Medical and social analysis of preschool children under the age of six years at secondary and tertiary care after home accidents in Hilla City

Abstract

Background: Accidents mainly occur at home, children are the most vulnerable to in any household. Objectives: The goals of this study were to identify the commonest causes of home accidents that necessitate secondary and tertiary care admission. And to find out social variables related to home accidents. Patients and Methods: It is a descriptive hospital-based cross-sectional study which was carried out on a convenient sample of 200 preschool children who were cared for Emergency Department in Babylon Maternity and Pediatrics Hospital and Imam Sadik General Teaching Hospital whose mothers accepted to participate in this study. It was conducted over a period of four months from April 1 to August 1, 2021. Data were collected through interviewing the participants who were asked to give their verbal consent to a structural questionnaire containing information about sociodemographic factors, child, and family variables. The information was analyzed using SPSS version 24. Result: The rate of home accidents (falls and blows by forceful sticks) among children under the age of six years were 55.50% and 24.50%, respectively. From the different investigated factors, Paternal educational level showed significant relation to home accidents, and other variables (maternal educational level, number of family members, and home size) were found to be risk factors for home injuries. Conclusion: Falls were the commonest cause of unintentional injuries; in children, home accidents are still the major problem and jeopardize the lives of children. Home accidents among children under the age of six years are increasing and this issue requires more attention and effort.

Keywords

• accidents
• home
• preschool children
• tertiary care
• unintentional injury