Developmental and social factors in Nigerian children's accidents

Abstract

Accidents to children are discussed in terms of developmental and social factors in Nigeria. The types of accidents involving children and age trends in accident incidence are reported. Physical, perceptual, cognitive and social development are discussed. Social factors identified are family variables, the physical environment, and attitudes and folk beliefs.

PIP: Accidents cause numerous deaths of children. In Europe, accidents are the main cause of death under 15 years of age making up about one-half of all mortality among them according to 1980 WHO data. In Nigeria, parasitic infections, communicable diseases, and nutritional disorders rank first, but accidents do cause high morbidity with common admissions into major hospitals. The causes are similar: domestic accidents in Nigeria include falls, cuts, insertions of foreign objects, burns, poisonings, and nail punctures. The highest number of accidents occurred in the 1-4 year urban age group and in 5-9 year old rural children. Early school-age children (3-6 years) often have falls, cuts, burns, concussions, and poisonings. 10-14 year olds frequently have cuts and falls. Developmental factors influence accidents as up to 8 months of age the child had limited mobility. In Nigeria, infants are carried in the mother's back, a custom that helps reduce accidents. Children are slow to perceive movement in the peripheral vision field. Cognitive development also features in the sense that despite good perception of danger their comprehension of consequences is wrong. Culture-medicated interpretation of hazards also distort comprehension. Boys are more often involved in domestic accidents than girls in Nigeria. 5-9 year old girls are more frequently victims of road accidents possibly because of selling food at roadside. Social contributors to accidents include overcrowding and poverty. Rural-urban differences may be rooted in the extended family and rural women's ability to supervise children. Supervision of siblings by children aged 6 or more often causes accidents. Poisonings from household drugs and burns from kerosene stoves are also frequent. Superstition imputing accidents to evil forces is pervasive accounting for the failure of some prevention programs.