OBJECTIVES: Because public health resources for injury prevention are limited, methods for comparing competing strategies are needed. We aimed to estimate potential injury reductions for 4 population-level interventions that target restraint practices for child car passengers aged 0 to 12 years. METHODS: Population-attributable risk fraction (PARF) is a population-level estimate of excess risk from exposure to a risk factor. PARFs were calculated for each intervention scenario by using published age-specific mortality/injury relative-risk estimates; restraint practices among injured child car passengers from police-collected data; and observational data for correctness of restraint use in New South Wales, Australia. PARF reductions were estimated for population uptakes of 25%, 50%, and 75%. RESULTS: Assuming a 50% population uptake, (1) promoting age-appropriate restraint use could prevent additional fatalities (5.1%, infants; 3.4%, 1- to 6-year-olds) and nonfatal injuries (3.2%, infants; 16.2%, 1- to 6-year-olds) compared with promoting any restraint use; (2) further encouraging correct age-appropriate restraint use could also prevent additional fatalities (9.1%, infants; 14.3%, 1- to 6-year-olds) and nonfatal injuries (9.2%, infants; 10.7%, 1- to 6-year-olds); and (3) for children aged 7 to 12 years, promoting correct use of restraints could prevent an additional 3.4% fatalities and 3.1% nonfatal injuries compared with promoting any restraint use. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that target child passenger-restraint practices offer population-level benefits in terms of reduction in fatalities and injuries. These tangible benefits call for action internationally, not only to promote restraint use but correct age-appropriate restraint use for child car passengers.
AD - the George Institute for International Health, University of Sydney, PO Box M201, Missenden Road, New South Wales 2050, Australia. wdu@george.org.au AN - 20064863 BT - Pediatrics ET - 2010/01/13 LA - eng M1 - 2 N1 - Du, WeiFinch, Caroline FHayen, AndrewBilston, LynneBrown, JulieHatfield, JulieResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tUnited StatesPediatricsPediatrics. 2010 Feb;125(2):304-12. Epub 2010 Jan 11. N2 -OBJECTIVES: Because public health resources for injury prevention are limited, methods for comparing competing strategies are needed. We aimed to estimate potential injury reductions for 4 population-level interventions that target restraint practices for child car passengers aged 0 to 12 years. METHODS: Population-attributable risk fraction (PARF) is a population-level estimate of excess risk from exposure to a risk factor. PARFs were calculated for each intervention scenario by using published age-specific mortality/injury relative-risk estimates; restraint practices among injured child car passengers from police-collected data; and observational data for correctness of restraint use in New South Wales, Australia. PARF reductions were estimated for population uptakes of 25%, 50%, and 75%. RESULTS: Assuming a 50% population uptake, (1) promoting age-appropriate restraint use could prevent additional fatalities (5.1%, infants; 3.4%, 1- to 6-year-olds) and nonfatal injuries (3.2%, infants; 16.2%, 1- to 6-year-olds) compared with promoting any restraint use; (2) further encouraging correct age-appropriate restraint use could also prevent additional fatalities (9.1%, infants; 14.3%, 1- to 6-year-olds) and nonfatal injuries (9.2%, infants; 10.7%, 1- to 6-year-olds); and (3) for children aged 7 to 12 years, promoting correct use of restraints could prevent an additional 3.4% fatalities and 3.1% nonfatal injuries compared with promoting any restraint use. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that target child passenger-restraint practices offer population-level benefits in terms of reduction in fatalities and injuries. These tangible benefits call for action internationally, not only to promote restraint use but correct age-appropriate restraint use for child car passengers.
PY - 2010 SN - 1098-4275 (Electronic)0031-4005 (Linking) SP - 304 EP - 12 T2 - Pediatrics TI - Relative benefits of population-level interventions targeting restraint-use in child car passengers VL - 125 ER -