@article{ref1,
title="Knowledge and attitudes in first aid practices for thermal burns: a cross-sectional study among adults in northern Greece",
journal="Materia socio-medica",
year="2023",
author="Papachristodoulou, Vasiliki and Tripsianis, Gregory and Constantinidis, Theodoros C. and Kakagia, Despoina D.",
volume="35",
number="3",
pages="228-233",
abstract="BACKGROUND: Burns are a major cause of morbidity, including prolonged hospitalization, disfigurement, disability, and emotional trauma. Long-term absence from work and high healthcare costs for burn treatment have a significant socio-economic impact. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: his study aims to evaluate the level of knowledge for burn management in the adult population of Thrace in Northern Greece and to determine factors associated with a better level of knowledge. <br><br>METHODS: A questionnaire-based cross-sectional study was conducted οn a random sample of the adult population of Thrace. Data were collected using a structured pre-coded questionnaire, which included subjects' socio-demographic characteristics and the first aid practices for burns. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the effect of subjects' characteristics on their knowledge of burn first aid practices. <br><br>RESULTS: A total of 711 subjects (49.6% males; mean age, 41.89±16.48 years) were included in the study. The incidence of a previous burn was 55.4%. Only 10.5% of the subjects would apply the optimal practice, consisting of rinsing the burn wound with cool running water for at least 10 minutes, applying only non-adhesive dressing on it and leaving the blisters intact. The optimal practice was independently associated with female gender (aOR=1.86, p=0.016), high education level (aOR=2.00, p=0.023), the presence of >3 children (aOR=2.27, p=0.009) and previous training in first aid (aOR=2.36, p=0.001). A large number of participants reported the application of toothpaste (38%), moisturizer (35.4%), aloe (31.8%) or yogurt (27.7%) to the burn surface. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Only a small proportion of the participants were aware of the optimal burn first aid practices, most of them female, of high socioeconomic status. We recommend a more targeted approach in the design of health campaigns in the future, in order to reach vulnerable parts of the population.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="1512-7680",
doi="10.5455/msm.2023.35.228-233",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.5455/msm.2023.35.228-233"
}