Effects of the home environment on unintentional domestic injuries and related health care attendance in infants.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effects of the home environment on unintentional domestic injuries and related health care attendance in infants from deprived families.


METHODS
Ten mechanisms that caused unintentional domestic injury during the first year were investigated in a population-based study of 1-year-old children in southern Brazil. Odds ratios of injury-related health care attendance were estimated by number of injury mechanisms reported. Variation in number of mechanisms (in the whole sample) and odds ratios of care attendance (in children with reported injuries) were estimated for socioeconomic and psychosocial variables.


RESULTS
Among all children (394) 86% had injuries; 10.9% care attendance and 0.5% hospitalisation were reported, and 14.5% presented dental trauma. Injury-related care attendance increased with the number of injury mechanisms (linear trend OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 1.09-1.66). In multivariable linear regression, injury mechanisms increased with the number of home hazards (p = 0.047) and decreased with duration of exclusive breastfeeding (p = 0.039), maternal involvement-responsiveness (p = 0.037) and mother's paid work (p = 0.018). Injury-related health care attendance among children with reported injuries was positively associated with maternal involvement-responsiveness (OR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.11-4.67) and home organization (OR = 2.25, 95% CI = 1.09-4.65).


CONCLUSIONS
Injury control can benefit from policy and practice that improve housing, reduce home hazards and promote breastfeeding, maternal bonds, safety practices and injury care.
de Lourdes Drachler
Maria
M
School of Allied Health Professions, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK. malu.drachler@googlemail.com
de Carvalho Leite
José Carlos
JC
Marshall
Tom
T
Anselmo Hess Almaleh
Carla Maria
CM
Feldens
Carlos Alberto
CA
Vitolo
Márcia Regina
MR
D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007229:Infant Welfare; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012449:Safety; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*