Sociodemographic Characteristics and Risk Factors for Childhood Poisoning Reported by Parents at a Tertiary Care Teaching Hospital

Background Childhood poisoning is a major health problem. Mostly, it is accidental and associated with low morbidity and mortality. The association between sociodemographic factors and childhood injury rates could be used for improvement to prevent and reduce such injuries. Childhood poisoning is preventable through appropriate education and judicious storage of drugs and household chemicals that might help in reducing and eliminating the accidental ingestion of toxic materials at home. Objectives To recognize the potential risk factors that might be associated with childhood home poisoning in Riyadh City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Design A survey-based questionnaire study. Setting A tertiary care teaching hospital in Riyadh City. Patients and methods A structured questionnaire was created, which included questions on the poisoning incidence, home medication history, and possible risk factors for poisoning and the sociodemographic characteristics, and was disseminated to individuals who visited the King Khalid University Hospital. Main outcome measures Demographic characteristics of participants and risk factors related to childhood poisoning. Results The study included 152 randomly selected participants, 62 men (40.79%) and 90 women (59.21%). Self-ingestion was reported to be the most common mode of poisoning 28/44 (63.6%). The appearance of clinical manifestations suggesting poisoning was reported to be the most frequent method of discovery of children poisoning 20/44 (45.5%). Thirty-six out of the 44 respondents (81.8%) with a positive history of childhood poisoning in their family transferred their children to a hospital immediately. Drugs were the most common causative agent reported for poisoning among the respondents 21/44 (47.7%). Conclusion Accidental and non-intentional self-ingestion still presents as a major mode of childhood home poisoning. Despite the significant advancement in the lifestyle among the majority of Saudi Arabian regions, especially the capital city Riyadh, childhood poisoning remains a significant cause of morbidity and possible mortality. Creating health education and prevention programs might help to prevent such serious preventable problems. Limitations The limited number of participants may not reflect the whole population living in Riyadh City, hence, interpretation of the study results might be taken cautiously.