Melinda Congiu

Factors associated with the premature graduation of children into seatbelts

This study investigated the factors associated with the premature graduation into seatbelts for Australian children aged 4-11 years. From 699 child restraint use questionnaires, 195 children were identified as meeting the booster seat height-weight criteria (height: 100-145 cm and weight: 14-26 kg). Of these children, 44% were correctly traveling in a booster seat, while 56% had been moved prematurely into a seatbelt. A multivariable logistic regression model showed that there were a number of key predictors associated with the premature graduation to seatbelts. For example, children who were moved prematurely into a seatbelt were more likely to be older, have other children travelling in the vehicle and have younger parents compared to children appropriately restrained in a booster seat. In addition, there was a significant interaction between vehicle type and parents household income. Based on the findings of this study, a number of recommendations are made for strategies to enhance appropriate restraint use for this age group, as well as for future research.

A privacy challenge to longitudinal study methods: patient-derived codes

Recent changes to privacy legislation in Australia have resulted in more stringent requirements with respect to maintaining the confdentiality of patient health information. We describe a method employed to de‐identify health information collected in a longitudinal study using codes. Using a patient‐derived code that did not change during the life of the study follow‐up resulted in errors in a quarter of the follow‐up surveys. This may introduce bias that could compromise the validity of the study. Alternative methods of coding may alleviate some of these issues. However, removal of some of the constraints imposed by interpretations of privacy legislation may be the best way forward.