Few follow car safety guidelines for kids

Health

more>>

Diet soda habit as bad for teeth as meth addiction

Heavy consumption of diet soda can damage teeth as badly as methamphetamine or crack cocaine, a new study contends.

U.S. teen birth rate plummets

Teen birth rates in the United States are dropping sharply, especially among Hispanic teens, according to a new government report.

Too few kids use fast-food calorie info

Kids who eat fast food at least twice a week are 50 percent less likely to use calorie and nutritional information than kids who eat fast food less often.

American Cancer Society celebrates 100 years of progress

The American Cancer Society, which is celebrating on Wednesday a century of fighting a disease once viewed as a death sentence, is making a pledge to put itself out of business.

Simple steps can protect pets in weather disasters

In the aftermath of this week's deadly tornado, many people in Oklahoma are not only struggling to care for children and relatives, but also their pets.

More kids getting donor organs, but gaps persist

Over the last decade, the number of American children who die each year awaiting an organ donation dropped by more than half, new research reveals. And increasing numbers of children are receiving donor organs.

Americans still making unhealthy choices

The overall health of Americans isn't improving much, with about six in 10 people either overweight or obese and large numbers engaging in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, heavy drinking or not exercising.

Weather worries can threaten a child's mental health

The monstrous tornado that devastated Moore, Okla., on Monday, killing dozens of adults and children, is a stunning example of violent weather that can affect a child's mental well-being.

Student suicide may spur similar thoughts in teens

When a classmate commits suicide, teens are more likely to consider or attempt suicide themselves, according to a new study.

Sleepless nights may hurt school performance of kids with asthma

Urban elementary school children with poorly controlled asthma are likely to experience sleep problems and suffer academically, new research indicates.

TUESDAY, Aug. 7 (HealthDay News) -- Many American children are not meeting recommended car passenger safety guidelines for their age group, a new study finds.

Too many of these youngsters are also riding in the front seat before they're ready, putting them at greater risk on the road, according to research published in the September issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"The most important finding from this study is that, while age and racial disparities exist, overall few children are using the restraints recommended for their age group, and many children over 5 are sitting in the front seat," study co-author Dr. Michelle Macy, with the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, said in a journal news release.

The American Academy of Pediatrics issued new guidelines on child passenger safety in 2011.

The AAP advised that children be placed in rear-facing car seats until they are at least 2 years old. Next, children should use forward-facing car seats with a five-point harness until they reach the maximum height and weight requirement recommended by the seat's manufacturer.

Children should continue to use a booster seat until they are about 57 inches tall (the average height of an 11-year-old child) and an adult seat belt fits them properly. Children under 13 years old should ride in the back seat, the AAP said.

For the new study, the investigators examined information on nearly 21,500 children from the U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration National Survey on the Use of Booster Seats.

Data collectors observed drivers with child passengers as they drove into gas stations, fast-food restaurants, recreation centers and child care facilities. They recorded the type of restraints being used by the children, where the children sat and if the children were boys or girls. They also noted the type of restraints used by the adults and the type of car they were driving.

The researchers also interviewed the drivers to learn their age as well as the ages of all the children riding in the car. The drivers also gave the race and ethnicity of the child passengers.

As children got older, they were less likely to be restrained in cars and follow recommended car safety guidelines.

"We found that few children remain rear-facing after age 1, fewer than 2 percent use a booster seat after age 7, many over age 6 sit in the front seat," Macy said.

Hispanic and black children were even less likely to use age-appropriate restraints than white children.

"Our findings demonstrate that not all children have been reached equally by community-based public education campaigns and the passage of child safety seat laws in 48 states," Macy said. "Further development and dissemination of culturally specific programs that have demonstrated success in promoting restraint use among minority children are necessary. Further, the findings may also help in developing strategies to lower the racial and ethnic disparities seen in children experiencing crash-related injuries."

More information

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has more about children and car safety.

*DISCLAIMER*: The information contained in or provided through this site section is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional advice. Use of this site section and any information contained on or provided through this site section is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site section is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties.