Lara Trifiletti, lead researcher at Columbus Children's Research Institute, poses near a child car seat that fits overweight children. (Kiichiro Sato/Associated Press)
U.S. kids getting too bulky for car seats
Last Updated Mon, 03 Apr 2006 11:38:27 EDT
CBC News
Thousands of obese American toddlers are too fat to be properly protected by their car-safety seats in a crash, a new study suggests.
The research concludes that at least 283,000 U.S. children aged one to six are too heavy for standards seats, including booster seats commonly used for children aged four and up.
The study appears in the April issue of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. It does not deal with obesity rates in Canada or elsewhere.
It says the problem is most noticeable among youngsters who exceed the weight limit for seats with built-in harnesses rated at up to 40 pounds (18 kilograms).
An estimated 182,000 three-year-old children in the U.S. fall into that category.
The danger is that the momentum of a crash could overpower the harness, allowing the child to spring free from the seat's restraining belt.
Lead author Lara Trifiletti said researchers at a Baltimore safety centre got interested in the topic because they saw children "who were very obese and our car-seat technicians were having a hard time finding car seats to fit them," the Associated Press reported.
Responding to the demand for larger seats, manufacturers are now producing super-sized versions priced at $240 US and up, news services reported.
4 comments:
I know, this whole fat kid thing pisses me off. I want to go punch the kid's parents. TLC is starting this new show called "Honey we're killing the kids" -- "Using state-of-the-art computer imaging and certified assessments based on measurements and statistics, Dr. Hark first gives Mom and Dad a frightening look at the possible future faces of their children – and a dramatic reality check."
Basically, it shows parents what fat slobs their kids will be as adults. And, they warn against diabetes, which is a huge problem for kids today.
UGH!
I thought jenn finally posted her pic. It was only after I read the post (after being on the page for 15 minutes) that I realized it wasnt jenn.
Hate to break it to you Y, but it's very unlikely that I'll ever post a pic of my face on this site.
Ok, I changed my mind, here you go, Yrautca, I put a picture of myself on my blog for HNT.
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