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Abstract
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INTRODUCTION: Unintentional injuries have replaced infectious diseases as the most serious public health problem of children worldwide. Most unintentional injuries among children under 5 years of age occur in and around the home. There are a number of factors that contribute to child unintentional injuries, including: age, gender, race and socioeconomic status. These factors make the child susceptible to injury more than other children. Unintentional injuries are often called accidents, but are almost always predictable and preventable events. Because of their many causes and the close interrelationship between them; a wide range of preventive approaches are required.
OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to estimate frequency and types of unintentional injuries, and to investigate determinants of unintentional injuries among preschool children,
Doha VIII.
METHODS: A cross sectional study design with simple random sampling was employed to include 564 preschool children (1-4 years old). The respondents were the mothers who attended primary health care centers in Doha city, 2010. An interviewer administered Arabic version questionnaires used for data collection.
RESULTS: The occurrence of unintentional injuries in the current study was 69.3 %, almost 62.3% of unintentional injuries occurred inside the home. The living room was the most reported place of unintentional injuries inside home (66.7%) and the most frequent cause of these injures was falls (71.8%). Exposure to inanimate mechanical forces was reported in (22.4%), followed by contact with heat and hot substances (20.1%). The most frequent type of injury was bruising (51.2%), followed by cuts (41.2%) while burns was the third most frequent type (19%). Age of child, birth order, nationality, history of disability, living in a home located on a main street and less educated fathers showed statistically significant relation to occurrence of unintentional injuries. Almost all injuries were followed by complete recovery in (97.9%) and (1.8%) ending with death due to drowning. About (61%) of respondent mothers considered unintentional injuries as unpreventable.
CONCLUSION and Recommendations: The prevalence of unintentional injuries among preschool children in PHCCs Doha was higher compared to regional and global levels among a similar age group. Full recovery of unintentional injuries was the most frequent consequence. However, a considerable proportion was followed by death. Developing and establishing a national household survey for home safety is recommended.
Language: en |