Infant safety seat use. Reaching the hard to reach

P. J. Hletko, S. S. Robin, J. D. Hletko and M. Stone
Borgess Pediatric Center, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo.

We crafted an interactive video infant safety seat (ISS) education program for presentation to postpartum mothers. This program was designed to reach all socioeconomic groups with the message that consistent, correct ISS use is important. The program was further designed to be physically portable, versatile, and affordable and to narrow previously observed differences in correct ISS use between groups of high and low socioeconomic status exposed to the same educational message. Observed ISS use at an examination after four months confirmed the utility of this program in meeting the experimental goals. While also reaching other program goals, the interactive video program (64.6% correct use) was found to be at least as effective as a control education program (63.9% correct use).