Burns are a potential hazard in every home, with the majority of child burn injuries being to children under the age of three. Approximately four million people in the Western world are subject to post-burn scarring each year. 70% of these are children.
Scalds from hot drinks are one of the most common causes of burn injury to children under 5 in the UK. SafeTea was a national campaign that aimed to reduce hot drink scalds to young children, and to improve first aid given to children with burns. The campaign was run on social media and included Facebook and Twitter supported by a dedicated website, and reinforced by burn prevention interventions from health professionals working with the families of young children.
The campaign included video clips, posters, leaflets and charts which were distributed to schools, nurseries and parent groups, in order to educate parents with young children on the importance of keeping hot drinks out of reach.
The SafeTea project was carried out by:
Professor Alison Kemp, Professor Alan Emond and Dr Laura Cowley and was a collaboration between The University of Bristol and Cardiff University.