Scalding injuries in immigrant families

• Published in: Scandinavian journal of plastic and reconstructive surgery and hand surgery Vol. 34; no. 4; p. 309
• Main Authors: Freccero, C, Svensson, H, Kalhor, S, Larsson, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 2000
• Subjects: Burns - epidemiology; Burns - prevention & control; Burns - surgery; Child, Preschool; Cooking; Emigration and Immigration; Female; Humans; Infant; Interviews as Topic; Male; Middle East - ethnology; Sweden - epidemiology; Middle East; Sweden
• ISSN: 0284-4311
• DOI: 10.1080/028443100750059075

From 1990 to 1996, 214 patients aged up to 6 years were treated at our inpatient burns unit. Ages ranged from 3 to 70 months. Scalding was the cause in 186 cases. The median size of the burned areas was 5.0% (range 0.5%-40%). One hundred and nine were deep dermal burns that required surgical treatment, but this was refused in seven instances. Duration of hospital stay was 11 days (2-45). The number of follow-up visits ranged from 0 to 17. Secondary reconstructions for scarring have been done for seven children so far. Ninety-eight (46%) came from immigrant families, mostly from the Middle East and the Balkans. Of the 186 scalded children, 94 (51%) were immigrants, and they also had a tendency to have more severe injuries. Explanations might be that they were more likely to cook with water and oil, they were unfamiliar with Swedish safety standards and measures, and they had difficulty in communicating (language) and a limited social network. The ensuing scar also may disturb or delay the child's adaptation to the new environment. Our preventive work is now based on a model that states that frequency, type, and severity of injury is dictated by the variables: risk, personality, supervision, and education.