Obese children in danger in cars because they don't fit safety seats

Apr 3 2006

According to new research many young children in the U.S. are in added danger in a car crash because obesity prevents them fitting into a child car safety seat.

The researchers say the increased numbers of obese children make it imperative that a child safety seat is developed that can protect children of all sizes and shapes.

According to the study a total of 283,305 children 1 to 6 years of age who are overweight do not fit into most child safety or booster seats available on the market and therefore are improperly restrained inside vehicles.

The vast majority of these children are 3 years of age and weigh 40 lb (18 kg).

For these children, there are currently only 4 child safety seat types available, each of which costs between $240 and $270 and with childhood obesity concentrated in low-income families, many might be deterred by such prices.

Figures show that motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. children, with more than 1.5 million involved in crashes each year.

It has been found that by properly restraining toddlers in car seats their risk of fatal injury is reduced by more than half.

National Health and Nutrition studies indicate that the rates of child obesity have almost tripled over the past 30 years; child obesity has been linked to heart disease and diabetes later in life.

As a rule forward-facing child safety seats are normally designed for children weighing up to 40 pounds (18 kg), while booster seats can accommodate children weighing up to 100 pounds (45 kg).

Older obese children may not fit into booster seats and many may not have reached the required height of 57 inches to allow them to use an adult seat belt.

Lead study author Lara B. Trifiletti, PhD, MAa, of the Children’s Research Institute, Center for Injury Research and Policy at Ohio State University in Columbus worked along with researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Center for Injury Research and Policy, Baltimore, Maryland for the study.

The team hope the results of their study can be used to influence future products brought to market while reductions in the childhood obesity epidemic are awaited.