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Risk factors for burns in children: crowding, poverty, and poor maternal education
J Delgado1, M E Ramírez-Cardich, R H Gilman
1Benefit Association PRISMA (Projects in Informatics, Medicine, Health and Agriculture), Lima, Peru.
Insights
Childhood burns in developing countries are often caused by scalds in the home, particularly the kitchen. Interventions should target low socioeconomic status families, addressing factors like lack of water supply and crowding.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Childhood burns represent a significant public health concern, especially in developing nations.
- Understanding the specific risk factors and patterns of burns in children is crucial for effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify the common presentations and risk factors for childhood burns in a developing country.
- To provide data for the development of targeted burn prevention programs.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study was conducted over 14 months.
- Data were collected via questionnaires from guardians of children admitted to burn and general medicine units.
- Factors analyzed included injury etiology, and demographic and socioeconomic data.
Main Results:
- 740 cases and controls were enrolled. Burns predominantly occurred in children under 5 years old, primarily due to scalds in the home (77.5%) and kitchen (67.8%).
- Increased risk was associated with lack of water supply (OR 5.2), low income (OR 2.8), and crowding (OR 2.5).
- Protective factors included the presence of a living room (OR 0.6) and higher maternal education (OR 0.6).
Conclusions:
- Burn prevention interventions must be directed towards low socioeconomic status populations.
- Prevention strategies should be tailored to address specific local risk factors identified in the study, such as inadequate water supply and living conditions.
Objective:
To characterize the presentation of burns in children and risk factors associated with their occurrence in a developing country as a basis for future prevention programs.
Design:
Case-control study.
Setting:
Burn unit of the National Institute of Child Health (Instituto Nacional de Salud del Niño) in Lima, Peru.
Methods:
A questionnaire was administered to all consenting guardians of children admitted to the burns (cases) and general medicine (controls) units during a period of 14 months. Guardians of patients were questioned regarding etiology of the injury, demographic and socioeconomic data.
Results:
740 cases and controls were enrolled. Altogether 77.5% of the cases burns occurred in the patient's home, with 67.8% in the kitchen; 74% were due to scalding. Most involved children younger than 5 years. Lack of water supply (odds ratio (OR) 5.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1 to 1 2.3), low income (OR 2.8, 95% CI 2.0 to 3.9), and crowding (OR 2.5, 95%CI 1.7 to 3.6) were associated with an increased risk. The presence of a living room (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.8) and better maternal education (OR 0.6, 95% CI 0.5 to 0.9) were protective factors.
Conclusions:
To prevent burns interventions should be directed to low socioeconomic status groups; these interventions should be designed accordingly to local risk factors.