Are mHealth Interventions to Improve Child Restraint System Installation of Value? A Mixed Methods Study of Parents

Childhood death from vehicle crashes and the delivery of information about proper child restraint systems (CRS) use continues to be a critical public health issue. Safe Seat, a sequential, mixed-methods study identified gaps in parental knowledge about and perceived challenges in the use of appropriate CRS and insights into the preferences of various technological approaches to deliver CRS education. Focus groups (eight groups with 21 participants) and a quantitative national survey (N = 1251) using MTurk were conducted. Although there were differences in the age, racial/ethnic background, and educational level between the focus group participants and the national sample, there was a great deal of consistency in the need for more timely and personalized information about CRS. The majority of parents did not utilize car seat check professionals although they expressed interest in and lack of knowledge about how to access these resources. Although there was some interest in an app that would be personalized and able to push just-in-time content (e.g., new guidelines, location and times of car seat checks), content that has sporadic relevance (e.g., initial installation) seemed more appropriate for a website. Stakeholder input is critical to guide the development and delivery of acceptable and useful child safety education

The Effects of Drugs and Alcohol on College Students

Background: College is a time of self-exploration and identity formation where many students steer away from parental guidance and turn towards their peers. During this time of development, college students engage in risky behaviors such as alcohol and drug consumption. The use of alcohol and drugs may result from curiosity, peer pressure, or as coping mechanisms in order to manage stress. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyze the ramifications alcohol and drugs have on the social and lifestyle behaviors among college students.Method: A retrospective review of 400 electronic health records, from college students enrolled in a state university from 2016-2017, were examined. The information collected focused on alcohol and both prescription and non-prescription drug use, specifically marijuana, stimulants, depressants, and narcotics.Results: Data collection is currently ongoing.Discussion: In response to the social, emotional, physical, and mental demands of college, students are more likely to use alcohol and drugs. Alcohol, marijuana, stimulants, depressants, and narcotics all serve a role in the management of these typical college stressors.Conclusion: College students participate in risky behaviors such as the use of alcohol and drugs. Substance and alcohol abuse was more prominent in times of stress, lack of sleep, social conformity, and to improve academic performance

Legislation coverage for child injury prevention in China

OBJECTIVE: To examine the extent to which effective interventions to prevent unintentional child injury are reflected in the laws and regulations of China. METHODS: We focused on the six common causes of fatal child injuries – drowning, road traffic injury, falls, poisoning, burns and suffocation. We investigated 27 interventions recommended by the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization or the European Child Safety Alliance. We searched China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Lawyee for Chinese legislations using keywords and synonyms for the 27 interventions. We reviewed the identified legislations for statements specifying the responsible implementation department. FINDINGS: Seven national laws, nine regulations of the State Council and 46 departmental regulations were found to relate to at least one of the interventions. Although seven of the 27 internationally recommended interventions were covered by Chinese laws, 10 were not covered by any current Chinese law or regulation. None of the interventions against drowning and falls that we investigated was covered by national laws. The implementation responsibilities for effective interventions were either not specified or were assigned to multiple governmental departments in 11 or 20 legislative documents, respectively. CONCLUSION: In Chinese laws and regulations, interventions proven to prevent major causes of unintentional child injuries are underrepresented and the associated implementation responsibilities are often poorly defined. China should include all such interventions in laws and regulations, and assign implementation responsibility for each to a single department of the national government