Many mothers unaware about child burn risk, treatment

February 28, 2018

Many mothers of young children lack knowledge on the biggest burn risks to their little ones and even what age group is most likely to get burned, Australian researchers say.

The study team surveyed almost 500 mothers of young kids in Queensland, and just one third knew the top cause of burns to young children while only one in 10 knew how long the correct treatment should be applied.

“Hot beverage scalds are the leading cause of childhood burns in Australia and many other developed countries,” lead author Jacqueline Burgess said.

“In Australia, hot beverage scalds account for 20 % of all the burns we treat – a figure that has remained constant for the past 15 years,” said Burgess, a researcher at the Center for Children’s Burns and Trauma Research at the University of Queensland in South Brisbane.

About 75 % of these burns occur in children under the age of 24 months, she added. “Our study was undertaken to address this problem.”

The researchers gathered baseline data in advance of testing an app they developed, called Cool Runnings, which is designed to teach burn safety and first aid. Participants were all adult women with at least one child between 5 and 12 months of age at the start of the study. Roughly half of the women were under age 29 and about 40 % were first-time mothers.

Researchers scored the participants’ responses on a 19-item questionnaire that measured overall knowledge of burns, first aid for burns and burn risk factors.

Less than half of the women knew that children ages 6 to 24 months are the group most at risk of hot drink scalds, Burgess said.

“This is the age when motor skills are developing, and mobility, curiosity, and a desire to imitate adults are increasing; however, this age group lacks a sense of danger and awareness, and the ability to withdraw from heated objects and liquids,” she said.

Therefore, parents of this age group need to be particularly vigilant when they are preparing and consuming hot drinks that their hot drink is placed out of reach – at the back of the bench, in the middle of the table, not the edge, she noted.

“It is a good idea to keep young children out of the kitchen altogether with a safety gate so children can’t access all the potential hazards found in the kitchen,” Burgess said.

Applying 20-minutes of cool running water to a burn (any type of burn) is the best first aid treatment, resulting in less pain, reduced burn depth, shorter hospital stays and faster healing time, she added.

“This treatment is beneficial up to three hours after the burn occurs. Cool the burn but make sure the child doesn’t get too cold. This treatment is fairly readily available, is free, and is the best treatment you can apply.”

While 94 % of mothers knew to cool a burn with water only, just 10 % realized they should do it for a full 20 minutes, the researchers report in Injury Prevention.

The only two factors that seemed to predict whether mothers knew the correct first aid for a burn were training and smoking status – mothers who were smokers tended to score poorly in this category, and mothers who had undergone first aid training in the past 12 months tended to do better than the rest.

The Cool Runnings app was developed to test the efficacy of a smartphone to deliver an injury prevention campaign, Burgess said.

“Specifically, mothers who downloaded the app were able to learn about burn risks and burn first aid by viewing a variety of content – animations, videos and infographics.”

In the trial of the researchers’ app, participants were also rewarded for their engagement with the app. “Each time mothers viewed content, answered pop quizzes, etc., they were awarded points. These points could then be redeemed for tangible prizes such as movie vouchers and supermarket vouchers.”

Burgess and her colleagues plan to publish results of that trial in a separate study. But she noted that mothers who were active on the app showed a significant improvement in burn risk and first aid knowledge at the end of the intervention period. That suggests this method of delivering injury prevention messages is effective in changing participants’ knowledge, Burgess said.

(HCA)


Subscribe to Get the Latest Updates from HCA  Please click here

Tags: ,

Category: Education, Features

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to HCA for exclusive updates

Top Viewed News

12 simple steps to a healthy lifestyle

12 simple steps to a healthy lifestyle

Now that the world has returned to normalcy following the pandemic, everyone is back to their daily routines and encounters with stress... Read More

AZBIL: Envisioning the Future of Hospitals

AZBIL: Envisioning the Future of Hospitals

As we strive to be the hospital of choice, why not refine our commitment to excellence beyond the pivotal mission of saving lives?... Read More

Study Unlocks Key Findings on Asian Carriers of Breast Cancer

Study Unlocks Key Findings on Asian Carriers of Breast Cancer

Malaysian researchers at Cancer Research Malaysia (CRMY) and the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) have published... Read More

 Unmasking the Risks of Mercury-Laden Cosmetics

Unmasking the Risks of Mercury-Laden Cosmetics

As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and thus subjective; but in some countries, the ideal of beauty begins... Read More

5 key hospital etiquettes to be mindful of when visiting a sick patient

5 key hospital etiquettes to be mindful of when visiting a sick patient

In moments of illness, the presence of loved ones can comfort and support. However, it’s important for visitors... Read More

Free counters!

2025 – 2026 Exhibitions



2025 Events


9-11 July
Medical Device Development (MEDIX) – Osaka
Makuhari Messe, Japan
www.manufacturing-world.jp


14-16 July
Lab Asia
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Malaysia
www.lab-asia.com


16-18 July
Medlab Asia | Asia Health
Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur
www.medlabasia.com


24 July
Medlab Asia | Asia Health
Singapore
www.conversationaltechsummitasia.com


13-15 August
Philippines Medical
SMX Convention Center Manila Philippines
www.philmedical.com


21-23 August
REHACARE China
Suzhou, China
www.rehacare-c.com


21-23 August
Medical Fair China
Suzhou, China
www.medicalfair.cn


3-5 September
Thailand Lab International
BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand
www.thailandlab.com


3-5 September
Bio Ap International
BITEC, Bangkok
www.bioapinter.com


9-12 September
China Dental Show
National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)
www.chinadentalshow.com


10-11 September
Hospital Management Asia
Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.hospitalmanagementasia.com


10-12 September
Medical Fair Thailand
BITEC, Bangkok
www.medicalfair-thailand.com


10-12 September
GITEX Digi Health & Biotech Thailand
BITEC, Bangkok
www.www.gitexdigihealth.com


11-13 September
Bio Asia Pacific
BITEC, Bangkok
www.bioasiapacific.com


16-18 September
OSH India
Hall-6, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Goregaon (E)
www.oshindia.com


24-26 September
Medtec China
Shanghai, China
www.en.medtecchina.com


7-9 October
Malaysia Pharma and Healthcare Expo
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.mphcexpo.com


9-11 October
Medical Japan Tokyo
Makuhari Messe, Japan
www.medical-jpn.jp


17-19 October
Health Asia
BITEC, Bangkok
www.health-asia.com


17-19 October
Health Asia
BITEC, Bangkok
www.health-asia.com


29-30 October
United Medical Expo
Astana, Kazakhstan
www.umtexpo.com


7-8 November
Eldercare Exhibition and Conference Asia (ELDEX Asia)
Suntex Singapore Exhibition and Convention Centre
www.eldexasia.com


10-12 November
Saudi International Pharma Expo
Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center
www.saudipharmaexpo.com


10-12 November
Saudi International MedLab Expo
Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center
www.saudimedlabexpo.com


27-29 November
International Wellness Expo (IWE 2025)
METIC, Malaysia
www.internationalwellnessexpo.com


27-29 November
Vietnam Medi-Pharm
Friendship Cultural Palace , Hanoi
www.vietnammedipharm.vn


2026 Events


9-12 Febuary
Arab Health
Dubai World Trade Centre
www.arabhealthonline.com


15-17 April
Lab Indonesia
Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, Indonesia
www.lab-indo.com


28-30 April
SEACare
MITEC, KL
wwww.ea-healthcare.com


6-7 May
HealthTechX Asia
Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore
www.healthtechx-asia.com


4-6 June
International Health Industry Expo
China
www.ihe-china.com


16-18 June
CPhI China
SNIEC, Shanghai, China
www.cphi.com


25-27 June
Medical Taiwan
Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Taipei, Taiwan
www.medicaltaiwan.com.tw


9-11 September
Medical Fair Asia
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
www.medicalfair-asia.com


9-11 September
Medical Manufacturing Asia
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
www.medmanufacturing-asia.com


1-2 October
GITEX Vietnam
Hanoi
www.gitexasia.com