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. 2025 Aug 26;15(1):31475.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-00718-8.

Knowledge, attitude, and factors associated with household chemical safety practices among caregivers of children in Kampala, Uganda

Trophy Akello  1   2 , Doreen Nakalembe  1   2 , Jovan Galiwango  1   2 , Aisha Nalugya  1   2 , Junior Mike Wejuli  1   2 , Bridget Nagawa Tamale  1   2 , Winnie K Kansiime  1 , Joana Nakiggala  1   2 , Richard K Mugambe  1   2 , John Bosco Isunju  1   2 , Tonny Ssekamatte  3   4
Affiliations

Knowledge, attitude, and factors associated with household chemical safety practices among caregivers of children in Kampala, Uganda

Trophy Akello et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Although household chemical products (HCPs) pose adverse health risks to young children, there is limited evidence of caregivers' knowledge, attitudes, and chemical safety practices. Yet, caregivers have the primary role of ensuring children's safety, health, and well-being. Therefore, this mixed-methods sequential explanatory study assessed knowledge, attitude, and chemical safety practices among 385 caregivers in Kampala, Uganda. Although caregivers exhibited favourable attitudes towards chemical safety, they did not understand exposure routes and steps taken when a child gets exposed to HCPs. Caregivers who knew that household chemical poisoning was preventable (β: 1.154, 95%CI 0.517-1.791), those who agreed that it was essential to check labels for warnings and instructions before using HCPs (β: 1.328, 95%CI 0.742-1.916), those who believed it was necessary to have proper ventilation when using HCPs (β: 0.970, 95%CI 0.410-1.530) and those with confidence in effectively responding to a chemical poisoning emergency (β: 1.018, 95% CI 0.468-1.569) had higher practice scores compared to their counterparts who did not. This study illustrates the importance of knowledge and a favourable attitude in fostering better household chemical safety practices among caregivers. Achieving household chemical safety will be difficult without focusing interventions on knowledge and attitude.

Keywords: Caregiver; Chemical poisoning; Chemical safety; Household.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethical approval: This study followed the Declaration of Helsinki. The study obtained ethical approval from the Makerere University School of Public Health Research Ethics Committee (SPH-2023-534) and administrative clearance from each selected cell’s Kampala City Health Office and the Local Council chairpersons. Research assistants obtained written informed consent from all the study participants. Participants voluntarily participated, and the selection process upheld the principles of respect, beneficence, and justice.

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