Evaluation of the frequency of home accidents of children aged 0-6 in A University Hospital pediatric clinic

The elderly, the disabled and especially children are affected by home accidents. In this study, the extent of home accident incidence in 0-6 year old children hospitalized in Fırat University Faculty of Medicine Pediatrics Clinic, the factors affecting the accident, the most common types of accidents, the scores of 0-6 year old children from the Mothers' Safety Precautions for Home Accidents Diagnosis Scale and the children's scores. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between accident occurrences. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the mothers of 0-6 years old children hospitalized in the Pediatrics Clinic of Fırat University Faculty of Medicine between January-June 2021. The data were collected by face-to-face interview method using the sociodemographic characteristics, questions about the characteristics of the children's accidents, and the Scale for Diagnosing the Mother's Safety Precautions for Home Accidents in children aged 0-6 years. The data obtained were evaluated using Chi-square, Mann Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis tests, and p<0.05 level was considered statistically significant. Ethical approval and administrative permissions were obtained in writing to conduct the study. The mean age of the hospitalized children of the mothers participating in the study was 3.24±2.05 years, and 50.9% of them were girls. While the accident rate of hospitalized children was 43.2%, when all 0-6 years old children of mothers were questioned, the accident rate was found to be 31.7%. 52.9% of all children who had an accident were boys, and it was determined that 30.0% of the children had an accident when they were three years old. It was determined that the children had the most frequent fall (47.7%) and burn (18.7%) accidents, the most in the living room/hall (30.4%) and the kitchen (28.0%). 50.2% of the children who had an accident were treated at home and 65.9% fully recovered. After the accident, the head-neck region (33.8%) was most affected. As the education level of the parents decreased, the perception of the economic situation worsened, and the father's health problem increased, the incidence of children having an accident increased (p<0.05). In addition, it was determined that children had more accidents in families living in a detached house with a garden and heating with a stove (p<0.05). The mean score of the mothers in the study group from the "Scale for Diagnosing the Safety Measures of Mothers for Home Accidents in Children aged 0-6 years" was 70.36±13,732 (min:40, max:111). As the education level of the mother increased, if the mother did not work in an income-generating job, if the mother was divorced or her spouse died, and if she perceived her economic situation as good, the scores of the mothers from the scale were found to be significantly higher in families living in an apartment as a house type (p<0.05). As a result, it has been determined that approximately one third of 0-6 year old children have had a home accident, and it has been observed that the mother primarily responsible for the care of the children, the other people who care for the child, the place where the family lives, the home characteristics affect the child's accident status. It is important to raise awareness about child accidents by educating all people who care for the child, especially mothers who play an active role in the care of the child. Keywords: Home accident, injury, 0-6 year old child, mother