Unintentional injury and prevention- knowledge among primary care givers of children in the age group 1 to 5 years

Abstract

Introduction- Childhood injuries are emerging as a major community health problem with the decline of infectious diseases. The impact of injuries can be worse than the event itself as some of the injuries can lead to lifelong disability. It is therefore important to assess and improve the knowledge about childhood injuries among general public especially among primary care givers. Objectives- To assess the  knowledge among the primary care givers of the children of age group 1 to 5 years in Kaniyambadi block of Vellore district, regarding risk factors of unintentional injuries.  Methodology- A cross sectional study was conducted among primary care givers of the children of age group 1 to 5 years in Kaniyambadi block of Vellore district. A sample size of 120 was calculated with an assumed prevalence of 50 percent. Using cluster sampling method 6 clusters of size 20 were selected based on probability proportional to size (PPS). Within each cluster a street was randomly chosen and  participants were selected using door to door method. A semi structured pilot tested questionnaire translated in local  language was given to the participants. Adequate knowledge was calculated by taking the number of people who had scored above the median value obtained. Data was entered using the software epi info and was analyzed using spss. Results- Majority of the study population (93) did not consider unintentional injury as a preventable condition. Very few (19) considered parental carelessness as the cause for unintentional injuries. Kitchen was considered as the most common place for burns to occur by many (57). Unprotected well (40), open tank (39.7) and a bucket of water (11.6) were the common places where children could drown. Kudam and closed tank were considered as the safest way to store water for daily use in the household. Nearly half (51.2) scored above the median score of 6. Age, education and socio  economic status did not seem to have any effect on  knowledge. More the number of children there was 4.5 (1.71- 11.94) times higher chance of having adequate              knowledge as compared to those with one child.