Assessment of home hazards for non-fatal childhood injuries in rural Nepal: a community survey

Abstract

BackgroundUnintentional injuries in and around the home are important causes of preventable death and disability among young children globally. In Nepal, there is a lack of data regarding home injuries and home hazards to guide the development of effective interventions for preventing childhood home injuries. This study aimed to determine the burden of unintentional home injuries in children <5 years in rural Nepal and quantify the injury hazards in their homes.MethodsA survey was conducted in 740 households in rural areas of the Makwanpur district during February and March 2015. The primary carer reported home injuries which occurred in the previous 3 months and data collector observation identified the injury hazards. Injury incidence, mechanism and the proportion of households with different hazards were described. Multivariable logistic regression explored associations between the number and type of home hazards and injuries.ResultsInjuries severe enough to need treatment, or resulting in non-participation in usual activities for at least a day, were reported in 242/1042 (23.2%) children <5 years. The mean number of injury hazards per household was 14.98 (SD=4.48), range of 3–31. Regression analysis found an estimated increase of 31% in the odds of injury occurrence associated with each additional injury hazard found in the home (adjusted OR 1.31; 95% CI 1.20 to 1.42).ConclusionsA high proportion of young children in rural Nepal sustained injuries severe enough to miss a day of usual activities. Increased frequency of hazards was associated with an increased injury risk.

Perceptions of injury risk in the home and workplace in Nepal: a qualitative study

“… 20 A household survey that assessed home hazards for child injury in rural Nepal found that 98% of households did not have protective railings on stairs, more than 80% of households had no window bars, and 50% of households lacked a protective barrier on their balconies. 21 Similar to the findings from Bangladesh, the study participants perceived financial constraints to be one of the barriers to prevention of home injuries. 22 …”

“…For example, open fires for cooking was unsafe 25 and the majority of households (61%) in rural areas of Nepal had chemicals or fertilisers within the reach of children. 21 …”

Behavioural and environmental risk factors for household injuries: semistructured interviews with health professionals and mothers in Iran

“…Another report revealed that 97% of families left their prescribed medicine unattended,25 which is a tell-tale sign of total negligence. A Nepalese study demonstrated that 98% of families have not installed handrails, 80% do not use window guards, and half of the families have not installed a balcony guard 26. Unsafe living space, insufficient supervision and lack of safety education were also found to be primary determinants 2…”

Development and Evaluation of a Community Surveillance Method for Estimating Deaths Due to Injuries in Rural Nepal

“…Development of the death notification form and fatal injury questionnaire was informed by data collection tools published by the World Health Organisation (WHO, Geneva, Switzerland) for verbal autopsies [13] and drew on the experience of conducting two community-based household injury surveys in Nepal between 2011 and 2016 [17,18]. We consulted researchers at the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh (CIPRB, Dhaka, Bangladesh) to learn from their experience of conducting a verbal autopsy study of maternal deaths [19].…”