Domestic Accidents of Children in the Orodara District of Burkina Faso: Mothers' Knowledge of First-Aid Practices

Abstract

First-aid practices after a domestic accident are not always known, especially in Africa. This study aimed to measure mothers' knowledge of emergency procedures and attitudes in the event of domestic accidents in children. We conducted a cross-sectional study in the Orodara health district, Kénédougou province, Burkina Faso, among mothers of children aged 0-14 years. The dependent variable was the mothers' knowledge of domestic accident first-aid practices, and the independent variables were the sociodemographic characteristics of the households and the mothers. Determinants were identified using linear regression with a threshold of 5%. A total of 798 mothers were surveyed. The mean knowledge score was 6.9 (standard deviation = 1.5) out of 19. Upon our multivariate analysis, the factors associated with the mothers' knowledge about first-aid practices were the mothers' age, the number of children under 14 years old living in the same household, the household size, the score for knowledge of non-recommended attitudes, the mothers' level of education, and the place of residence. This study showed that awareness campaigns, especially in rural areas, seem important in improving mothers' knowledge of first-aid practices in domestic accidents and, therefore, reducing the morbidity and mortality associated with domestic accidents.

Keywords: children; domestic accidents; factors associated; knowledge; mothers.

Figure 1

Extraction from the Burkinabe image box on domestic accidents [21] (printed with permission of the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene of Burkina Faso). Translation: Question 1: “What do you see?” Reply: First image: a woman who introduces a finger in her child’s mouth to induce vomiting. On her side is a bottle of bleach. All crossed out with a red cross. Second image: a bottle of oil and bowl of milk. All crossed out with a red cross. Question 2: “What do these images mean?” These images show what one should not do in the event of intoxication. Key messages: In the event of intoxication, do not induce vomiting or make the child drink oil, milk, egg yolk, or any other liquid.