Study of caregiver knowledge on the effects of ionizing radiation and Its exposure in children under the age of five

Abstract

Background: Globally, an average person is exposed to 1.5-3.5 millisieverts (mSv / year) 1 of ionizing radiation per year. Radiation stochastic exposure increases the risk of more than 20 types of cancer in children. Aim: To study the exposure to ionizing radiation during the health care of children under five years of age Material methodology: The survey was conducted between May 15-20, 2020, and August 15, 2020, on the NCMCH, NCTO, district health centers, and general hospitals using the instantaneous model of analytical research. The survey covered 149 children under the age of five, and 149 caregivers who were attending hospital due to illness, or been hospitalized. Statistical analysis of the survey results was processed using IBM SPSS 26.0 software. Results: The frequency of X-ray examinations during the lifetime ranged from 1 to 10, with 47.3% having two or more X-rays examination and 1-3 times X-ray examinations during the hospitalization and getting an average exposure of 0.280.2 mSv of ionizing radiation. The knowledge level was low at 52.8% (76) if the caregiver’s which increases the risk of exposure of children to ionizing radiation by 3.9 times. Conclusion: The frequency of exposure to ionizing radiation in children was high. InsufÏcient knowledge of the caregiver about the effects of X-rays examination. Lack of caregiver knowledge increases the risk of exposure of children to ionizing radiation.