ACCIDENTS AND THE HEALTH OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS
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ACCIDENTS AND THE HEALTH OF PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS
Chapter one
Introduction
1.1 Background for the Study
Accidents are widely recognised as fundamentally distinct from the causal sequences that lead to sickness and other events. As a result, accidents continue to be the leading cause of sickness and mortality, and many people still refer to them as ‘luck’, ‘chance’, or ‘acts of God’.
If accidents are of such a unique type that their causes defy human comprehension, control, and prediction, it may be argued that they should be investigated not only by scientists, theologians, and philosophers, but also by astrologers and soothsayers.
On the other hand, if the cause of an accident is not significantly different from other events, it is critical that it be subjected to rigorous and advanced scientific research. In fact, accident research arose from a lack of conceptual clarity (Anderson, 2005).
An accident is defined as an unintentional, foreseeable, or unexpected event that can result in injury and, in some cases, death. Accidents are sometimes the result of negligence.
Accidents and injuries are common among young children (1–4 years old). Accidents happen, and they are frequently unwanted and unexpected. As a result, it is critical that you, as healthcare personnel, are aware of these potential unpleasant and unplanned events and play an active part in their prevention and control. We will discuss both accidental and non-accidental injuries.
Accidents are a leading source of mortality and disability. In the United Kingdom, approximately 14,000 people are killed, the majority of them are in England, and more than 700,000 are seriously injured in England alone.
They cost the UK approximately £150 billion per year. Accidents pose the greatest hazard to children and young people’s lives (UNICEF, 2008).
A survey of accident research literature suggests that inadequately prepared individuals whose jobs required them to deal with accident phenomena played a significant role in the early stages of accident research (Anderson, 2005; Boden, 2014).
As a result, much of accident research and theory is based on rudimentary rather than advanced technique. Terms such as chance, luck, and act of God eventually disappeared from the accident literature, and safety professionals developed many theories and models of accident causation.
However, Robertson (2015) defines an accident as an unwanted accidental and unexpected event that could have been avoided if the factors contributing to the accident had been identified and addressed prior to its occurrence.
Most scientists who investigate unintentional injury avoid using the term “accident” and instead concentrate on factors that raise the risk of severe damage while decreasing injury incidence and severity.
Primary school students are frequently exposed to road traffic accidents, school accidents, and home mishaps. Every year, more than 67,000 youngsters have a cooking accident, with 43,000 of them under the age of four. (Merrill. 2013).
Accidents can be classified as either physical or non-physical. Unintentional motor vehicle crashes or falls, as well as injuries from touching anything sharp, hot, electrical, or eating poison, are physical examples of accidents.
Nonphysical instances include mistakenly exposing a secret or expressing something poorly, forgetting an appointment, and so forth.
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO, 2014), more than 337 million workplace accidents occur each year, resulting in occupational diseases and more than 2.3 million deaths. Leisure-related accidents, on the other hand, primarily result in sports injuries.
There are two categories of risk factors that contribute to the occurrence of accidents: environmental factors and childhood factors. Environmental factors are things in the child’s environment, both indoors and outdoors, that may predispose or cause an accident. For example, poorly organised furniture in the home can cause a child to fall and damage himself or herself, while an unsecured cooking area can result in child burns.
Fruit trees or ladders in homes may entice a child to climb and cause a fall. Similarly, outdoor pools of water, such as an unfilled quarry with water accumulation, can cause drownings.
A last example is that overcrowded city slums are especially hazardous for children. On the other hand, childhood factors are those that revolve around the child.
They include a youngster’s natural curiosity, exploratory temperament, and imitation, as well as a child who is still learning and lacks experience, which might lead to mishaps. Boys are more adventurous and get into more accidents than girls.
However, accidents in the kitchen at home impact girls more than boys. Abnormal factors in a child that can lead to an accident include epilepsy and a handicap (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, 2012).
The 2013-2016 Public Health Outcomes Framework identifies childhood accident prevention as one of its core indicators. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published three guidance documents outlining recommendations for all those with a strategic role to play in injury prevention, including clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), local authorities, and their partners (Kendrick, Hayes & Ward, 2012).
Unlike safeguarding, primary healthcare teams are currently not required to get training in accidental injury prevention. This is an essential suggestion from the NICE guidance (NICE 2010).
Here are some of the concepts in accident prevention:
Primary prevention involves removing risk factors for harm, such as reducing traffic speed, installing stair gates for young children, and minimising alcohol consumption.
Secondary prevention measures, such as using kid safety car seats, bicycle helmets, and smoke alarms, can lessen the severity of injuries in case of an accident.
Tertiary prevention involves providing optimal treatment and rehabilitation after injuries, such as excellent first aid and adequate hospital care.
Clinical tasks for health professionals in accident prevention include providing guidance to patients: health workers are ideally positioned to recognise accident hazards or medical conditions that increase risk and advise accordingly.
Accidents are one of the leading causes of death among children aged one to five years. Every year, approximately 100,000 children are admitted to hospitals in the United Kingdom, with an additional 2 million visiting emergency rooms.
For a typical CCG with a population of 100,000, this translates to around 3,300 emergency department visits and 200 hospital hospitalisations for kid injuries.
In terms of fatalities and injuries, this is a critical issue for accident prevention in Nigeria and around the world. Although the figures remain high, statistics for Great Britain indicate that the situation is steadily improving. For the year ending in June 2013:
1,730 individuals were killed, down 3% from 1,785 the previous year.
185,540 individuals were hurt, 7% less than the previous year.
Total recorded child casualties (ages 0-15) decreased by 12% to 15,920 in the fiscal year ended June 2013, with those killed or badly injured down 11% to 2,080.
Common causes of these incidents included speeding, drunk driving, failure to use a seat belt, and irresponsible driving. Approximately one-third involved someone driving while working.
Approximately 10% of those murdered were inexperienced drivers. Higher speeds increase the chance of a collision and significant injury to the driver or others.
Even a modest speed reduction helps to reduce both the number and severity of accidents; for example, pedestrians hit at speeds below 30 mph sustain mostly survivable injuries, but this changes to mostly fatal injuries at speeds between 30 and 40 mph (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, 2011).
Children frequently drink hazardous items or medications that are left within their grasp. The more appealing the hue of the chemical or drug, the greater the chance of it being taken and eaten by interested, exploratory learning children.
The poisoning material’s effect is determined by the amount consumed or ingested, as well as the chemical composition of the substance or drug.
Also, to some extent, the child’s size or age, nutritional state, and whether the stomach is empty in a hungry child or a youngster with some food in his or her stomach. Large doses are deadly, whereas an empty stomach facilitates simple absorption of the poison and a stomach full of food prevents absorption of the poisonous chemical or drugs (UNICEF, 2008).
When advising on child accident prevention, health providers should consider the following:
Provide practical advice, not simply general instruction, such as regarding car seats or home safety devices.
Use evidence-based approaches and refute misunderstandings, such as some parents’ misconceptions about the safety of cooker guards and baby walkers.
Overprotection (‘covering children in cotton wool’) is not necessary to promote safety, as it can delay development and increase obesity risks.
Encourage prudent safeguards appropriate to the child’s stage of development.
This work, however, will look into accidents and the health of elementary school students in Erei, Biase Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria.
Statement of the Problem
Accidents are a big health concern for primary school pupils. According to the World Health Organisation (2016), over 1.25 million people die each year as a result of road traffic accidents. Between 20 and 50 million more people sustain nonfatal injuries, with many becoming disabled as a result of their injuries.
Road accidents kill approximately 1.25 million people annually, with road traffic injuries being the leading cause of death among young people aged 15-29 years. Low- and middle-income countries account for 90% of road fatalities, despite having roughly half of the world’s vehicles. Half of those killed on the world’s roads are “vulnerable road users” such as pedestrians and cyclists.
Low- and middle-income nations account for more than 90% of all road traffic-related deaths. Road traffic injury deaths are highest in Africa’s low- and middle-income countries, including Nigeria. Even in high-income countries, those with lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to be involved in traffic accidents.
Individuals, communities, governments, and international organisations have worked for years to reduce accidents among elementary school students. There is no evidence to the contrary that all efforts to prevent accidents among schoolchildren are insufficient, as traffic, school, and home accidents continue to occur among primary school students.
As a result, it is critical to conduct extensive research into the underlying causes of school-related accidents in order to find potential solutions to the problem, as evidenced by this study on accidents and the health of primary school students in Erei, Biase Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria.
Objectives of the Study
The primary goal of the study is to investigate accidents and the health of primary school students in Erei, Biase Local Government Area, Cross River State, Nigeria. The specific objectives of this research are:-
To investigate road traffic accidents and the health of primary school students in Erei.
To investigate school accidents and the health of primary school students in Erei
To investigate home accidents and the health of primary school students in Erei.
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be important to the following groups of people: parents, mothers, children, health and health-related organisations, individuals, public and private, and school authorities.
To parents, the study’s findings will raise awareness and critical consciousness about the need to address the occurrence of accidents among primary schoolchildren.
This work will provide individuals, particularly primary school students, with accurate information and advice on how to avoid accidents on the road, at school, and in the home.
Above all, the study’s findings will serve as a guide for policymakers and students in terms of the three major types of accidents and how to prevent them.
This work will serve as a reference material for other researchers and scholars by providing current information on primary school children’s accidents and health.
Research Questions
To guide this study, the following research questions were developed:
To what extent does road traffic accident affect the health of primary school pupils?
How does school accident affect the health of primary school pupils?
To what extent does home accident affect the health of primary school pupils?
Delimitation (Scope Of Study)
The study is limited in scope to accidents and the health of primary school pupils in Erei, Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. It is also confined to the three sub-variables used for this study thus:
Road traffic accident and the health of primary school kids in Erei
School accident and the health of elementary school kids in Erei
Home accident and the health of elementary school kids in Erei
Limitations
The following issues posed limits to the research study:
The uncompromising attitude of some respondents in expressing genuine opinion imposed a limitation to the research investigation.
The project was self-sponsored and money was needed to type the questionnaire, travel to the research area and meet other needs.
Another constraint of the study was inadequate time provided for the completion of the research study. The researcher worked under the College time framework that was not enough for a meaningful investigation.
Difficulty in reaching respondents dwelling in various sampling communities within Erei Community was another difficulty. The research had to cover some distance before getting in contact with her respondents.
Operational Definition Of Terms
Health:
Health is a condition of total physical, mental and social well being of an individual and not only the absence of disease or disability (WHO)
School Authority:
These are the school’s management board members who establish criteria for anticipated conduct, attire, academic integrity, and attendance, as well as repercussions for failing those standards.
Effect:
This refers to a strong impression, outcome, or impact of something.
Accidents:
Events that are frequently unintentional and unexpected.
Road Traffic Accident:
Accidents on the roads.
School Accident:
Accident involving students while at school.
Home Accidents:
Accidents happen at home.
…
Chapter two.
2.0 Literature Review.
2.1 Introduction.
This chapter’s major topic is a review of pertinent literature. A literature review examines theoretical and methodological contributions to a specific subject, as well as the level of knowledge at the time of publication.
It gives information on the state of the art in regards to the topic you’re writing about. It explores the body of literature on the specified topic. This study’s literature examination includes the following:
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