# Study: Most Toddlers Who Suffered Burns Weren’t Given Proper First Aid Treatment

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/family/kids/study-most-toddlers-who-suffered-burns-werent-given-proper-first-aid-treatment/
- Published: 2017-09-11T08:35:07+10:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

## _A study has revealed that toddlers who suffer burns by hot beverages do not receive proper first aid treatment despite many parents having completed first aid training._

The study, published in the journal _[Burns](http://www.burnsjournal.com/article/S0305-4179(17)30300-5/fulltext)_,
suggests that many parents are unaware of appropriate first aid treatment for hot
drink scalds in young children, which most often occur in the home.

Researchers from the University of Queensland have surveyed parents of 54 kids aged
0-3 years who were treated from a hot drink burn injury for 12 months at [Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital.](https://www.childrens.health.qld.gov.au/lcch/)

Results showed that participants aged between six months and two years old had the
highest incidence of burns – and most accidents occurred when children pulled a 
hot drink down and over themselves.

> Only 28 per cent received correct first aid straight after the accident — which
> included applying 20 minutes of cool running water to the burn — with a further
> 18 per cent treated within three hours, usually at an emergency department.

[⌊Burnd⌉⌊Burnd⌉[

via walesonline.co.uk

This happened despite the parents having completed first aid training during the
twelve months prior. In addition, most accidents occurred while parents were close
by, which suggests that supervision isn’t enough to prevent what is the leading 
cause of burns in young kids.

Lead author Jacquii Burgess of the [Centre for Children’s Burns and Trauma Research](https://child-health-research.centre.uq.edu.au/),
said that some parents only apply water for a short period. “The most common reason
parents reported applying water for shorter periods of time was that they thought
it was adequate or the child was too distressed,” she said in a statement.

“Lack of supervision is often cited as a primary contributor to childhood injuries
but for these scalds it appears that attention and continuity of supervision play
a more important role than just being close to your child to keep them safe,” she
added.

The team are hopeful that their study will inform prevention campaigns to help lower
the number of children presenting with hot drink injuries.

[More information on how to treat burns can be found here.](https://stayathomemum.com.au/my-lifestyle/first-aid-how-to-treat-a-burn/)

Source: [Essentialbaby.com.au](http://www.essentialbaby.com.au/toddler/toddler-health/burnt-toddlers-do-not-receive-appropriate-first-aid-20170620-gwv8u1)

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 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/)