Comparing burn wound for under-five children between rural and urban areas in Dodoma Region: understanding caregiver supervision, household hazards, and children’s risk behaviours on the burn wound

Abstract

Burn injuries among children under five remain a significant public health concern globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries like Tanzania. Despite various national efforts, the burden and associated factors of burns, particularly in relation to rural-urban differences, have not been well-documented in the Dodoma Region. The study aimed to compare the prevalence of burn wounds and associated factors among children under five years old between rural and urban areas in Dodoma Region. An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2025, involving 299 children under five years from both rural and urban areas in the Dodoma Region. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 27 with descriptive and inferential statistics. Overall, the prevalence of burn wounds for children under five was 78 (26%) for both urban and rural areas. By categorizing, 31 (39.7%) of burn wound cases were from urban areas, and 47 (60.3%) cases were from rural areas. In rural areas, good caregiver supervision was associated with the majority of children under five ending up with no burn wound (χ2 = 4.16, P = 0.04). The household hazards in urban areas were associated with burn wounds among children under-five (χ2 = 17.69, P < 0.001). In rural areas, the under-five children without risk behaviours were associated with most of under five children ending up with no burn wound (χ2 = 4.31, P = 0.038). Moreover, several participants’ sociodemographic characteristics were associated with the prevalence of burn wounds. This study found that burn injuries among under-five children in the Dodoma region are more prevalent in rural areas than in urban areas. In comparing predictors of burn wounds in rural and urban areas, a major contributing factor to burn wounds in rural areas is poor caregiver supervision, while the predictor of burn wounds in urban areas is household hazards.