We investigated the knowledge level and risk factors for pediatric unintentional
burns in rural Southwest China with an aim to provide basic evidence for the prevention strategies. A stratified sampling method was used to recruit 1842 rural children from 9 schools. Self-reported
burns during the past 12 months and relevant risk factors were collected by questionnaires. The
burn incidence of all surveyed children was 12.7% (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 11.2-14.2%). We found that
burn incidence had a trend to increase with the increasing school grade level and a trend to decrease with increasing knowledge scores on
burns. The top two causes of
burns were hot liquids (36.3%) and hot object (29.5%). More than 30% of children had little knowledge about preventive measures and how to give
first-aid after
burns. The main risk factors for
burns included female gender, left-behind children by parents who were working in cities, and poor mother school education level. As the incidence of pediatric unintentional
burns was high in rural southwest China, schools, families, and local public health agencies should put efforts into health education targeting
burn prevention and
first-aid measures after
burns, particularly in "left-behind" children and those with mothers with poor education.