Explaining Maternal Preventive Behaviors for Home Accident Risk in Children Under Five Years: An Application of the...

Home accidents are a major global health concern for children under five. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of home accidents and to identify the predictors of mothers' preventive behaviors based on the Health Belief Model (HBM) in Yazd, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 on 200 mothers with children under five years, selected via multi-stage cluster sampling from five comprehensive health centers in Yazd. A researcher-made questionnaire based on HBM, including locus of control, was used for data collection. Its validity and reliability were confirmed (CVR>0.75, CVI>0.79, Cronbach's alpha>0.68). Data were analyzed using SPSS-21 with independent t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and linear regression, considering the design effect.

Totally, of 212 studied children, 163 (76.9%, 95% CI: 71.2-82.6) had experienced at least one home accident. The most common accidents were cuts (39.6%), falls (33.0%), and burns (30.7%). Accident occurrence was significantly associated with older child age (mean difference: 8.25 months, 95% CI: 3.38-13.12, P=0.005) and higher household income (P=0.008). Mothers of children without accidents had significantly higher self-efficacy (mean difference: 5.49, 95% CI: 1.48-9.50, P=0.018), lower perceived barriers (mean difference: -5.92, 95% CI: -10.84 to -1.00, P=0.027), and higher preventive behavior scores (mean difference: 1.78, 95% CI: 0.72-2.84, P=0.017). Linear regression showed that perceived barriers (β=-0.297, P<0.001), perceived benefits (β=0.250, P<0.001), powerful others locus of control (β=-0.226, P<0.001), and chance locus of control (β=-0.156, P=0.019) were significant predictors, explaining 35.8% of the variance in preventive behaviors.

The HBM was found to be an effective framework for explaining maternal preventive behaviors. Interventions should focus on reducing perceived barriers, enhancing perceived benefits, and modifying external locus of control beliefs to prevent home accidents in children.