Some factors influencing home accidents in children

Objective:

To identify risk factors for home accidents that necessitates hospitalization.

 

Methodology:

Two hundred children admitted to Lady Ridgeway Hospital after a home accident were compared with a control group of 200 children, admitted to the same hospital for a cause other than an injury. Socio-demographic characteristics, physical and psychosocial environment of the child and child care arrangements were compared between the two groups.

 

Results:

The commonest injuries were falls (43.5%), followed by accidental entry of foreign bodies (21.5%). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in socio- demographic characteristics and risk factors in the physical environment. Psychosocial environment was compared by assessing child behaviour and mother's attitude towards the child. Abnormal behaviour and negative maternal attitude towards the child were commoner among cases. Mothers of accident victims spent less time home (p<0.0001) and child care arrangements were less satisfactory. Logistic regression analysis identified a birth interval of less than one year between index child and older sibling, insufficient time spent by mother at home and negative maternal attitude towards the child as being the most important risk factors in home accidents.

 

Conclusion:

Quality of child care is important in prevention of home accidents.