Parental awareness of household injury prevention: adequacy of anticipatory guidance for well childcare.

Abstract

To study parental perception of risk for household injury in children younger than six years in both continuity clinic and outpatient unit. Sixty-six caregivers of children who attended continuity care clinic and outpatient unit were included in the present study. Data was obtained by questionnaire that contained questions regarding injury prevention awareness in four areas in the house. They were the food preparing area, bedroom, play area, and the area surrounding the house. Injuries are categorized as fire, burn, electrical shock, fall, struck injury, poisoning, drowning, strangulation, suffocation, and laceration wound. Frequency of parental awareness in each injury prevention is reported. Most of the participants have awareness of fire, burn, electrical shock, drowning, poisoning, laceration wound, strangulation, and suffocation prevention but only 25 to 38% of them have awareness in struck injury prevention. Tailor-made anticipatory guidance about injury prevention especially household injury prevention should be a major role of pediatrician in addition to health supervision, immunization, and disease detection. Our study shows parents' perception of household injury prevention should be improved.