Household poisoning exposure among children of Mexican-born mothers: an ethnographic study.
OBJECTIVE
To explore reasons for high rates of unintentional poisoning among Latino children under 5 years old.


METHODS
Ethnographic interviews were carried out using a sample of mothers identified via door-to-door canvassing in an area with documented high injury rates among Latino children. Interviews included many open-ended and follow-up questions to elicit a detailed family history and emphasized observation of conditions and behaviors in the homes.


METHODS
Low-income neighborhoods of Southern California.


METHODS
Fifty mothers born in Mexico with children under 5 years old.


RESULTS
Children were exposed to potential poisoning agents in more than 80% of homes. Contributory factors related to culture included favorable attitudes toward iron as a healthful substance; extensive use of products that lack child-resistant packaging, such as rubbing alcohol and medicines from Mexico; high prevalence of shared housing; limited familiarity with toxic household chemicals not widely used in Mexico; and inability to read warning labels in English.


CONCLUSIONS
Current Poison Control Center outreach efforts should be expanded. Clinicians are uniquely positioned to advise parents about the safe use and storage of toxic substances, including widely used products lacking child-resistant packaging. Medicines should be labeled in Spanish for those who do not know English.
Mull
D S
DS
Pediatric Injury Prevention Research Group, University of California, Irvine 92697-5800, USA. jcmull@apc.net
Agran
P F
PF
Winn
D G
DG
Anderson
C L
CL
D000884:Anthropology, Cultural; D002140:California; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006795:Household Products / Q000506:poisoning*; D006801:Humans; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology*; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*