University of South Africa, Institute for Social and Health Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa; Medical Research Council, MRC-UNISA Crime, Violence and Injury Lead Programme, PO Box 19070, Tygerberg 7505 Cape Town, South Africa
Munro, S.-A., University of South Africa, Institute for Social and Health Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa; van Niekerk, A., Medical Research Council, MRC-UNISA Crime, Violence and Injury Lead Programme, PO Box 19070, Tygerberg 7505 Cape Town, South Africa; Seedat, M., University of South Africa, Institute for Social and Health Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa
Background: Investigations into the context and causation of injury, including injury risks, are an essential part of the injury prevention knowledge base. Caregiver perceptions of childhood injury risks may assist in the design of safety interventions and influence the way in which an intervention is received within a community. Methods: Focus groups and individual interviews were conducted in two low-income neighbourhoods in South Africa to collect information on caregiver perceptions of injury risks. The data were analysed via thematic content analysis. Results: The results revealed that injury risks are perceived as multifaceted and as contributing synergistically to an injury event. Parents of children also tended to attribute most risks to the environment instead of individual action. Conclusions: Interventions including passive strategies and less activity from the parent may be welcomed in communities. Attention should be given to child injury prevention methods specifically for low-income contexts. © 2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
accident prevention; accidental injury; adult; article; caregiver; child; child safety; childhood injury; community; content analysis; controlled study; data analysis; environment; female; human; information processing; interview; knowledge base; lowest income group; parent; perception; priority journal; South Africa; thematic analysis; Accidental Falls; Accidents, Traffic; Adult; Attitude to Health; Burns; Caregivers; Child; Child Behavior; Child Development; Female; Heating; Humans; Internal-External Control; Middle Aged; Parenting; Parents; Poisoning; Risk Factors; Socioeconomic Factors; Wounds and Injuries