Abstract: Childhood injuries may result in death or significant disability, with significant number of years of
productive life lost to society. In Egypt, the overall prevalence is high among children below the age of 5 years. The
aim of this study was to compare preschool injuries between urban and rural communities in Assiut Governorate.
This cross-sectional comparative research was carried out in Assiut city and surrounding rural areas on 2 groups 200
mothers each, one rural and one urban. An interview questionnaire sheet was designed to collect data regarding
preschool child injuries after pilot testing. Data collection lasted from November 2010 to May 2011. The results
showed similarity in the personal and family characteristics of the two groups with few exceptions as enrollment in
nurseries and parents; education, while the housing conditions were better in urban group. More rural (70.5%) than
urban (58.0%) children experienced injuries (p=0.009). Household injuries were higher in rural (p<0.001), while
street injuries were higher in urban children (p=0.026). Also, more urban children had fractures or dislocations
(p=0.008) and smoke inhalation (p=0.048). The most common injury site in both groups was the extremities. For
first aid, more urban mothers used disinfectants and bandaging (p<0.001), whereas more rural mothers used coffee
(p<0.001) and oven dust (p=0.004). The role of the nurse was more prominent in the urban (65.5%) compared with
rural (21.3%) samples, p<0.001. Mother's job status had significant relation with the occurrence of injuries
(p<0.001). The conclusion is that rural preschool children are more prone to injuries compared to urban ones, and
they have less adequate first aid management. The study recommends improving the level of parents’ education,
especially unemployed mothers regarding household injuries and first aid management. The role of the nurse needs
to be fostered.
[Soad sayed Bayomi and Amal Ahmed Mobarak. Preschool Children Injuries in Rural and Urban Communities
at Assiut Governorate: A Comparative Study. J Am Sci 2013;9(5):203-211]. (ISSN: 1545-1003).
http://www.jofamericanscience.org. 27
Key Words: Child, Injuries, Accidents, First-aid