Pilot Project on Child Injury Prevention in Nepal (2014) Pant PR1 1University of the West of England, Bristol Background Child injury is a major global public health problem with the highest burden in low- and middle- income countries; they are also a rising problem for children in Nepal and other Asian countries. In 2010, about 939,000 children and adolescents (aged 0-19 years) died from injuries in the world of which 90% occurred in developing countries. Every day 2,316 children and adolescents (0-19 years) die from injuries in developing countries. The main aim of the project was to develop a culturally appropriate, educational programme for FCHVs and to determine the feasibility of evaluating its effectiveness through women’s groups. Methods This project was conducted in Hatiya Village Development Committee (VDC), selected from 43 VDCs in the district. According to the objective of the project, three major activities were planned: 1) first-aid training for all FCHVs, 2) introduction of child injury prevention component in regular Mothers' Group meetings; and 3) child injury notification and data collection. The field activities were implemented for the duration of 7 months from October 2013. Results An educational injury prevention program, including basic first-aid training was developed for FCHVs and Mothers' Group members. This included: discussion about child injury prevention in Mothers' Group meeting, development of a Mothers' Group facilitation manual, a picture book on child injuries, and two education posters. Two hundred and sixty mothers and 30 fathers were directly involved in the Mothers' Group meetings. Twenty first-aid kits were provided to 9 FCHVs, 10 Mothers' Groups, and a VDC facilitator. In total, the FHCVs and mothers identified 155 injured children in the VDC over a period of 7 months using the child injury data collection form. A report of the feasibility of delivering the materials through women’s groups in wards across the project VDC was prepared. An observation of their knowledge about child injuries before and after implementing this intervention found considerable increased awareness about child injuries. Conclusions A cluster randomized controlled trial will be needed in order to test the validity and to know whether the intervention is effective and cost effective in reducing children's injuries. Keywords: child injuries; educational programs; effectiveness; FCHVs; injury prevention; women's group

Abstract

Background: Child injury is a major global public health problem with the highest burden in low- and middle- income countries; they are also a rising problem for children in Nepal and other Asian countries. In 2010, about 939,000 children and adolescents (aged 0-19 years) died from injuries in the world of which 90% occurred in developing countries. Every day 2,316 children and adolescents (0-19 years) die from injuries in developing countries. The main aim of the project was to develop a culturally appropriate, educational programme for FCHVs and to determine the feasibility of evaluating its effectiveness through women’s groups. Methods: This project was conducted in Hatiya Village Development Committee (VDC), selected from 43 VDCs in the district. According to the objective of the project, three major activities were planned: 1) first-aid training for all FCHVs, 2) introduction of child injury prevention component in regular Mothers' Group meetings; and 3) child injury notification and data collection. The field activities were implemented for the duration of 7 months from October 2013. Results: An educational injury prevention program, including basic first-aid training was developed for FCHVs and Mothers' Group members. This included: discussion about child injury prevention in Mothers' Group meeting, development of a Mothers' Group facilitation manual, a picture book on child injuries, and two education posters. Two hundred and sixty mothers and 30 fathers were directly involved in the Mothers' Group meetings. Twenty first-aid kits were provided to 9 FCHVs, 10 Mothers' Groups, and a VDC facilitator. In total, the FHCVs and mothers identified 155 injured children in the VDC over a period of 7 months using the child injury data collection form. A report of the feasibility of delivering the materials through women’s groups in wards across the project VDC was prepared. An observation of their knowledge about child injuries before and after implementing this intervention found considerable increased awareness about child injuries.

Conclusions: A cluster randomized controlled trial will be needed in order to test the validity and to know whether the intervention is effective and cost effective in reducing children's injuries. Keywords: child injuries; educational programs; effectiveness; FCHVs; injury prevention; women's group.