Everyday Life Injuries among Children Under 6 Years Old: Accident or Neglect?

Abstract

Injuries related to everyday accidents are very common in children and are the main reasons for hospitalization in pediatric surgery. They have similarities with neglect. The main objective is to assess the frequency and circumstances of the occurrence of unintentional accidents in children under 6 years old. The secondary objective is to specify the associated factors and eventually determine if those accidents can be related to neglect. Material and methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out at Pediatric Surgical Emergencies Department of Rabat Children's Hospital in 2017. Results: We identified 363 cases of unintentional accidents. The variables were collected on questionnaire. 155 children were aged 6 and under. The median age was 2, 83 years with a predominance of boys (56%). Children over 2 years old were the most affected (55.48%). Low and middle-income families dominated socio-demographic factors. The mothers in almost half of the cases never went to school. In 65.4% of cases, an adult was present during the accident, often the mother (62%). The lesions involved the limbs (64%) and the head (47%). Hospitalization was 24 hours (60.8%). There was no complication in 96.8% of cases. Some risk factors associated with unintentional accidents are also found in negligence.