International Journal of Innovative Research and Development

Abstract

This study explored the treatment regimens available for childhood fall-related injuries and the factors contributing to the choice of the regimen. The study is carried out against the background that traditional bone setters (TBS) have wider clientele base and patients with fractures seek health care first from TBS but when there are complications, seek emergency care from allopathic health practitioners.  A cross-sectional descriptive design which used both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection was adopted for the study. A total of 600 respondents and 24 key informants were drawn from 12 out of the 52 communities in the municipality using simple random sampling techniques. It was found that most children (58.3%) suffering from minor fall-related injuries (cuts and scrapes) are treated with menthol-like ointment usually purchased from pharmacy shops. However, many of those with dislocation and fractures are treated by traditional bone setters, with a small number seeking medical care from the hospitals. The socio-demographic variables such as educational background, income, marital status and parity were found to influence the choice of treatment for childhood fall-related injuries. Moreover, there was no clear trend emerging when the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents were analysed.

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Abstract

This study explored the preventive practices among parents / caretakers of children in the New Juaben Municipality of Ghana with the aim of determining the effectiveness of such practices for the sake of providing interventions to reduce the occurrence of such injuries. The cross-sectional descriptive design which employed the quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection was used. Simple random sampling was used to select 600 parents/caretakers from 12 out of the 52 communities in the New Juaben Municipality. It was found that covariates such as not leaving children alone at home (OR 3.216, 95% CI 1.813 to 5.704), keeping matches / lighter out of reach of children (OR 2.806, 95% CI .039 to .160), preventing children from playing at the kitchen (OR 1.806, 95% CI 1.060 to 4.981) and educating children not to play with fire/lighter/matches (OR 1.278, 95% CI .0970 to 3.052) were found to be significant in preventing childhood burns while educating mothers on fire safety practices at home (OR .864, 95% CI .380 to 1.964) was not significant in preventing childhood burns.There is therefore the need for all stakeholders in child protection and welfare to collaborate in designing home-specific safety education campaign targeting the various age groups of children and parents with different socio – demographic backgrounds. 

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