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Risk factors for scald injury in children under 5 years of age: a case-control study using routinely collected data
1Division of Primary Care, University Park, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Insights
Scald injuries are common in young children and often preventable. Routinely collected primary care data can identify children at high risk, enabling targeted prevention strategies.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Injury Prevention
Background:
- Scald injuries represent 50% of burns in preschool children.
- Preventable scalds highlight the need for targeted interventions.
- Limited research exists on using routine medical data for identifying at-risk children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify risk factors for first scald injury in children under 5.
- To explore the utility of routinely collected primary care data for risk identification.
Main Methods:
- Matched case-control study design.
- Utilized a large, nationally representative primary care electronic health record database.
- Included 986 cases and 9240 controls.
Main Results:
- Increased odds of scald injury associated with male gender, age (under 2 years), higher birth order, single-parent families, and material deprivation.
- Older maternal age at childbirth was linked to decreased scald injury odds.
- Routinely collected primary care data can identify children at risk.
Conclusions:
- Primary care data effectively identifies children at high risk for scald injuries.
- Primary care practitioners can leverage this data for targeted, evidence-based safety interventions.
- Proactive identification and intervention can reduce pediatric scald injuries.
Abstract:
Scald injury is common, accounting for half of all burns in pre-school children. Most scalds are preventable and health professionals can play an important role in targeting interventions to those at greatest risk. However, the potential for routinely collected medical data to be used to identify high risk children has not been well explored. We used a matched case-control study to identify risk factors for first scald injury in children under 5 using a large, nationally representative database of routinely collected primary care records. Among 986 cases and 9240 controls, male gender, age (2 years), higher birth order, single-parent families and increasing index of material deprivation were associated with increased odds of scald injury. Older maternal age at childbirth was associated with decreased odds of scald injury. Children at risk of scald injury can be identified from routinely collected primary care data and primary care practitioners can use this information to target evidence-based safety interventions.
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