CHILDHOOD BURNS IN GHANA - EPIDEMIOLOGIC CHARACTERISTICS AND HOME-BASED TREATMENT

The objectives of this research were to study the epidemiological characteristics and home-based treatment of childhood bums in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Children aged 0-5 years with a burn history were identified through a community-based, multisite survey. A standard questionnaire teas administered to mothers of 630 of these children to elicit information an their sociodemographic characteristics and the circumstances of the burn event. Ninety-hue per cent of the bums occurred in the home, particularly in the kitchen (51 per cent) and the house yard (36 per rent), with most of them happening in the late morning and around the evening meal. The main causes of the burns were scalds (45 per cent), contact with a hot object (34 per cent) and flame (20 per cent). 'Cool' water was applied to the burned area in 30 per cent of cases. Otherwise, treatment with a traditional preparation was the most popular first-aid choice. Since a considerable proportion of bums happened between meals when children 'play with fire' in the house yard, the provision of alternative play activities and community play areas may reduce the incidence of bums to these children. Secondly, we recommend that education on first-aid management of burns be intensified, with special emphasis on alternatives to the use of traditional preparations.