Community Medicine Abstracts - College of Medicine and Health ...

Project No. 258 (2010)Women's Awareness, Attitude and Practice Regarding the Risk of BabyWalkers in Al Ain: a post-interventional StudyStudent Authors: Tasnim Omar Abdalla Abdelrahman, Amnah Ali Hassan Esaadi,Kawthar Mohamed Ibrahim Al Marzouqi, Abeer Sultan Abdulla Al NaqbiFaculty Supervisors: Dr. M. Grivna, Dr. A. Wheatley, Prof. N. NagelkerkeAbstract:Objectives: Although BW caused many injuries they were perceived as safe and usedby a majority of families. An immediate interventional study done last year in UAEshowed a great improvement in awareness toward risks of BW use. However given thedifficulty in educating the whole population, concerned authorities might considerfollowing Canada in banning importation, sales and advertising of BW.Methods: The study was carried out at the Family Development Foundation in Al Ain.It includes women who participated last year in the interventional study (339). Womenwere interviewed by telephone.Results: Response rate was 33%, 110 females, 76% Emirate citizens and 58%married. 83% (n=289) of families used or had used BW. The number of children whoused the BW before intervention was 452; only 90 children continued using it after theintervention. Eighty three percent of the participants stopped using the BW, and fromthose, only 16% did so because they were influenced by the educational lecture givenlast year. Eighty two percent of the participants thought that BW is dangerous beforethe intervention and this dropped to 36% after the intervention. Seventy three percentthought that activity play station is the best alternative to BW. Sixty percent preferredbanning of the BW before intervention, this percentage increased to 67% after theintervention.Conclusion: Education to change people’s practice is hugely onerous as evidenced bythe only 16% of the participants who stopped using the BW after intervention becauseof the educational lecture. Therefore, enforcing a ban on the advertisement, sale andimportation of baby walkers is the last remaining approach to protect infants from thisdangerous product.