Overview

• A randomized clinical trial published in JAMA Network Open enrolled 474 parents of children aged at least 6 months and under 11 years, all nonadherent to guidelines at baseline.
• The intervention combined tailored web content, periodic text messages, motivational counseling, and personalized feedback on photos submitted every four to six weeks.
• Guideline adherence in the intervention group was 13 percentage points higher at six months than with usual education and nearly 40 percentage points higher at 12 months.
• The greatest improvements occurred for children aged 3 to 10 years, while parents of children under 3 showed smaller gains that signal a need for targeted strategies.
• Lurie Children's has deployed customized MyChart reminders with seat recommendations and safety resources, and the authors encourage primary care screening and referrals to community child passenger safety technicians.