Study of household accident prone areas in rural Saharanpur

Abstract

Introduction:Household accidents cause injury to the affected individual along with stress and economic strain to the family. Studies on household accident prone areas in rural area of India are rare. Objective: The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of domestic accidents and rural household accident prone areas. Methods: The study was done in the village Pilkhani, Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh from October to December 2018. Sixty houses were randomly selected in the village. Information regarding household accident prone areas was gathered by interviewing the head of the family or the adult informant and accident prone areas were observed in the household. The analysis was done using MS Excel software. Results: Prevalence of domestic accidents was 8.25% with falls being the most common. Uneven brick/kacha floor, floor at different levels, improper electric fittings, fodder cutting machine and low clothes line were frequently found accident prone areas identified in the households. Conclusion: In order to prevent and control the domestic accidents, creation of awareness among the community and inculcation of household safety measures using Information Education and Communication interventions have to be strived for along with structural modification of accident prone areas in the household.