A recent study conducted by the University of Nottingham has concluded that children aged 0-5 years are at a higher risk of childhood burns, and more importantly that such burns are on the rise in Sulaimani province of Kurdistan, mostly due to parental negligence.
When I read the study, I was horrified! We should try to raise more awareness regarding these matters, especially amongst new and soon-to-be parents. We need more parents to come together — engage with raising awareness on good parenting.
The research was conducted between 2007 and 2008, with burns occurring during mealtimes mostly. According to the study, “the majority of burns were caused by hot water (44%) and tea (20%).”
Tea utensils were highlighted as the most common products responsible for causing burns, with a staggering 41% of child-related burns being caused. Moreover, during the one-year-long data collection, a total of 1122 children attended the burns centre. Among them, 944 were interviewed.
The research concludes that home is the most likely place for injuries to take place, 97% of burns occurred at home. The graph below highlights their findings:
The Kurdish Mother 