Booster seat use by children aged 4-11 years: evidence of the need to revise current Australasian standards to accommodate overweight children.

Objective: To examine the relationship between child weight and vehicle booster seat usage in the context of current Australasian booster seat standards.

Design, Setting And Participants: Questionnaire survey conducted between February and April 2005. A convenience sample of parents with children aged 4-11 years in New South Wales and Victoria completed a questionnaire, reporting on the height and weight of their children and the nature of restraint devices used in the family vehicle.

Main Outcome Measures: Proportion of children meeting standard-specified weight and height criteria who are not restrained in booster seats; proportion of children who meet the specified height criteria but whose weight exceeds the specified weight.

Results: 699 of 3959 questionnaires were returned (response rate, 18%), of which seven lacked essential details. The remaining 692 responses provided information on 1500 children. Of these children, 633 aged 4-11 years fell within the recommended height range for using booster seats, but only 29% were typically restrained in booster seats, the majority (70%) being restrained in normal seatbelts. A key finding was that 37% of the children who met the recommended height criteria exceeded the maximum weight for booster seats stipulated by the current Australasian safety standard.

Conclusion: In view of increasing rates of overweight and obesity in children, it is important to reassess current Australasian standards for child restraints in vehicles. A concerted parental education campaign is also needed to raise awareness of which restraint types are appropriate for children of various heights and weights.