Dr. Manal Alzghoul, Assistant Professor in Nursing, is receiving a $65,250 Insight Development grant to explore immigrant parents’ knowledge and cultural beliefs along with factors contributing to the risk of unintentional injury to children.
“My research will examine the acceptability of injury prevention programs to immigrant parents,” Dr. Alzghoul said, adding that she and her team will conduct the study with immigrant families living in northern and rural Ontario.
Unintentional injuries are a major cause of death and disability among children worldwide and in Canada. Injuries impact the social, physical, psychological, and economic wellbeing of children, their families, and communities. Most of these preventable injuries occur inside and around the house.
Immigrant families, who comprise 21.3% of the Canadian population, may have a different understanding of children’s risk of injury as well as knowledge of prevention strategies based on safety standards in their home countries, cultural norms, and housing environments. Compared to non-immigrants, immigrant children are 23 percent more likely to be injured if they are young (i.e., 14 years old or younger), male, reside in northern and rural areas, and have a higher socioeconomic status.
“The findings of this research may inform the design of injury prevention initiatives to improve the knowledge, perceptions, and engagement of immigrant parents,” Dr. Alzghoul added.
The project will take two years to complete. For each year, one master’s student and three undergraduate students will perform research with Dr. Alzghoul.
