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Can Age or Height Define Appropriate Thresholds for Transition to Adult Seat Belts? An Analysis of Observed Seat Belt Fit in Children Aged 7–12 Years

Anvay Parab, Tom Whyte, Bianca Albanese, Lynne Bilston, Sjaan Koppel, Judith L. Charlton, Jake Olivier, Lisa Keay and Julie Brown
Additional contact information
Anvay Parab: Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney 2031, Australia
Tom Whyte: Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney 2031, Australia
Bianca Albanese: Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney 2031, Australia
Lynne Bilston: Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney 2031, Australia
Sjaan Koppel: Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
Judith L. Charlton: Monash University Accident Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne 3800, Australia
Jake Olivier: School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia
Lisa Keay: The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2042, Australia
Julie Brown: Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney 2031, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-12

Abstract: This study aimed to investigate associations between demographic, anthropometric and vehicle factors and the fit of adult seat belts in children aged 7–12 years in passenger vehicles. Seat belt fit was assessed by inspection of 7–12-year-old children in their own cars. Logistic regressions examined associations between anthropometric and vehicle factors on achieving good seat belt fit. There were 40 participants included in the analysis, with 16 (40%) having good overall belt fit. The odds of achieving good overall seat belt fit increased by 15% (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.04–1.27) with every centimeter increase in height and increased by 5% with every one-month increase in age (OR 1.045, 95% CI 1.001–1.10). Controlling for vehicle factors, neither age or height was significantly associated with overall good belt fit, and the discriminatory power of models including these metrics to predict good belt fit was 73% (AUC 0.73, 95% CI 0.55–0.91) and 74% (AUC 0.74, 95% CI 0.58–0.91). The results suggest that taller and older children have a better chance of achieving a good seat belt fit. However, with variations in seat geometry between vehicles, no single simple metric clearly defines an appropriate transition to the adult seat belt.

Keywords: child occupant; seat belt fit; transition; anthropometry; vehicle geometry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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