration Projects)
  •  
    		•  Booster Seat Promotion Program, Nassau County, New York
  •  
    		•  "Give Kids a Boost" Campaign, Phoenix, Arizona
  •  
    		•  Booster Seat Education Program—"Alex Gets a Boost Before Blast Off," Houston, Texas
  •  
    		•  Protecting Older Child Passengers—Rural, Bismarck, North Dakota
  •  
    		•  Promoting the Use of Booster Seats Among Young Families in King County, Washington


    Promoting the Use of Booster Seats Among Young Families
    King County, Washington*

    Project Type: Multifaceted community education campaign

    State Law at Time of Project Implementation: Legislation was signed on March, 28, 2000, to make booster seat use for children younger than 6 years of age or weighing up to 60 pounds a State law, effective July 1, 2002. Violation of the law is treated as a traffic infraction, with provisions for primary enforcement. (During the conduct of the this project, Washington had a secondary law for safety belt use enforcement. It has since been changed.)

    Purpose: To conduct a communitywide outreach and education program to increase booster seat use.

    Primary Audience(s): Parents of young children and health- and education-related professionals

    Project Reach: Four communities in King County, Washington

    Project Description: This project used a community-based integrated marketing and communications approach to increase knowledge and raise awareness of the importance of booster seats. Fundamental to this approach was the communication of messages about booster seat use to parents through public service advertising and in individual discussions with healthcare professionals, childcare providers, other educators, and other community members. The availability of discount coupons for the purchase of booster seats was a critical component to increasing booster seat use.

    OK--Approved for a Booster SeatKey Project Elements: Though listed sequentially, implementation of these elements occurred at different times throughout the project:

    • Data collection to obtain baseline and followup measures of booster seat use in King County and in two control communities.
    • Coalition building with community groups and parents, health professionals, community outreach workers, law enforcement, and educators to form a community coalition and parent advisory group.
    • Outreach to and education of intermediaries who could help promote booster seat use, including health professionals, public school educators, and childcare professionals.
    • Focus group research to identify reasons for nonuse and to test messages.
    • A multimedia public awareness and information campaign, including public service advertising and collateral materials. (The project brochure was translated into eight languages.)
    • Development and maintenance of a booster seat web site.
    • Establishment and maintenance of a booster seat hotline.
    • Community child safety seat/booster seat check clinics.
    • Training classes on correct use of child safety seats and booster seats.
    • Discount coupons for the purchase of booster seats. (State Farm Insurance company donated the printing for 90,000 coupons.)
    • Collaboration with Ford's Boost America! program to obtain free booster seats for low-income families.

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    Future Booster User--Car Seat NowQualitative Research Findings

    Thirty parents participated in focus group research to identify factors that influenced their use of booster seats and would encourage them to use them. The research also sought to identify community members who were perceived as credible sources of information. This information was used for the development of campaign and outreach materials and their distribution. Key findings included the following:

    Factors that influenced parents' use (or lack of use) of booster seats

    Thought that car seats were safer than booster seats
    Had inaccurate understanding of weight and age guidelines for safety belt use
    Had inconsistent information about booster seat use
    Thought that a lap belt was safe and adequate

    Factors that prevented parents from placing children in booster seats

    Booster seats cost too much.
    Pre-1990 cars do not have lap-shoulder belts in rear seats.

    Factors that might encourage booster seat use

    State law requiring use
    Cooperation from their child (kids viewing booster seats as "big kid seats")
    Credible source(s) of information
    Physician's/doctor's offices were viewed as the best source of information.

    Growing Up--Buckled Up Project Evaluation Methods: The project team used process measures (number of coupons distributed/redeemed, number of booster seat training sessions, etc.) to document the reach and level of participation in all aspects of the project. They used pre- and post-intervention observations of booster seat use to measure the effectiveness of the program.

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    Key Programmatic Findings and Lessons Learned

    • A community coalition can be formed around booster seats.
    • Key elements of a campaign are the availability of a discount coupon for booster seats and the use of multiple venues to get the message out.
    • Parents who place their children in booster seats are motivated primarily by safety.
    • Parents who do not use booster seats believe incorrectly that their child is big enough to be safely restrained with a safety belt.
    • Booster seat campaigns should clearly state age and weight requirements.

    *For more details about this project, see JAMA, 2003, Vol. 289. No.7.

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