Epidemiologic characteristics, knowledge and risk factors of unintentional burns in rural children in Zunyi, Southwest China.

Shangpeng Shi,Tao Wang,Xiang Zhou,Ya Luo,Xiuquan Shi,Ya Hui,Huajun Yang,Huiyun Xiang

doi:10.1038/srep35445

Shangpeng Shi, Tao Wang + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/srep35445

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Abstract

We investigated the knowledge level and risk factors for pediatric unintentional burns in rural Southwest China with an aim to provide basic evidence for the prevention strategies. A stratified sampling method was used to recruit 1842 rural children from 9 schools. Self-reported burns during the past 12 months and relevant risk factors were collected by questionnaires. The burn incidence of all surveyed children was 12.7% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 11.2–14.2%). We found that burn incidence had a trend to increase with the increasing school grade level and a trend to decrease with increasing knowledge scores on burns. The top two causes of burns were hot liquids (36.3%) and hot object (29.5%). More than 30% of children had little knowledge about preventive measures and how to give first-aid after burns. The main risk factors for burns included female gender, left-behind children by parents who were working in cities, and poor mother school education level. As the incidence of pediatric unintentional burns was high in rural southwest China, schools, families, and local public health agencies should put efforts into health education targeting burn prevention and first-aid measures after burns, particularly in “left-behind” children and those with mothers with poor education.

Highlights

Higher incidence in rural areas than in urban areas[13,14], while a few reported a higher incidence in urban areas[1,15]
Another study conducted in rural Zunyi, Southwest China focused on the assessment of knowledge and attitude improvement about unintentional injuries among school-aged children, but burns only accounted for a small part in this study[17]
Some risk factors for pediatric unintentional burns may be common in rural and urban children[13,14,15,18], while some factors might be unique to rural children

Summary

Introduction

Higher incidence in rural areas than in urban areas[13,14], while a few reported a higher incidence in urban areas[1,15]. Pediatric unintentional burns have become a common public health issue in China. In the past several decades, many studies have investigated pediatric burns in rural areas in China. Another study conducted in rural Zunyi, Southwest China focused on the assessment of knowledge and attitude improvement about unintentional injuries among school-aged children, but burns only accounted for a small part in this study[17]. Little work has focused on pediatric unintentional burns in low-income rural areas of China. This study was designed to investigate pediatric unintentional burns in a rural area of China. We described epidemiological characteristics of burns, identified risk factors, and assessed children’s prevention and first-aid knowledge with an aim to build evidence for future intervention programs to prevent unintentional burns in the rural pediatric population in China

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Results

Conclusion