Childhood unintentional injuries: Supervision and first aid provided

Jonkheijm, Annabel; Zuidgeest, Jenny Johanna Hendrijntje; van Dijk, Monique; van As, Àrjan Bastiaan · 2013 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.4103/0189-6725.125446

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

Get this paper ↗ (DOI — opens at the source; we link to it, we don't host it)

Summary

This study investigates the circumstances surrounding unintentional injuries in children and evaluates the appropriateness of first aid provided by caregivers. Motivated by the high burden of unintentional injuries in Sub-Saharan Africa, where such incidents are a leading cause of death and morbidity for children over five, the research aims to identify gaps in supervision and emergency response. The authors sought to determine how factors like supervision quality and caregiver education influence injury occurrence and initial treatment, addressing a scarcity of detailed data on non-fatal childhood trauma in developing regions. The research was conducted as a prospective study at the Trauma Unit of a hospital in Cape Town, South Africa, over a three-month period in 2011. The study included 313 children aged 0–12 years who presented with unintentional injuries. Caregivers or attendants were interviewed using a structured questionnaire covering injury circumstances, supervision status, and first aid measures. The quality of first aid was retrospectively classified by two researchers and the head of the trauma unit into three categories: appropriate, appropriate but incomplete, or inappropriate. Statistical analyses, including Fisher’s exact test and Kruskal-Wallis test, were used to assess associations between first aid quality and caregiver demographics, such as education and employment status. The results identified falls (39.6%), burns (23.9%), and motor vehicle crashes (10.5%) as the most common injury mechanisms. Supervision was a critical factor; 27.2% of children were supervised by another child under 12, and 7.1% were unattended at the time of injury. First aid was provided in only 43.1% of cases. Among those who received first aid, 53% of interventions were deemed inappropriate or incomplete. Examples of inappropriate care included applying ice, chalk, or eggs to burns and attempting joint reductions. A significant association was found between caregiver education and first aid quality; caregivers with higher educational levels provided more appropriate care, while those with primary education or less frequently provided no aid or inappropriate treatments. Most injuries occurred in or around the home (58.9%) during afternoon hours. The study concludes that unintentional injuries remain a severe threat to child survival, exacerbated by inadequate supervision and poor first aid practices. The findings highlight that lack of appropriate supervision, particularly by young children, increases injury risk. Furthermore, the low rate and poor quality of first aid suggest a critical need for accessible training. The authors recommend implementing mandatory first aid courses for teachers and integrating such training into school curricula. They also advocate for community-based prevention programs to educate parents, especially those with lower educational attainment, on injury risks and proper emergency responses. These measures are essential for reducing the incidence and severity of childhood injuries in resource-limited settings.

Provenance

The full processing record for this entry. Every stage of this paper's journey through the pipeline is logged — what ran, with which tool and model, how many attempts it took, and when it last completed.

Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-26; verification: verified.

Topics

Ranked by relevance to this paper. Hover a topic for its definition.

• child passenger safety