Assessment of Mothers Safety Practices and First Aid Self-Efficacy in Preventing Home Accidents among Preschool Children

Ozdemir E and Calbayram N

Published on: 2025-09-03

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the safety precautions taken by mothers to prevent home accidents involving preschool-aged children and to assess their self-efficacy in providing first aid in such situations.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted with 356 mothers of (3 to 4) year-old children enrolled in preschools in Agri, Turkey. Stratified sampling was employed. Data were collected via face-to-face surveys using a demographic information form, a household accident data form, a home safety measures checklist, and the First Aid Self-Efficacy Scale. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including t-tests and ANOVA, were used to analyze the data with SPSS 26.

Results: A total of 57.6% of children had experienced at least one home accident in the past year, with falls (42.4%) and burns (10.3%) being the most common. Mothers scored highest in fall prevention but lower in poisoning and burn prevention. Higher first aid self-efficacy scores were significantly associated with higher education, employment, and having fewer children (p < 0.05). A positive correlation was found between home safety scores and first aid self-efficacy.

Conclusion: The findings highlight the importance of maternal education in improving both home safety and first aid self-efficacy. Specific gaps in safety domains point to the need for targeted, culturally sensitive educational interventions that can empower mothers and reduce the incidence of preventable home accidents in early childhood.