Knowledge and Attitude of Mothers regarding Home Accident among Under-Five Children

Abstract

 

Introduction: The growth of child is always a matter of great concern to the parents. Children are at windows of vulnerability for childhood accidents, because of ignorance of child care, and inadequate knowledge about prevention of accidents. Aim: To assess the knowledge and attitude regarding prevention of common childhood accidents among mothers of under-five children in selected rural areas Methodology: Adopting a research approach, the sample consisting of 40 mothers of under-five children was selected by non-probability convenience sampling technique. The study was conducted at the rural area of Shimla. The data was collected by interview and by using a structured interview schedule on knowledge and attitude scores on prevention of common childhood accidents among urban and rural mothers of under-five children. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis such as unpaired ‘t’ test. Findings: The study revealed that in rural area, majority (28 (70%)) of the mothers of under-five children had inadequate knowledge, and 12 (30%) had moderately adequate knowledge. In urban area, majority (23 (57.5%)) of mothers of under-five children had favorable attitude and 17 (42.5%) had moderately favorable attitude. In rural area, majority (30 (75%)) of mothers of under-five children had favorable attitude and 10 (25%) had moderately favorable attitude. The comparison of level of knowledge shows that there was no significant difference in rural mothers of under-five children, while regarding attitude, it shows that there was a significant difference between knowledge and attitude of rural mothers of under-five children. Conclusion: The study concludes that more number of rural mothers of under-five children have inadequate knowledge. As regards attitude scores, more number of rural mothers had favorable attitude. It indicates that there is a need to improve the knowledge levels and attitude scores of mothers of under-five children regarding prevention of common childhood accidents in rural areas.