Odendaal W., van Niekerk A., Jordaan E., Seedat M.
University of South Africa, Institute for Social and Health Sciences, MRC-UNISA Crime, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; MRC-UNISA Crime, Violence and Injury Lead Programme, Medical Research Council of South Africa, PO Box 19070, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa; Biostatistics Unit, Medical Research Council of South Africa, PO Box 19070, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa; University of South Africa, Institute for Social and Health Sciences, MRC-UNISA Crime, PO Box 1087, Lenasia 1820, South Africa
Odendaal, W., University of South Africa, Institute for Social and Health Sciences, MRC-UNISA Crime, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg 7505, South Africa; van Niekerk, A., MRC-UNISA Crime, Violence and Injury Lead Programme, Medical Research Council of South Africa, PO Box 19070, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa; Jordaan, E., Biostatistics Unit, Medical Research Council of South Africa, PO Box 19070, Tygerberg, 7505, South Africa; Seedat, M., University of South Africa, Institute for Social and Health Sciences, MRC-UNISA Crime, PO Box 1087, Lenasia 1820, South Africa
Background: The continued high mortality and morbidity rates for unintentional childhood injuries remain a public health concern. This article reports on the influence of a home visitation programme (HVP) on household hazards associated with unintentional childhood injuries in a South African low-income setting. Methods: A randomised controlled trial (n = 211 households) was conducted in a South African informal settlement. Community members were recruited and trained as paraprofessional visitors. Four intervention visits were conducted over 3 months, focusing on child development, and the prevention of burn, poison, and fall injuries. The HVP, a multi-component intervention, included educational inputs, provision of safety devices, and an implicit enforcement strategy. The intervention effect (IE) was measured with a standardised risk assessment index that compared post-intervention scores for intervention and control households. Results: A significant reduction was observed in the hazards associated with electrical and paraffin appliances, as well as in hazards related to poisoning. Non-significant changes were observed for burn safety household practices and fall injury hazards. Conclusions: This study confirmed that a multi-component HVP effectively reduced household hazards associated with electrical and paraffin appliances and poisoning among children in a low-income South African setting. © 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Hazards; Health risks; Paraffin waxes; Paraffins; Risk assessment; Risk management; Home visitation; Multi-component intervention; Paraprofessional home visitors; Randomised controlled trial; Unintentional childhood injuries; Health hazards; adolescent; article; child; child welfare; clinical trial; confidence interval; controlled clinical trial; controlled study; dangerous goods; home accident; human; infant; mortality; newborn; preschool child; professional practice; randomized controlled trial; risk assessment; risk reduction; safety; South Africa; statistics; Accidents, Home; Adolescent; Child; Child Welfare; Child, Preschool; Confidence Intervals; Hazardous Substances; House Calls; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Risk Assessment; Risk Reduction Behavior; Safety; South Africa