Caregiver worry and injury hazards in the daily lives of Ugandan children

Lindsay Stager ,Marissa Swanson,Emma Hahn ,David C Schwebel

doi:10.5249/jivr.v13i1.1515

Lindsay Stager , Marissa Swanson + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5249/jivr.v13i1.1515

Copy DOI

Abstract

:Background:Over 95% of unintentional injury-related childhood deaths globally occur in low- and middle-income countries, such as Uganda. Risks for injury in settings like rural Uganda are vastly understudied despite differing patterns of child injury risk. The present study investigated the prevalence and type of hazards in children’s environments in rural Uganda, as well as the relationship between hazard exposure and parent attitudes and perceptions regarding unintentional injury.Methods:Our sample included 152 primary caregivers in Eastern Rural Uganda who had children in either 1st or 6th grade. All parents/guardians completed caregiver surveys following verbal instructions. Surveys assessed demographic information, child hazard exposure, and parent beliefs regarding child injury. Results:Almost all parents (98.5%) reported daily exposure for their children to at least one of the hazards assessed. Caregiver's perceived likelihood of child injury was positively related to hazard exposure (r = .21, p less than .05). This relationship remained significant when controlling for family demographics, child grade level, and child injury history (F (7, 126) = 2.25, p less than .05).Conclusions:Our results suggest that Ugandan parents are aware of the risks of children’s exposure to hazards, but may lack the tools to address it. Development of injury prevention interventions focusing on behavioral change techniques may help reduce childhood injury and injury-related deaths in Uganda.

Highlights

Based on underlying theory from the Health Belief Model,[10] we hypothesized that higher levels of caregiver worry about injury, higher caregiver perceived likelihood of child injury, and a positive history of recent injuries among their children would be related to lower levels of hazard exposure
We found that caregivers who expressed greater perceived greater likelihood of injury to their children had children with higher exposure to hazards
While Ugandan parents may be aware of the potential harm from hazards in their children’s environments, they may require support and resources to address those concerns

Summary

Introduction

Childhood injury presents substantial risk to children in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs) as over 95% of all global unintentional injury-related childhood deaths occur in LMICs.[1] In Uganda, a child under the age of 10 is estimated to have over 1.5 times the risk of an injury-related death compared to a child the same age in the United States.[2] Overall, the Demographic Health Survey 2016 reported that 899 Ugandan children under the age of 15 experienced a serious unintentional injury in 2016.

Methods

Results

Conclusion