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Prevalence of rear seat belt use among pregnant women in a suburban area of Japan
Author(s) -
Ogawa Shota,
Shinozaki Hiromitsu,
Hayashi Kunihiko,
Itoh Masahiro,
Soda Masayuki,
Kameda Takashi,
Ozawa Kiyoshi,
Yokota Hidemi,
Kamioka Kiyoshi,
Minegishi Takashi
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of obstetrics and gynaecology research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.597
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1447-0756
pISSN - 1341-8076
DOI - 10.1111/jog.13468
Subject(s) - seat belt , medicine , pregnancy , engineering , biology , automotive engineering , genetics
Aim The aim of this study was to clarify the prevalence and influencing factors of rear seat belt use among pregnant women. Methods Questionnaires were given to 1546 pregnant women who visited obstetrics clinics and hospitals for prenatal checkups from October to December 2013. A total of 1494 pregnant women (96.6%) agreed to participate in this study and completed the questionnaire. Results Fewer than 20% of the rear‐seat passengers ‘always’ used seat belts before and during pregnancy, whereas a third ‘never’ used a seat belt before or during pregnancy. There was no significant decrease in seat belt use by rear‐seat passengers during compared to before pregnancy. Multivariate analysis revealed that age, knowledge of how to use a seat belt during pregnancy, belief in the compulsory use of a rear seat belt and driver behavioral characteristics before pregnancy were associated with rear seat belt use during pregnancy. Conclusions The prevalence of fastening seat belts was substantially low. The provision of information regarding proper seat belt use and its role in protecting the fetus may increase use.