Evaluation of the Home Safety and Child-friendly Environment for Children with Bleeding Tendency Disorders

This study aims to assess the safety level of the different home parts for children with a bleeding tendency disorder (especially hemophilia) and identify the elements that affect this safety.

We conducted a cross-sectional study on the children referred to the Mofid Children’s Hospital from the beginning of 2018 to the end of 2020. Information was gathered via a checklist. Inclusion criteria were children between 1 to 5 years old with bleeding tendencies, and exclusion criteria were the presence of other disorders. The safety was measured in five areas at home: 1- physical conditions 2- kitchen 3- bathroom 4- toys 5- first aid equipment and essential phone numbers.

Forty-one children participated in this study which 31 (75.61 %) were boys. Eleven (28.95 %) children experienced zero accidents at home and eight (21.05 %) children experienced more than three accidents at home. The Mean and 95% confidence interval scores were 7.97 (7.37-8.57) for the physical condition section, 8.22 (7.73-8.70) for the kitchen section, 8.15 (7.66-8.65) for the bathroom section, 7.93 (7.15-8.71) for the toys section, and 7.30 (6.60-8.01) for the first aid equipment and essential phone numbers section. The physical condition safety score was significantly higher in families whose fathers had a college education than in fathers with secondary and diploma education (P-value = 0.024). The kitchen section safety score was significantly higher in families where the father has a freelance job than the employee or worker (P-value = 0.040).

The mother’s age, father’s educational level, and father’s job are the factors that affect the level of safety significantly. Providing toys that are age-appropriate and safe (without separable parts or holes) could be an important point for parents with children with bleeding disorders.