@article{ref1,
title="Effects of increasing child restraint use in reducing occupant injuries among children aged 0-5 years in Japan",
journal="Traffic injury prevention",
year="2015",
author="Nakahara, Shinji and Ichikawa, Masao and Nakajima, Yukari",
volume="16",
number="1",
pages="55-61",
abstract="OBJECTIVES: In Japan, child restraint use among pre-school children started to increase before compulsory child restraint use for children aged 0-5 years was introduced by legislation in April 2000. This study determined the effects of increased child restraint use in reducing motor vehicle occupant injuries among children aged 0-5 years. <br><br>METHODS: We obtained monthly police data of child vehicle occupant injuries from 1990 to 2009. We calculated monthly ratios of morbidity rates per population of children aged 0-5 years to those of children aged 6-9 years. Time trends of the morbidity rate ratios were analyzed using a joinpoint regression model to determine whether there were trend changes in child occupant injuries and when they occurred if there were trend changes. <br><br>RESULTS: The morbidity rate ratios showed a slightly increasing trend of 0.03% per month (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.02% to 0.09%) until the change-point in December 1997 (95% CI, July 1996 to January 1999), which then changed to a decreasing trend of -0.14% per month (95% CI, -0.16 to -0.11), with an overall trend change of -0.17% (95% CI, -0.23 to -0.11). No change-point was identified in or around April 2000 when compulsory restraint use was introduced. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: The present study used comparative indicators relative to age groups that were not covered by the legislation, and showed that a decrease in trend of occupant morbidity among children aged 0-5 years started before the introduction of compulsory restraint use. This change probably reflects the pre-legislative voluntary increase in child restraint use.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1538-9588",
doi="10.1080/15389588.2014.897698",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15389588.2014.897698"
}