Evaluation of The Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors of Mothers with Children Aged 0-6 About Home Accidents

Özet (Abstract)

Objective: Preventing accidents is an important part of preventive health services. This study aimed to evaluate attitudes and behaviors of mothers with 0-6 year old children in Karabük Center about home accidents. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 204 mothers with 0-6 year old children who applied to Karabük Training and Research Hospital Family Medicine Polyclinic and Family Health Centers in Karabük Center between 01.07.2024 and 31.12.2024. A 69-question questionnaire was applied to the participants. In order to determine the participants' knowledge levels of safety precautions, the "Scale for Identifying Mothers' Safety Precautions for Home Accidents in 0-6 year old children" was applied which was developed by Çınar and Görak. The mean safety precautions diagnosis scale scores of mothers for children aged 0-6 were calculated as 68.32 (±18.61) and the median was 67 (40-134). Results: The most common home accidents seen in children were falling from heights (11.33%) and falling on slippery ground (4.93%). The rate of accidents such as taking medication, drinking corrosive substances and swallowing foreign objects was determined as 1.48%. Less common accidents include burns on the stove (0.99%) and boiling material spills (0.99%). Conclusion: This study emphasizes the importance of environmental safety measures taken to reduce the risk of children aged 0-6 being exposed to home accidents and educational programs aimed at increasing parents' knowledge and also more comprehensive strategies should be developed to increase the general security culture of both families and society.