Unintentional Home Injuries Research Articles

Home injuries in British Columbia: patterns across the deprivation spectrum

The significant burden of home injuries has become a growing concern that affect thousands of people every year across Canada. This study examined the relationship between neighbourhood deprivation and unintentional injuries occurring at home leading to hospitalizations in British Columbia (BC) between 2015 and 2019. This study used de-identified hospitalization data on unintentional home-related injuries from the Discharge Database (DAD) and population data for each dissemination area from Statistics Canada’s 2016 Census Profiles. Hospitalization rates were computed for unintentional home-related injuries across four dimensions specified in the Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation (CIMD) for BC. For three CIMD dimensions (situational vulnerability, economic dependency, and residential instability), unintentional home injury rates were higher in areas with higher deprivation, while the inverse was observed for ethno-cultural diversity. Understanding socio-economic disparities within neighbourhoods enables injury prevention partners to identify vulnerable populations and prioritize the development and implementation of evidence-based injury prevention interventions.

Community Profile Towards Risk for Unintentional Home Injuries Among Elderly in Low-Income Urban Area

Introduction: Home injury among the elderly was among the recognized public health issues that could become more prevalent in any nation that would approach an ageing society. However, the community’s perception and preparedness toward the nature of this condition still needed to be improved. This study aimed to determine the community’s profile on unintentional home injury risks among the elderly. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the community of low-income urban areas in Selangor, using non-probability sampling and a validated self-administered questionnaire covering three domains of risk for unintentional home injuries. Results: 246 respondents participated in this study, with a mean age of 40. The proportion of reported unintentional home injuries among the elderly was 7.3%. Fall was the most common type of injury (72.7%). Of the three domains for risks of unintentional home injuries, only two domains for risks of unintentional home injuries, were significantly associated with the community’s gender (with home safety domain: difficulties in moving things [p=0.027] and difficulties with a staircase [p=0.034]); self-manage domain: concerned when missing medications [p=0.029]), educational level (with self-manage domain: self-care ability [p=0.012] and ability to take balanced diet [p=0.008]), and occupational status (with self-manage domain: concerned when losing weight [p=0.028]) which were home safety and ability to self-manage. Conclusion: The gender and educational level of the community members might reflect different community profiles regarding the risk of unintentional home injuries among the elderly. Thus, to overcome the dangers of elderly unintentional home injuries in the future, policymakers should advocate targeted health education programs for both the elderly population and the community at large.

Determinants of Unintentional Home Injury Prevention Practice Among B40 Parents of Under-Five Children in Selangor: A Study Protocol

Introduction: Unintentional injuries among children are considered a major public health concern since they are one of the leading causes of child death and disability. Inadequate study has been done on whether and how parental influences are linked to childhood injury at home especially among the community with low-socioeconomic status. The study aims to determine the factors affecting unintentional home injury prevention practice among low socioeconomic status (B40) parents of under-five children in Selangor, Malaysia. Methods: This is a cross-sectional and quantitative study. A sample size of 453 parents will be sampled among B40 parents with under-five children in Selangor using a stratified random sampling method. For analysis, only complete questionnaires will be used. Data entry and statistical analysis will be carried out using IBM SPSS version 28.0. Chi-square/Fisher Exact test and simple logistic regression will be used for data analysis. Multiple logistic regression will be used to examine the predictors of poor home injury prevention practice. Discussion: Findings from the study will provide insight on challenges experienced by B40 parents of children under five in implementing preventive injury measures at home.

Exploring parental risk perception regarding childhood unintentional home injuries: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: While previous studies on childhood injury focused mainly on the relationship between parents’ preventive behavior and its determinants, knowledge about parental risk perception that can help to develop, implement, and evaluate successful interventions to prevent childhood unintentional home injuries is still limited. The aim of this study was to gain a deeper understanding of parental risk perception regarding unintentional home injuries of children under six years of age. Method: A convenience sample of 469 parents, residing in Germany, completed a web-based questionnaire assessing factors potentially associated with parental risk perception on the child, parental, and environmental level. Descriptive statistics, p for trend, and Spearman’s Rho correlation coefficients were calculated. Results: Key factors influencing parental risk perception included children’s sex, age, migrant status, emotionality, and injury risk as well as parents’ parenting style and external locus of control. While parental risk perception was positively associated with children’s injury risk, the analyses showed no associations between parental risk perception and parents’ preventive behavior. Conclusions: Our findings add to a better understanding of parental risk perception, provide practical implications for injury prevention, and indicate that the relationship between parental risk perception and parents’ preventive behavior is based on a complex mechanism which is possibly moderated by parents’ locus of control. Practical Applications: The identified key factors help to assess parental risk perception more accurately. Therefore, they should be considered in the development of tailored interventions to prevent unintentional home injuries of children, for instance, by targeting specific groups of parental risk perception.

Parental adherence to prevent unintentional home injuries among children in a community of Bhaktapur, Nepal

Background: Unintentional injuries are the serious worldwide public health problem directing to mortality, morbidity, disability, economic stress to health care system and household level. Curious nature of children to learn new skills around the home premises can be harmful sometime. Household injuries are often fatal but are prevantable. The study was conducted to analyse the level of parental adherence to prevent unintentional injuriesamong under five children and its association between independent variables.Methods: An analytical cross sectional research design was conducted in Madhyapur Thimi Municipality, Bode8, Bhaktapur, Nepal among 220 parents. Data was collected in August 2021 by using non-probability purposive sampling technique. A semi-structured questionnaire was self developed, it was pretested and was used for data collection.Results: The study suggests that majority (65.9%) of the respondents had more level of adherence and 34.1% had less level of adherence regarding unintentional injury prevention. Level of parental adherence was significantly associated with religion (p=0.048), number of siblings (p=0.045), number of floors (p=0.047) and number of rooms in the house (p=0.046).Conclusion: The study concludes that parents were able to maintain more level of adherence regarding injury prevention among children. Parental experience on injuries helps to prevent its occurrence in the future.

Determinants of non-adherence to home injury prevention practice among parents of under-five children in North Seberang Perai district, Penang: A mixed-methods study protocol.

Unintentional injury is a global burden that occurs everywhere, including in our homes. Young children are most vulnerable to home injuries because they still develop their physical and psychological skills and spend most of their time at home. Despite being largely preventable, three consecutive national surveys show no reduction in the rate of injury among children under five. More surprisingly, children from high-income families were found to have the highest incidence of injury, contradicting the findings from other countries. This study aims to identify the determinants of non-adherence to unintentional home injury prevention practice among parents of under-five children in the North Seberang Perai district, Penang. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study consists of two phases consisting of a quantitative study which looks into respondents and their child's sociodemographic status, their home injury prevention practice and the independent variables, followed by a qualitative study that interviews parents with non-adherence to home injury prevention practice and explore their barriers. In phase I, the parent or primary caregiver of a child age less than five years old who age 18 or older and is a Malaysian will be included in the study while being disabled or having a severe psychiatric disorder or having the index child diagnosed with chronic disease will make them not eligible to participate in the study. Derived using the two-group proportion formula, a sample size of 453 parents will be sampled among those with under-five children following up at the Maternal Child Health Department in the health clinics of North Seberang Perai using stratified systematic sampling. Chi-square/Fisher Exact test, simple logistic regression and multiple logistic regression will be used for data analysis. The sample will be stratified according to household income to look for associated factors and determinants of low prevention practice. In phase II, parents with a low score from the quantitative study will be selected to participate in the qualitative study using purposive sampling. A semi-structured interview using the help of an interview guide will be carried out and recorded with a voice recorder. The thematic analysis approach will be used to analyse the qualitative data. The study has been registered under the National Medical Research Registry. It is hoped that findings from this study can shed light on the barriers faced by under-five parents in carrying out preventive measures at home.

Implementation fidelity of the ‘Stay One Step Ahead’ home safety intervention: a mixed-methods analysis

ObjectiveTo assess implementation fidelity of the Stay One Step Ahead (SOSA), a complex intervention which was delivered by health visiting teams, children’s centres, and family mentors and was aimed at...

Behavioural and environmental risk factors for household injuries: semistructured interviews with health professionals and mothers in Iran

BackgroundInjuries are increasing global public health problems, causing disability and death among children. This has considerable financial, emotional and social effects on families and society. This study aimed to investigate...

Effect of community-based intervention on knowledge and practice of rural mothers toward children home injuries

BackgroundIt is commonly recognized that home injuries in children under the age of six can cause serious problems if not treated as soon as possible and effectively. Rural mothers require effective community-based intervention programs to achieve appropriate levels of awareness and practices regarding these unintentional home injuries AimThe study aimed to evaluate the effect of a community-based intervention on knowledge and practice of rural mothers toward children home injuries. DesignA quasi-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design was used. SettingThe study was conducted in the village of Manial Shiha, which is located in the Giza governorate. SampleA sample of 122 rural women with children under six years old was selected. Tools of data collectionInclude the following: a. a home injury questionnaire; b. a first aid observation checklist; and c. a home environment assessment sheet. ResultsThe findings revealed that around 62.5% of the male children had home injuries lasting 6 months or less before the research. The mean total knowledge score increased from 39 ± 5.4 in the pretest to 41 ± 9.0 in the posttest, while the mean total practice score increased from 31.2 ± 5.7 in the pretest to 48.6 ± 9.7 in the posttest. Age, education level, family size, and occupation were significant predictors of mothers' total knowledge and total practice. ConclusionA community-based intervention is effective in enhancing rural mothers' knowledge and practice of home injuries, as well as in improving the application of preventive measures in the home environment to minimize the risk of home injuries among children.

Risk Factors Causing Unintentional Home Injuries in Children Under 5 Years of Age Presenting to Emergency Department of Ziauddin University Hospital

Objective: To determine the predisposing factors contributing to unintentional home injuries in children under 5 years of age presenting to Emergency department of Ziauddin medical university and hospital, Karachi Place and duration of study: The study is conducted at Department of Emergency, Ziauddin Medical University and Hospital, Karachi And the duration of study is 13th October 2019 To 12th April 2020. It is a cross-sectional study design having having 200 patients, in which non-probability consecutive sampling technique is used. Material and Method: There were 200 patients in total with Injuries that happened at home environment. Mothers participated in an interview. After each child received the recommended care, data were gathered.Calculated descriptive statistics were used. Stratification was used to manage effect modifiers. The chi-square test was used after stratification. P-values lower than 0.05 were regarded as significant. Results: There were 46% male and 54% female patients. Mean age was 35.02±13.79 months. Most of the children were injured >3 times in last one month. 57% patients were found with injury due to falling down while most of the injuries (32.5%) were occurred at stairs. In our study, 39% of children caused injury due to lack of care, 11.5% due to availability of hazardous material and 49.5% due to unsafe home environment. Practical implications: From the standpoint of injury prevention, this study suggests that the risk of non-fatal injury in children under the age of five is complicated and multidimensional, and that effective prevention measures must target numerous components. To effectively increase children's comprehension of the safety issue and lower their risk of hazard, health care providers, parents, or both should design alternative strategic teaching methods. Conclusion: Most prevalent cause of injury was falling down. 39% children injured due to lack of care, 11.5% due to availability of hazardous material and 49.5% due to unsafe home environment. Keywords: Unintentional Home injuries, Children, predisposing factors, falling down, Injuries

Parents’ Knowledge and Perception Toward Unintentional Home Injury in Children and Safety Measures in Qatar: A Cross-Sectional Study

Parents’ Knowledge and Perception Toward Unintentional Home Injury in Children and Safety Measures in Qatar: A Cross-Sectional Study

Who gets injured at home? Evidence from older people in France

AbstractThe study analyses unintentional home and leisure injuries (HLIs) for the French senior population using data from the 2012 wave of the French health, health care and insurance survey. The results of our logit models reveal that health status, age, and risky attitudes are the main characteristics associated with HLIs for older people. When the severity of injuries is taken into consideration, the highest exposure to HLIs concerns the oldest seniors, aged 85 years old or older, with deteriorated health. This result is confirmed in the case of severe indoor HLIs, whereas for severe outdoor injuries, the most vulnerable individuals seem to be younger seniors, that is, 75–79 years old. Moreover, our findings suggest that HLIs, and mainly severe home HLIs, generate a short‐term influence on a person's health.

Use of a serious game simulation to build early childhood staff capacity for reducing unintentional childhood injuries

Introduction: Unintentional home injuries are common and costly, with over 1.6 million occurring among U.S. children ages 0–4 in 2018. Home visitors and other early childhood professionals can provide valuable prevention education and intervention to reduce unintentional injury risk for children. This proof-of-concept study aimed to test the feasibility of the first phase of Home Safety Hero, a software-based serious game simulation that trains users in identification of home safety risks, as a capacity building tool for early childhood professionals. Methods: The game simulation’s potential for knowledge promotion and engagement in a sample of home visitors was explored based on play of the first phase. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to assess learning via reaction time, and engagement was measured via the User Engagement Scale (UES). Results: Reaction time (i.e., average time to identify hazards) improved from the first to last levels in both single and mixed category levels in this trial. Participant indicated agreement with four subscales of engagement measured by the UES, and neutral to agree on a fifth subscale, focused attention. Conclusions: We propose that this game simulation can meet the unique training needs of early childhood professionals while promoting home safety knowledge that can improve prevention work with families. Participant feedback was largely positive, and results suggest that the game simulation is engaging and contributes to knowledge. Practical Applications: The Home Safety Hero serious game simulation is a flexible training option that appeared to be feasible for reducing time to hazard identification among home visitors in this proof-of-concept study. The design of the game simulation has utility in meeting the specialized training needs of early childhood professionals and potential to build their capacity to provide direct intervention around home safety, reducing risk for unintentional injury among children.

Risk factors and parental risk perception of unintentional home injuries of children under 6 years in Germany: A secondary data analysis

Introduction: Unintentional home injuries are a major health risk for children. To develop and implement appropriate interventions, both theoretical guidance and empirical evidence are required. While theoretical models informing injury prevention are available, detailed information on unintentional home injuries of children and parental risk perception is still missing. The objective of this study was to identify relevant determinants of unintentional home injuries of children under 6 years of age and parental risk perception from an empirical perspective. Method: The secondary data analysis is based on data from two nationally representative surveys from Germany conducted in 2014–2017 (n = 4,009) and 2019 (n = 411). Both bivariate analyses and multivariate binary logistic regression models were conducted to determine the associations between various factors with unintentional home injuries and parental risk perception. Results: Key determinants of unintentional home injuries included the age and personality of the child, migrant status, and housing tenure. Parental risk perception was significantly associated with children’s sex. The number of children living in the household and household net income were identified as determinants for both unintentional home injuries and parent’s risk perception. Furthermore, a discrepancy between parent’s risk perception and actual risk factors of unintentional home injuries was found. Conclusions: Findings from this study strengthen the evidence base by demonstrating relevant determinants of unintentional home injuries of children and parent’s risk perception. Since this study provides first evidence of a distorted parental risk perception, future research should focus on parental risk perception to assess it more accurately in interventions to prevent unintentional home injuries of children. Practical Applications: The present findings may inform health practitioners about which points they should address when interacting with parents. For instance, they should focus on raising parent’s awareness of actual risk factors and discuss concrete behavioral or environmental safety precautions.

Home environmental change for child injury prevention in Nepal: A qualitative study.

In Nepal, unintentional home injury is a leading reason for death and disability among pre-school children. However, there is a lack of evidence to inform culturally appropriate interventions to reduce home injuries. This study explored the potential for home environmental change at a community level to prevent unintentional home injury in children and identified the barriers to, and facilitators of, such changes. Focus groups were conducted in the Nepali language with mothers, fathers, teachers, school students and community health volunteers in rural areas of Makwanpur district in Nepal. The discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed, translated into English and analysed thematically. NVivo software was used to support coding and identification of themes. Five focus groups, involving forty-seven participants, were completed leading to the development of four themes. Overall, the findings highlight that community people perceive injuries to be a normal part of childhood and, therefore, few prevention measures were considered. Parents were, however, able to identify ways to change their environment that made it safer. Changes included removing hazards or adding safety equipment, adapting the home or restricting access to potential hazards. Barriers to implementation included limited awareness about injury hazards and risk management, poor quality housing and financial constraint. Facilitators included raising community awareness, acquiring resources and financial support and involving the family and community. Development of interventions to prevent injuries at home in pre-school children should reflect local context and culture; this is best achieved through engagement with parents.

Anticipatory Guidance in Childhood Safety: How do Parents Fare? A Survey from a Tertiary Hospital

Unintentional home injuries are a major cause for childhood morbidity and mortality.
 Aims and Objective: To find the KAP among mothers about common home injuries and methods to prevent them. To assess how safe the houses of the study population is.
 Materials and Methods: 200 mothers attending the paediatric OPD of a tertiary care hospital in a sub-urban area of South India were enrolled. They were interviewed with a structured questionnaire. Details regarding socio-demographic aspects, knowledge, attitude and practices about common household accidents and ways to prevent were asked. The safety aspects of their homes were also noted down. The collected data were analysed with sigma plot 13(system software, USA). In the above statistical tools the probability value <0.05 was considered as significant.
 Result: The mean age of mother was 28.82 ± 4.93 years and age at marriage, 21.7 ± 3.55 years. 54% belonged to lower middle class and nearly 20% each in upper lower and upper middle class. Fall from height, Road traffic accidents followed by electrical injuries were the commonest accidents known by mothers. Socioeconomic status and educational levels had statistical correlation with few of the variables.
 Conclusion: Knowledge about home accidents is poor in the study population. Most of the houses are not child safe. Parent education about home injuries and training on first aid should be part of newborn follow up.

An Exploration of Emergency Department Visits for Home Unintentional Injuries Among Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder for Evidence to Modify Injury Prevention Guidelines.

Current childhood injury prevention guidance is anchored by a child's age. For example, children are considered at high risk for falls at ages 4 years and less, and guidance for prevention focuses on these ages. However, these guidelines may not be adequate for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This retrospective chart review examined injury characteristics for children with ASD receiving treatment in a pediatric emergency department between 2014 and 2016. Bivariate statistics determined injury demographic correlates. Chart narratives were also coded using traditional content analysis to determine the mechanism that caused the home injury. The sample (27 cases) was mostly male (89%), Black (48%), with a mean age of 7.8 (SD, 4.9) years. The most common mechanism was a fall (44%), followed by self-injurious behavior (33%), and then burns (22%). All cases identified at least 1 mechanism contributing to the injury, in 2 cases, 2 items were mentioned. Of the 29 items identified, most involved a house feature that was not stairs (24%); some included stairs, furniture, or a combination of foreign object and grill (21%); and few identified food/beverage/liquid (11%). Analyses suggest that unintentional home injury prevention for children with ASD may require prevention guidance extended through older ages.

Accidents Waiting to Happen: A Review of Unintentional Household Injuries in Children.

1. Erin P. O’Donnell, MD* 2. Therese L. Canares, MD* 1. *Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD * Abbreviations: AAP : : American Academy of Pediatrics ASK : : Asking Saves Kids ASSB : : accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed BRUE : : brief resolved unexplained event CDC : : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CPR : : cardiopulmonary resuscitation ED : : emergency department LDP : : laundry detergent pod SIDS : : sudden infant death syndrome After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe how unintentional injuries affect the morbidity and mortality of children and adolescents. 2. Recognize risk factors and behaviors associated with unintentional household injuries. 3. Identify effective prevention strategies for the most common unintentional household injuries. 4. Apply learned information when discussing preventive measures to caregivers in an office-based setting. Unintentional injuries remain a crucial public health concern as they persist as the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in US children. Greatly surpassing congenital anomalies, malignancy, and suicide as leading causes of death, unintentional injuries claim the lives of 12,000 children and adolescents each year. Even more, more than 9.2 million children are treated in emergency departments (EDs) for nonfatal injuries. (1) In recent years, health-care has shifted its focus to preventive care. With a significant economic burden attributable to medical care for fatal and nonfatal injuries, health-care providers have an increased responsibility to address injury prevention. Factors within one’s physical and social environment act as key drivers affecting health, and this applies particularly to unintentional home injuries. Whereas injury prevention experts use advocacy as their primary tool, providers have a unique opportunity to provide specific education about prevention. For children and adolescents, pediatricians play an essential role in informing caregivers about age-appropriate risks and potential hazards for children in the home. By providing this information along with guidance on safety practices, providers can contribute to the reduction of unintentional …

Knowledge and awareness of parents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding unintentional home injuries in children 2019 a descriptive cross-sectional study.

Aim:To evaluate the adherence of parent's preventive measures of unintentional home injury in their children by measuring the parents' knowledge and awareness regarding the risk factors of unintentional home injury.Settings and Design:An online questionnaire was used. The study followed a descriptive cross-sectional design.Method and Materials:The study was conducted between December 2019 and January 2020 included 324 participants who fulfilled the criteria during the period. An appropriate statistical test was used to register the statistical significance between the participants' answers and demographic characteristics.Statistical Analysis:SPSS 20.0 software package was used for entering the collected data and for statistical analysis.Results:Descriptive statistics showed that (66%) of participants were female. At least 50% of the participants were aged 26–35 years and had a bachelor's degree. Most reported at a good level of practice against the risk factors of unintentional home injury. The correlation between the participants' level of practice against the unintentional home injury, their age, and their level of education was statistically significant.Conclusions:The results showed the level of practice against unintentional home injury was significantly higher in parents their age more than forty, and those with a high educational level. This result suggested that nationwide health programs and initiatives must be toward families and parents in assessing their home hazards.

Understanding parental risk perception regarding unintentional injuries of infants and toddlers within the home: a grounded theory approach

Unintentional injuries within the home are a major health risk for infants and toddlers. Previous theoretical and empirical work identified parental risk perception as a key determinant of parents’ preventive behaviour. Yet, little is known about how parents perceive their children’s risk for unintentional injuries within the home. Since unintentional injuries are considered largely preventable, theoretical guidance that helps to better understand parental risk perception is required. The objective of this study was to develop a theoretical model which helps to better understand how parents perceive the risk of their infants and toddlers regarding unintentional injuries within the home. In this qualitative study, nine photo-based semi-structured interviews were conducted with parents of infants and toddlers (0 to 4 years) in the city and district of Munich. Grounded theory methodology was used for data collection and analysis. Findings indicate that parental risk perception can be described as a continuum which is determined by the development and personality of the child as well as by ‘teachable moments’, such as previous (near-)injuries. While risk perception of parents with only one child was predominantly driven by the development of the child, risk perception of parents with two children was driven by the personality of the child. A first theoretical model that describes how parents perceive their children’s risk regarding unintentional home injuries was developed. Since this study highlights differences in parental risk perception depending on whether one or two children are living in the household, future research on parental risk perception should consider the number of children living in the household. From our theoretical model, practical implications for tailoring prevention interventions by health practitioners can be derived (e.g. exposing parents to information of the developmental process of the child), which may increase parents’ engagement in injury prevention.