CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

Domestic accidents are accidents that take places at home or in its immediate surrounding contrary to common opinion, home is one of the most dangerous places in which injuries occurred. (Sirohi et Al 2015).

Accident is defined as an accidental and unplanned event or circumstances which occur unintentionally. (WHO 2014).

Gravity (2013) defined domestic accident as accident that are in the home and home premises occurring to occupants, guest and trespasser.

Schanger (1995) also defined domestic accidents as accident that are occurring in and around the home. He says accident are the leading cause of death in children 0_5yrs in the United States.

W.H.O (2012) States that accidents are prominent in mortality rate of all age groups. Domestic accidents are not exception, the age suffering the highest accidents rate at home is 0_5yrs, contrary to common opinion home is one of the most dangerous places were some of the deaths and serious injuries occur at home due to domestic accident than to accidents in street, high ways and school.

1.1:Background

According to Birch (2013) the cause of these domestic accident in children 0_5yrs include objects or articles placed on path ways, faulty electrical appliances, hot water, keeping harmful chemical or solution at the reach of child 0_5yrs.  W.H.O 2014 States that, there are various types of domestic accident, these include, foreign body, ingestion, burns, falls choking, poisoning, drowning just to name a few.

ROSPA (2010), also stated and mentioned that accidental injuries at home are the major health problem throughout the United Kingdom. He continued that these accidental injuries leave many thousands of people permanently disabled or disfigured.

Annually, 830.000 children die due to home accident worldwide, corresponding 2000 child deaths per day. Again, millions of children referred to hospital due to injuries caused by accident resulting in lifelong disabilities (WHO 2014) the accidents are fourth leading cause of death in Europe (HEIDI 2012) and worldwide (Erci et Al 2009, Tanir 2012).

In U.S.A home accident comprised third leading cause of emergency department visits (CDC 2011). In UK,40%of all accidents occur at home and 2.700.000 children are treated due to home accident with 7000deaths annually (ROSPA 2012).in Turkey, home accident with incident of 25% is second leading cause following traffic accident (Kocer 2006).

 The accidents impaired homeostasis of an individual by influence on physical, psychological and social health of children and may cause disease, disability or even deaths, thus accident at childhood are an important public health issue (Cinar/Goar2003,2004).

Accidental injuries to infants and young children are often serious, but can be largely preventable with appropriate information and safety practice. Young children are particularly vulnerable to accidents due to their innate desire to explore their world and inability to the dangers of their actions.  As children learn through experience minor injuries are inevitable but providing a safe environment can reduce the risk, coupled with close Supervision and setting the limits of safety. Parents should remember that they need to maintain a constant balance over protecting the child on one hand and giving him freedom in his process of learning the hazards of his environment (Hossein 2009).

As children lack the capability to protect himself/herself from accident, it is the responsibility of adults to provide safe environment to take protective measure and to audit safety of leaving space of children (Ulukol et Al 2005) .CDC 2014 about 245 children 0_5yrs died at home due to poisoning in Nigeria in the Yoruba state (Canadeko 1983).

In Cameroon, Cameroon Tribune on the 8 of February 2012 stated that the kitchen is said to be the most dangerous place in the house with about 7% of domestic accident involving children 0_5yrs taking place in the kitchen.

1.2:Problem statement

According to the Cameroon Tribune which stated on Thursday January 26/2013 a   39 years old woman arrived at the emergency unit at Yaounde central hospital with a 4yrs old child having burns on the body limbs because the child attempted to carry a pot of boiled water from the kitchen.  Another case of severe burns was witnessed during clinical experience were by a 2yrd old baby girl jumped into a bucket of hot water which her mother wanted to bath her but is not yet mixed with cold water. There was also a pathetic incident that occurred in my neighborhood where a neighbor child of 10mnth fell off from the foundation of the house these was because the mother was busy cleaning the surrounding of the house this child fell on his face and incurred severe bruise and serious nose bleeding.it has also been witnessed and heard of so many incident of domestic accident in the quarter and neighborhood of Mokindi.

It has been noticed that, many children survive accident with physical and mental damage that curtains in long term. The most commonly reported injuries include, head injury, open wound and poisoning. Even effects are long lasting all these injury cause by accident make a large financial outlay for health care organization as well as for families (Abib et Al 2017).In addition, studies conducted in Oman, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Greece and the UK, found that home accidental injuries are also high among children ages less than five years (Kashmiri et Al 2018). Again it has been notice that parents neglect preventive measure that they have put in place to prevent home accident from occurring in their children life, not putting furniture or obstacles on children path, not allowing children to bath by themselves keeping away all chemical substance away from the children this will help prevent children from falls, drowning, burns and poisoning

1.3:Research objective

General objective 

To investigate the knowledge of parents on the causes, effects and prevention of domestic accident.

Specific objective

To determine the knowledge of participants on the causes of domestic accident

To assess the knowledge of participants on the effects of domestic accident

To find out participants knowledge on the prevention of domestic accident in children 0-5yrs

To identify the challenges on the prevention of domestic accident in children

1.4Research Questions

What is the knowledge of parents in Mokindi on domestic accident?

What are the causes of domestic accident in home?

How can these accidents be prevented among 0_5yrs children?

What are the challenges faced with the prevention of home accident in children?