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Paediatric burns and associated risk factors in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1Department of Preventive Medicine-NESC, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Insights
Childhood burn injuries in Brazil are linked to household crowding, birth order, maternal factors, and recent moves. Protective factors include a history of accidents in males in good environments.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric burn injury research
- Public health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Pediatric burn injuries represent a significant public health concern, particularly in developing regions.
- Understanding risk factors is crucial for effective prevention strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify sociodemographic and environmental risk factors associated with severe burn injuries in Brazilian children.
- To inform targeted public health interventions for burn prevention.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study was conducted in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
- Cases comprised children aged 0-11 years admitted for burn injuries (n=94).
- Controls were children aged 0-11 years from pediatric clinics (n=148), matched by hospital and region.
Main Results:
- Risk factors identified include crowded households (OR=2.2), not being the first-born (OR=2.5), having a pregnant mother (OR=5.0), maternal job loss (OR=7.0), and recent residence changes (OR=4.9).
- A history of previous accidents showed a protective effect in males from good environmental conditions (OR=0.3).
- No significant protective effect was observed in other strata of gender and living conditions.
Conclusions:
- Socioeconomic and environmental factors significantly influence the risk of severe burn injuries in children.
- Targeted interventions focusing on household conditions, maternal well-being, and residential stability are recommended.
- Product regulation and health education programs are vital for reducing burn injury incidence.
Abstract:
This is a case-control study conducted at two major public units for paediatric burn injuries in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Cases (n = 94) were 0-11-year-old Brazilian children admitted to one of these two burn units. Controls (n = 148) were 0-11-year-old children admitted to the paediatric clinics of the two hospitals where the cases were chosen and from another hospital placed at the same geographic region. Odds ratios (OR) based on logistic regression and 95 percent confidence intervals (95%-CI) were estimated for a number of putative risk factors. The risk of burns was higher for children who lived in crowded households (OR = 2.2; 95%-CI = 1.1-4.7), were not the first-born (OR = 2.5; 95%-CI = 1.2-5.2), had a pregnant mother (OR = 5.0; 95%-CI = 1.2-21.8), had a mother recently dismissed from a job (OR = 7.0; 95%-CI = 1.5-33.9) and had recently moved residence (OR = 4.9; 95%-CI = 1.7-14.3). A history of previous accident had a significant protective effect among males who lived in good environmental conditions (OR = 0.3; 95%-CI = 0.1-0.7), whereas no significant effect was detected in any other strata of gender and living conditions. Proper regulation of design and production of industrial products such as alcohol and domestic stoves, coupled with adequate social support and health education programmes could contribute to lower the incidence of severe burn injuries.