Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess mothers’ knowledge, reactions, and immediate actions regarding head trauma in children under 5 years old in the Western region of Saudi Arabia.
Methods: A cross-sectional observational design was used, involving 384 mothers who participated in an online questionnaire exploring their experiences with childhood head injuries. The study included mothers over 18 years old with children under 5 years.
Results: A total of 66.4% of mothers had heard of head trauma, but only 43.6% had good knowledge of its management. Social media was the most common source of information (46.5%). Knowledge was significantly higher among mothers working in healthcare (p-value = 0.007), those with a child who had previously experienced a head injury (p-value = 0.001), those who had attended educational courses (p-value = 0.001), those who shared experience in dealing with head injuries with others (p-value = 0.001), those who taught family and friends about head injuries (p-value = 0.001), and those who had received information from a physician (p-value = 0.001).
Conclusion: This study found a lack of mothers’ knowledge of managing head trauma and preventing home injuries in young children. Those with relevant professional experience or prior exposure to head injuries were more likely to respond effectively to such incidents.

Key words: Knowledge, attitude, practice, home head trauma, management