Article Text
Abstract
Project Burn Prevention, an educational program about burn prevention and safety, was implemented in Rural Upper from January 2008 through November 2009. The program consisted of two components: a school-initiated intervention (puppet theatre for primary school children and awareness seminars for secondary school students), and a community-initiated intervention (home visits for housewives, women home based seminars and community awareness seminars). Burn-survivors are the main implementers of the components tools throughout their rehabilitation. Local fire-fighters department participation helps revising and approving the messages and the content of the awareness program. The messages were designed based on local context as well as on real accidents. Estimates of burn incidence and the prevalent practices for the first aid measures within the community were made on the whole community for a 1-year period before the program, and the 12 months after the program. Analysis of burn incidence during and after the interventions showed that the program intervention have brought a reduction in the rate of burn injuries as well as a significant improvement of the first aid measures for burns inside the house.