A study on prevalence of domestic accidents in a rural community

Abstract

Background: Domestic accidents are worldwide health problems. Domestic accidents have not so far been recognized to the same extent as traffic and work-related injuries, largely because they have not been effectively counted. Very few studies are available regarding domestic accidents in India, and there is no study available from the rural areas. Hence the present study was undertaken with an aim to assess the prevalence of domestic accidents in a rural community. Aim & Objective: To assess the prevalence of domestic accidents in a rural community. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the rural field practice area of Katuri Institute of Medical Sciences, Guntur. Totally 5419 individuals were selected from 30 clusters using Cluster Sampling Technique. In each cluster, 178 individuals (some clusters had more than 178 individuals) were surveyed by house-to-house visit. Information about domestic accidents among the family members in the past one year was obtained by interviewing the head of the family or responsible adult informant using a pre-tested structured proforma. The data was compiled and analyzed. Results: Among 5419 individuals, 2748 (50.9%) were males and 2671 (49.1%) were females. Prevalence of domestic accidents in the rural community was found to be 9.6%, majority (21.8%) of domestic accidents are observed in children 1-4 years of age. Most common domestic accidents reported were falls (43.2%). Majority (44.1%) of domestic accidents occurred in the morning hours. Commonest place for occurrence of domestic accidents was kitchen (46.5%). Majority (53.6%) was treated at home and complete recovery was observed in 91.9% of domestic accident cases. Conclusion: The prevalence of domestic accidents in the rural community was 9.6 %. Falls were the most common domestic accidents.