Results of Unintentional Injuries among Preschool Children Enrolled in Day-care Centers from Selected Villages around Gaborone, Botswana

Abstract

This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional study qualitative and quantitative designs to gather data through structured interviews, questionnaires over a certain period in time in the past (retrospective) and the present (concurrent), and then analyze the results. The study was undertaken in the selected villages around Gaborone Botswana, situated in the south of the country. Its final focus was to publish the research results from a research survey done on unintentional injuries among preschool children enrolled in day-care centers from selected villages around Gaborone, Botswana. The population consisted of 47-day care centers in the selected villages around Gaborone which are all situated in Mogoditshane/Thamaga Subdistrict. A sample of 45 care centers was drawn using Yamane formula. Data were then collected through auditing, structured interviews, and questionnaires. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program was used to analyze the data. The summary of the results of the current study show that: i) Males are more likely to get injured than females ii) Older children are more likely to sustain UI (iii) UI are sustained in the late afternoons iv) UI are more likely to be sustained in the early and late part of the week v) Season or term of study is not a factor of UI vi) Amount of time spent at school is a factor of UI (Davis, Godfrey & Rankin 2013).The findings indicate that there are factors that can have a negative influence on the occurrence of unintentional injuries in day care centers. It is suggested that a supportive teaching programme in the form of a workshop for service providers, teachers and parents should be designed, that will support the system of unintentional injury prevention program for preschool children in day care centers in order to prevent unintentional injuries in the selected villages around Gaborone, Botswana. Keywords: Contributing factors to unintentional injuries, Day care centers / pre-schools/ preprimary units, Interventions on unintentional injury prevention, Unintentional injuries, Unintentional injuries prevention, the Prevalence of unintentional injuries in childcare settings.