Parents’ attitudes as mediators between knowledge and behaviours in unintentional injuries at home of children aged 0–3 in Shanghai, Eastern China: a cross-sectional study

Objective Parental behaviours are important in preventing unintentional injury at home among young children. Previous research showed an inconsistent relationship between knowledge and behaviours, indicating that the mechanisms may vary for different behaviours. This study aimed to examine the media...

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Main Authors: Qi Zhang, Wei Deng, Xueqi Ma, Ruo Jiang, Huiping Wang, Fengshui Chang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2021-12-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/12/e054228.full
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author Qi Zhang
Wei Deng
Xueqi Ma
Ruo Jiang
Huiping Wang
Fengshui Chang
author_facet Qi Zhang
Wei Deng
Xueqi Ma
Ruo Jiang
Huiping Wang
Fengshui Chang
author_sort Qi Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Objective Parental behaviours are important in preventing unintentional injury at home among young children. Previous research showed an inconsistent relationship between knowledge and behaviours, indicating that the mechanisms may vary for different behaviours. This study aimed to examine the mediating roles of different attitudes in the mechanism of knowledge acting on different behaviours.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting Eastern China.Participants Participants were recruited using stratified community-based sampling. A total of 488 parents of children aged 0–3 years participated in the study and 476 (97.5%) valid questionnaires were recovered.Primary outcome measures Parents’ knowledge, attitudes (including injury attribution, preventability and responsibility) and behaviours (including supervision behaviours, risky behaviours and providing a safe home environment).Results The results of mediation analysis showed that the mediator variables were different for different behaviours and that all associations were positive. Parents’ knowledge (β 0.19, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.24) and attitude of injury attribution (β 0.37, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.46) were directly associated with risky behaviours. Attitude of preventability was directly associated with parents’ supervision behaviour (β 0.27, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.40). Parents’ attitude of preventability mediated the positive association between knowledge, attitudes of injury attribution and responsibility, and supervision behaviours, as well as providing a safe home environment. In addition, the occurrence of child injuries at home was directly associated with home environment (β −0.41, 95% CI −0.82 to −0.01).Conclusions The current findings confirm that attitudes play varying mediating roles between knowledge and different behaviours. An important recommendation is that parents’ attitudes, especially towards preventability and responsibility, need to be considered when health providers develop health education programmes targeted at improving parental supervision behaviours and providing a safe home environment.
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spelling doaj-art-5bd97da6bdf94a6a92af1cb7a41f81da2025-08-20T01:59:16ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552021-12-01111210.1136/bmjopen-2021-054228Parents’ attitudes as mediators between knowledge and behaviours in unintentional injuries at home of children aged 0–3 in Shanghai, Eastern China: a cross-sectional studyQi Zhang0Wei Deng1Xueqi Ma2Ruo Jiang3Huiping Wang4Fengshui Chang53 Department of Nuclear Medicine, Anhui Chest Hospital, Anhui, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Health Policy and Management, Fudan University, Shanghai, ChinaSchool of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, ChinaDepartment of Dermatovenereology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital/ Tianjin Institute of Sexually Transmitted Disease, Tianjin, ChinaDepartment of Health Policy and Management, Fudan University, Shanghai, ChinaObjective Parental behaviours are important in preventing unintentional injury at home among young children. Previous research showed an inconsistent relationship between knowledge and behaviours, indicating that the mechanisms may vary for different behaviours. This study aimed to examine the mediating roles of different attitudes in the mechanism of knowledge acting on different behaviours.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting Eastern China.Participants Participants were recruited using stratified community-based sampling. A total of 488 parents of children aged 0–3 years participated in the study and 476 (97.5%) valid questionnaires were recovered.Primary outcome measures Parents’ knowledge, attitudes (including injury attribution, preventability and responsibility) and behaviours (including supervision behaviours, risky behaviours and providing a safe home environment).Results The results of mediation analysis showed that the mediator variables were different for different behaviours and that all associations were positive. Parents’ knowledge (β 0.19, 95% CI 0.13 to 0.24) and attitude of injury attribution (β 0.37, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.46) were directly associated with risky behaviours. Attitude of preventability was directly associated with parents’ supervision behaviour (β 0.27, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.40). Parents’ attitude of preventability mediated the positive association between knowledge, attitudes of injury attribution and responsibility, and supervision behaviours, as well as providing a safe home environment. In addition, the occurrence of child injuries at home was directly associated with home environment (β −0.41, 95% CI −0.82 to −0.01).Conclusions The current findings confirm that attitudes play varying mediating roles between knowledge and different behaviours. An important recommendation is that parents’ attitudes, especially towards preventability and responsibility, need to be considered when health providers develop health education programmes targeted at improving parental supervision behaviours and providing a safe home environment.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/12/e054228.full
spellingShingle Qi Zhang
Wei Deng
Xueqi Ma
Ruo Jiang
Huiping Wang
Fengshui Chang
Parents’ attitudes as mediators between knowledge and behaviours in unintentional injuries at home of children aged 0–3 in Shanghai, Eastern China: a cross-sectional study
BMJ Open
title Parents’ attitudes as mediators between knowledge and behaviours in unintentional injuries at home of children aged 0–3 in Shanghai, Eastern China: a cross-sectional study
title_full Parents’ attitudes as mediators between knowledge and behaviours in unintentional injuries at home of children aged 0–3 in Shanghai, Eastern China: a cross-sectional study
title_fullStr Parents’ attitudes as mediators between knowledge and behaviours in unintentional injuries at home of children aged 0–3 in Shanghai, Eastern China: a cross-sectional study
title_full_unstemmed Parents’ attitudes as mediators between knowledge and behaviours in unintentional injuries at home of children aged 0–3 in Shanghai, Eastern China: a cross-sectional study
title_short Parents’ attitudes as mediators between knowledge and behaviours in unintentional injuries at home of children aged 0–3 in Shanghai, Eastern China: a cross-sectional study
title_sort parents attitudes as mediators between knowledge and behaviours in unintentional injuries at home of children aged 0 3 in shanghai eastern china a cross sectional study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/11/12/e054228.full
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