Unintentional home injuries pose a serious risk to children under 3 years. While parental supervision and home environment are key factors influencing these injuries, few studies have explored the correlation between them. This study aimed to examine the relationship between home environment, parental supervision, and unintentional home injuries, and to investigate whether parental supervision mediates this relationship.
This study, conducted in Shanghai, China from June to August in 2023, using a convenience sample. Paper questionnaires were distributed to 600 parents of children, assessing unintentional injuries, parent supervision (using parent supervision attributes profile questionnaire), in-home environmental risk scale and demographic variables. A bootstrap test was applied to assess the mediating role of parental supervision.
Both in-home environment risks and parental supervision were significantly related to unintentional home injuries in children under 3. Moreover, parental supervision was found to partially mediate the relationship between environmental risks and injuries, explaining 14.2% of the total effect.
Children under 3 were highly vulnerable to unintentional home injuries. Enhancing parental supervision may reduce the impact of environmental risks on injury occurrence. These findings offer practical guidance for health practitioners, underscoring the value of community-based interventions and tailored educational programs for injury prevention. Future research should explore intervention effectiveness and long-term outcomes.