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Remote Coaching Lifts Proper Child Car Seat Use by Nearly 40 Points After 12 Months

Health system alerts paired with primary care coaching point to a clear path for broader adoption.

Overview

  • A randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open enrolled 474 parents of children aged at least 6 months and under 11 years, all nonadherent to guidelines at baseline.
  • The intervention combined tailored web content, periodic text messages, motivational counseling, and personalized feedback on photos submitted every four to six weeks.
  • Guideline adherence in the intervention group was 13 percentage points higher at six months than with usual education and nearly 40 percentage points higher at 12 months.
  • The greatest improvements occurred for children aged 3 to 10 years, while parents of children under 3 showed smaller gains that signal a need for targeted strategies.
  • Lurie Children's has deployed customized MyChart reminders with seat recommendations and safety resources, and the authors encourage primary care screening and referrals to community child passenger safety technicians.