PA Musayeva, F Orhon

Abstract

Purpose: Little is known about the impact of the pandemic curfew and changes in families' daily routines on childhood home injuries. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of home injuries in children during pandemic and to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of mothers about injury prevention. Methods: The study was conducted between August 2020 and November 2020. Children aged 9 months to 6 years old and their mothers who appealed for child health follow-up were participated the study. Mothers filled a demographic and injury history questionnaire and a scale about safety precautions by face-to-face interviews. Results: The mean age of the 300 children was 39.48 months. 20.3% (n=61) before the pandemic and 28% (n=84) during the pandemic had experienced at least one home injury (p=0.033). There was an increase in the number of falls on slippery surfaces, injuries with sharp objects, poisoning and foreign body aspiration in both genders. Children who did not have injuries at home during the pandemic more often lived in large families. The rate of injuries without supervision increased by two times during the pandemic period. Mothers who got information about home injuries took more measures for home injuries. Conclusions: Our study is considered the first study for examining the effects of pandemic lockdown on the state of having a home injury in this period. The findings show the existence of a temporal relationship between the pandemic period and injuries at home and emphasize the importance of parental education on home safety.