Scoping Review of Preventive Interventions of Incidents in Children Under ۵ Years Old

Background: One of the main causes of injury and death in children under ۵ years old is accidents and incidents. Lack of awareness about preventive measures for accidents and incidents in children, and believing that accidents are inevitable, are major issues in society. The aim of this research was to review the scope for identifying, categorizing, and evaluating preventive interventions for incidents in children under ۵ years old. Methods: This study is a scoping review conducted in ۲۰۲۳. The selected databases for the search included Scopus, ISI Web of, MEDLINE through PubMed, Embase, Proquest, Cochrane Library, Emerald, Magiran, Irandoc, MoH Thesis Database, and MoH Articles Database. The search keywords were “incident”, "accident," "emergency," "injury," "disaster," " road traffic," "child," "intervention," "preparedness," and "prevention." The search was conducted in both English and Persian languages, and the time frame was set from ۲۰۰۰ to ۲۰۲۳. The objective of the search was to identify preventive interventions for accidents and incidents in children under ۵ years old. To assess the quality of the selected articles, the CASP checklist was used. The data obtained were analyzed using content analysis, categorization, and MAXQDA۲۰ software.  Results: In the initial search, ۱۴۹۵ articles were obtained. After removing duplicates and irrelevant articles in terms of topic, abstract, and content, ۴۱ sources (۳ theses and ۳۸ articles) were selected as references for the scoping review by examining reputable research sources in the mentioned databases. Out of a total of ۲۳۴ identified codes related to preventive interventions for accidents in children under five years old, ۴۵ codes were related to interventions for preventing human-made accidents, ۱۵۷ codes were related to interventions for preventing home accidents, ۱۸ codes were related to interventions for preventing burn and electrical accidents, and ۱۴ codes were related to interventions for preventing traffic accidents. Conclusion: Preventing accidents and incidents in children under five years old, like any other prevention effort, requires comprehensive efforts. Proper education for parents, educating children about safe behaviors, installing appropriate safety equipment, and paying attention to the living environment of children all help reduce accidents and incidents related to children under five years old.