Authors: Silvano Piffer, Antonella D’Alpaos, Sergio Demonti, Claudio Ramponi.
Background: A certain number of domestic accidents involving children can be prevented. The risk factors for domestic accidents include the age and physical and mental abilities of the child and the behaviour and social and cultural characteristics of the parents, especially the mother. The combined use of current information flows can be useful for describing these events and investigating the risk factors.
Methods: Record linkage was performed between records regarding Emergency department admissions for home accidents involving children aged 0-1 year, for the 2014-2016 birth cohorts, and the corresponding Birth Assistance Certificate, which provide detailed information concerning the parents.
Results: Of a total of 1,502 Emergency admissions aged 0-1 year, 842 regarded children in the 2014-2016 birth cohorts; of the latter 791 subjects were resident in the province of Trento. Of these residents, 735 (93%) were linked positively with their Birth Assistance Certificate. The head and face are the parts of the body most commonly injured. The risk of a home accident is higher in the presence of younger parents and a separated/ divorced/widowed mother, whereas an older mother or father constitutes a protective condition. Nationality, schooling and family size are not associated with a higher risk.
Conclusions: Accidents that occur in the home during childhood are usually the result of an interaction between environmental and behavioural factors. Parental skills, associated with age and stressogenic factors connected with the condition of the mother, can play an important role in conditioning the risk of home accidents in childhood.
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