Background: Childhood injury is a neglected public health problem. This study aims to describe the patterns of childhood injury and to determine mothers' Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) towards childhood injury prevention in Lebanon. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited working and non-working mothers of children aged 0-10 years from multiple sites (i.e. medical center, private clinic, healthcare facility, refugee camp) to cover all socioeconomic backgrounds. A self-administrated questionnaire collected data on mothers' KAP toward childhood injuries. We analyzed the data and performed a summation score calculation for KAP correct answers. Results A total of 264 mothers were surveyed and injury data were collected on their 464 children. The prevalence of childhood injury was 20% in the past 12 months, mostly sustained by males (53.8%) aged 5-10 years (38.7%). The most common injury type was fall (48.4%), followed by burns (7.5%) and sports injuries (7.5%). Hospitalized injured children were more likely to be males and older than 5 years. More than one-third of the mothers demonstrated poor knowledge, while the majority showed poor practice (54.4%) and a fair attitude (45.6%) towards child injury prevention. Children of working mothers have 3 times higher odds of sustaining injuries (OR:2.95, 95% CI: 1.60;5.47) compared to those of non-working mothers. Conclusion Childhood injury is a major health problem that overburdens the young population, yet mothers lack preventive knowledge and adequate preparedness. Educational programs are recommended for mothers and caregivers. Further studies are needed to understand the cultural context and identify effective strategies for preventing childhood injuries.
Background Childhood injury is a neglected public health problem with a sizeable burden on children’s well-being and their families. This study aims to describe the pattern and types of childhood injuries and to determine the level of mothers’ Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) towards childhood injury prevention in Lebanon. The study further examines the association between childhood injury occurrence and mothers’ supervision. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited mothers of children aged up to 10 years from multiple sites (i.e., a medical center, a private clinic, a healthcare facility, and a refugee camp clinic). Data were collected on mothers’ KAP toward childhood injuries using self-administrated questionnaires. A summation score for KAP correct answers was calculated and descriptive and statistical analyses were performed to measure the association between the outcomes. Results A total of 264 mothers were surveyed and injury data were collected on their 464 children. The prevalence of childhood injury was 20% in the past 12 months, mostly sustained by males (53.8%) and children aged 5–10 years (38.7%). The most common type of injury was fall (48.4%), followed by burns (%7.5), and sports injuries (7.5%). Hospitalized children were more likely to be males and older than 5 years (p < 0.001). More than one-third of the mothers demonstrated poor knowledge, while the majority showed poor practice (54.4%), and fair attitude (45.6%) towards child injury prevention. Children of working mothers have three times higher odds of sustaining injuries (OR: 2.95, 95% CI: 1.60;5.47) compared to those of non-working mothers, accounting for possible confounders (p = 0.001). Conclusion Childhood injuries represent a major health problem in Lebanon. Findings from this study showed that mothers are less knowledgeable and unprepared to prevent their children from getting injured. Educational programs are much needed to address the gap in the mothers' KAP toward child injury prevention. Further studies are recommended to understand the cultural context and examine its key determinants to identify effective strategies and develop tailored interventions for preventing childhood injuries.
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