Home accident prevalence and related factors in children between 0-5 years old admitted to dokuz Eylul University Child Health and Diseases Hospital in İzmir City center

Background and Aim: Accidents have become an increasingly important cause of child deaths in both developed and developing countries. Accidents appear as the sixth cause of child deaths in our country, where home accidents occupy an important place. In this study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of home accidents and related factors among children 5 years of age and younger. Materials and Methods: A prospective, single-center, descriptive-analytical study was conducted between 1 January 2020 and 31 March 2020. 338 children were included in the research; a questionnaire, including 49 questions and prepared to determine the features of the children participated in the research and the frequency which these children are exposed to home accidents, was used. Questionnaire was developed by the researcher by scanning the resources upon the subject. Data were obtained from a face to face interview made with the volunteer. Research was begun after the approval was taken from Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Medicine, Clinical Researches Ethics Committee. Results: The incidence of accidents in the last month is 30,5%. The frequency of home accidents for girls and boys over the past month was similar. When analyzed by gender, there was no significant difference in the rates of having an accident between boys and girls. The median age of children who had a home accident in the past month was signigficantly higher than those who did not have a home accident (36 months, 30 months, p = 0.034). In children between 0-12 months, the rates of having a home accident in the last month and in the past year were found to be statistically lower than in other age groups. The most common accident type in children is fall (88.3%), the most common place is the living room-hall (62.1%), home accidents occur most frequently (32%) between 1600-1959 hours and the most common head and neck injuries (37.9%) were observed. In our study, complete recovery was observed in 97.1% of the children who had a home accident. There was no statistically significant difference in the maternal age groups, education levels, working conditions, home accident types and general accident rate (p> 0,05). Discussion: Unintentional injury in the home is a significant problem. Furthermore, it is recommended that parents be trained during pediatric follow-up visits on the risk factors for accidents and methods for child-proofing their homes in an effort to protect their children. Keywords: 0-5 years, child, household accidents, injury