Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess parental awareness, attitude, and knowledge towards child safety seat (CSS) in Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed through social media, involving 400 parents of children under 12 years of age. Data on parents’ demographics, living circumstances, car type, driving license, and knowledge, attitude, and practices related to children’s CSS were collected.
Results: In this cohort, 44% of the parents were in the 31-40 years age group, 55.3% of the participants were female, 70% had a university education, 83.3% were employed, 49.4% had 3-5 family members, 55% had a small car, and 79.8% had a driving license. The majority of participants (98.5%) were aware of CSS, 99.3% knew that the back seat was the appropriate place to install a child seat in the car, 98.2% used a seatbelt, and 73.8% used it for children. Of the parents, 85.8% had good knowledge regarding CCS, and 92.8% had a positive attitude; having a monthly income of >15,000 SR or owning a small car were independent predictors of good knowledge. CSS use was significantly higher among parents with a university education, higher income, having 3-5 family members, and those having a small car.
Conclusion: Despite promising parental awareness and attitude towards CSS in Saudi Arabia, there remain many gaps in the real-world practice and specific comprehension.

Key words: Parental, attitude, knowledge, car safety seats, Saudi Arabia