A study on the prevalence of accidents among under-five children in an Urban field practice area of Mysuru

Background: The World Health Organization defines “Accidents as an unexpected and an unintended event causing physical and mental injuries.” In many developing countries, injuries due to accidents are one of the major causes of deaths among under-five children. In India, 15%–20% deaths among children are due to injury according to the National Crime Bureau. Objectives: To determine the frequency and prevalence of accidents among the under-five children and to identify the risk factors associated with accidents. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted using probability proportionate to size sampling technique in the urban field practice area of JSS Medical College, Mysuru. Based on the reported prevalence of 46.3% of childhood injuries, a total sample size of 438 was obtained. Data related to sociodemographic characteristics, risk factors, and injury profile were collected by interviewing parents who had children less than 5 years. Analysis was done using SPSS V.25. Results: Majority (60.8%) of the caretakers had male children. The prevalence of accidents among under-five was 22.1%. Fall (68%) was the common type of accident. 55.7% of the under-five children received the treatment from allopathic system of medicine. Education level and stress among the caretakers showed statistically significant association with the occurrence of accidents. Conclusion: This study revealed the prevalence of domestic accidents among under-five as 22.1%. Caretakers are failing their responsibility of caring their children due to lack of education among them.