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| Submission Number | 658 |
| Submitted By | Jerome Nsajju |
| Submitted On | Thursday, May 7th, 2009 @ 09:21:52 PDT -0700 |
| Last Updated By | Robert Taylor |
| Last Updated On | Friday, November 13th, 2009 @ 14:28:32 PST -0800 |
| Record Status | Approved |
| Approved By | Josephine Walsh-Mahaux |
| Visit Journal Web Site | www.sciencedirect.com |
| Article Publication Year | 1995 |
| Author And Journal Reference |
Center for Injury Research and Control, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA Samuel Forjuoh Child Abuse and Neglect; 1995, Vol. 19, No. 7, Pgs. 837-41 |
| Related Countries | Ghana |
| Cause Of Injury | X00-X09 X10-X19 X85-Y09 |
| Nature Of Injury | T20-T32 |
| Abstract | Intentional (inflicted) injury to children through burns has been studied and mentioned extensively in the literature, although much less so in developing countries. A community-based survey of children aged 0–5 years in the Ashanti Region of Ghana found that of 650 childhood burns, 35 (5.4%) were purposefully inflicted. The perpetrators were mostly friends (43%) and siblings (37%) of the victims, and traditional healers (6%) who inflicted these burns to children who were comatose after convulsions. Intentional burns were more likely to be inflicted by flame (OR = 3.87, 95% CI = 1.52–10.0), and contact with a hot object (OR = 1.66, 95% CI = .62–4.44) than through scalding, the most common cause of burns in this region. Other patterns of intentional burns included the absence of any adult, burns covering < 3–5% of body surface area, and increased rate of wound infection. These findings contrast with the pattern of intentional burns seen in other countries, notably developed ones. Even though these inflicted burns were minor, it is important that doctors working in this setting become aware of their presence and that traditional healers and the general public be educated about the appropriate treatment for childhood convulsion. |
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