title: The effects of habitual negligence among families with respect to pediatric burns.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this study, scald burns in a Turkish population (0-16 years of age) were studied with reference to their occurrence and common causes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Of the burn victims hospitalized at the Burns Unit of Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital between April 2001 and December 2003, 354 patients were aged 3 months to 16 years and 228 (64.4%) were male.
  
  
  RESULTS
  When burn causes were examined, scald burns were the primary type, reported in 77.7% (275) of the patients (p < 0.001). Scalds were the most frequent burn agents in the pediatric population. Tea is a traditional beverage in Turkey. It is consumed especially at breakfast and throughout the day until late at night. Tea in Turkey is steeped and brewed for consumption. As brewing and steeping is a time-consuming process and the tea is served hot, the appropriate level of care regarding the hot tea is neglected. Consequently, tea carries a serious potential to cause burns in this country. Of the scalded children, 93 scald burns (33.8%) were due to the tea itself or to the boiling water used in steeping tea, and 87.1% of these children were preschoolers. The mortality rate was 7.1% in the hospitalized children group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Traditional behaviors may sometimes have some serious unexpected consequences. In households where family members tend to ignore an ongoing problem, governmental and non-governmental organizations should consider taking preventive measures to protect the children from the devastating consequences of such negligence.
authors.affiliation: Burn Unit of Ankara Numune Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erhan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Ahmet Cinar
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Yasti
authors.forename: Ramazan Saygin
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Kerimoğlu
authors.forename: Mete
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dolapçi
authors.forename: Mutlu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Doğanay
authors.forename: Nuri Aydin
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Kama
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D013662:Tea; D014421:Turkey
chemical_list: D013662:Tea