TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - Unintentional head injury in children less than 3 years of age: an insight into safety practices in a developing country
JO  - Pediatric neurosurgery
A1  - Waqas, Muhammad
A1  - Jooma, Rashid
SP  - 306
EP  - 312
VL  - 52
IS  - 5
N2  - Being dependent on caretakers for their safety, children under the age of 3 years are particularly vulnerable to unintentional injury. To identify the circumstances and consequences of head injury in this age group and to assess preventability in a setting of low parental educational levels, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of children less than 3 years of age admitted to hospital with a head injury and in addition categorized the degree of preventability of injury. This study included 109 children, representing a third of head-injured children under the age of 16 years, and 23.4% of these were infants. A significant proportion of head injuries, i.e., 20.18%, were designated "serious" and there was an in-hospital mortality rate of 7.3%. Most of the injuries (80%) occurred in the home and 76% could have been prevented through improved parental supervision and safety measures. We conclude that, in a setting of low maternal education, head injuries in preschoolers largely result from a lack of diligence of the caretakers, presenting opportunities for prevention strategies via a multidimensional approach that integrates safety information into the preexisting national health programs.<br><br>© 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1016-2291
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1159/000479282
ID  - ref1
ER  -