Incidence and Causes of Home Accidents at Ankara Cigiltepe Apartments in Turkey

Abstract

This is a 3-month prospective study aimed at determining the incidence and causes of home accidents in an Ankara military staff resident with 637 households. The study also determined risk factors in the home environment and the families' need of health education. Of all families, 1.5% were exposed to home accidents and the incidence of home accidents was found to be 0.104/person/years. Among the accidents, falls were most common at 44%, whereas cuts constituted 22% and burns 19%. About one quarter of the interventions made by mothers for epistaxis and poisoning (by gasoline, acetone and bleach) were found to aggravate the problems, whereas three quarters of the adults came up with practicable solutions. Well-educated mothers acted better than mothers with less schooling. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.