title: "But they can't reach that high...": parental perceptions and knowledge relating to childhood poisoning.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Preventing childhood poisoning is an important injury-control priority, requiring a multi-strategy approach. However, there remains a wide void between what is recommended by prevention programs and the evidence, and what is acted upon in the day-to-day family environment. This paper seeks to probe behind aspects of this void by examining parental perceptions in relation to childhood poisoning within a Health Belief Model framework.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected through telephone interviews from 200 randomly selected Western Australian parents/guardians of children aged 0-4 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The uptake of poisoning prevention strategies was associated with the perceived susceptibility and seriousness of poisoning from different common household products. In particular, those products considered most fatally poisonous (workshop/garden chemicals) and a common cause of childhood poisoning were the most likely to be locked up and kept out of reach of children. Conversely, over-the-counter medicines were not considered by the majority of parents as fatally poisonous or as a common cause of poisoning, and were less likely to be locked up and placed out of reach. However, such medicines are the most common cause of unintentional childhood poisoning.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that perceptions of susceptibility and seriousness need to be targeted as part of efforts to encourage parents to reduce household risks of childhood poisoning. This is particularly warranted in relation to those common household products (e.g. medicines) where there is a misperception of lower likelihood of serious poisoning occurring.
authors.affiliation: School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, School of Population Health, University of Western Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: Melita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leeds
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wicks
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006795:Household Products; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D011041:Poisoning / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D011042:Poisons; D018570:Risk Assessment
chemical_list: D011042:Poisons