ABSTRACT

Determining the types of home injuries observed with children between ages 0 to 5, factors that lead to these injuries, and attitudes and behaviors of families in preventing these injuries.

A questionnaire composed of 47 questions was employed for 500 families with children aged between 0 and 5 who visited the Ankara Research and Training Hospital between April and June in 2009.

248 (49.6%) of the participants indicated that their children had had a home injury. 129 of the children (52.1%) were male. The risk of a home injury increased as the age of parents decreased, number of siblings increased, socioeconomic level decreased (especially with those families who live in illegally built houses), and the size of the family increased. The most frequent types of home injuries were falling and slipping, and of those injured, 56% and 60.4% were hospitalized. There was a statistically signifi cant diff erence between the types of injuries in terms of hospitalization ratios. In the families of children who had injuries, it was determined that incorrect behaviors and attitudes are more often seen in mothers who have a low level of education.

The risk of home injury increases especially with the decrease in parental ages. Because of this, we consider that the risk of home injuries could decrease with education given to families, especially those who visit polyclinics.

Keywords: Home accident, children, mother education