Heat Burn Injuries in Indian kitchen: A Cross Sectional Study in Udupi City

Burn injuries are a serious global health problem worldwide and still very common in developing countries. These are the most severe types of injuries suffered by the human body that may require long hospitalization and large sums of money. Most of the burn injuries occur in kitchens. The purpose of this study was to find out the prevalence of unintentional burn injuries in Indian kitchens and its associated factors. A population based cross-sectional study was conducted in Udupi city between February 2013 and July 2013. The prevalence of burn injuries was 47 %. The most common type of burn injuries were contact (65.6 %) and scald (60.8 %) burn injuries. The most affected body part was upper extremities (77.6 %). In the winter, 48.8 % reported burns and the most common time when burn injuries occurred was between 5 pm to 11 pm. It was found that illiteracy, socio-cultural and behavioural factors led to unsafe behaviour, placing individuals at risks of unintentional injuries, which can be targeted as a first step towards prevention. The knowledge about cooking appliance maintenance and using safe cooking appliances including Liquid Petroleum gas could play major role in reducing burn accidents.