title: Risk factors of burns among children in Mongolia.
abstract: Burn is one of the leading causes of under-5 childhood injuries. Identification of risk factors and awareness level of caregivers could help reduction of burn-related morbidity. The objectives of this study were to identify general perceptions of risk factors of childhood burns, prevalence of burns among under-five Mongolian children, and to assess knowledge and practice of burn care and care seeking behaviors for care givers of those children. A household-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from September to October 2010 including 865 households with 1154 under-5 children. Data were collected by face-to-face interview using semi-structured questionnaire. Of total 1154 children, 291 (25.2%) had burn injury in their life-time. Above half of them had suffered a scald. Majority of burns occurred at home and urban children were at higher risk. The age up to 36 months, boys, and fewer children (<3) in the household were found as significant risk factors for childhood burns. Caregivers' knowledge and practices on childhood burns were generally insufficient; most of them indicated the importance of physical environment at home. We concluded that burns were common among under-5 children, and caregivers' knowledge and practices on burns was inadequate. Specific interventions like "Caregivers education program" encouraging safe domestic environmental conditions should be undertaken to increase their awareness on burn-related issues to reduce childhood burns in Mongolia.
authors.affiliation: Young Leaders' Program in Healthcare Administration, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai-Cho, Nagoya 466-8550, Japan. khandaa_ts@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Tseren-Ochir
authors.initials: TO
authors.lastname: Khandarmaa
authors.forename: Md
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harun-Or-Rashid
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D002056:Burns / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008986:Mongolia / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors