Material and methods:

A cross-sectional study carried out in Cali households selected via probabilistic sampling, by two-stage clustering. Sociodemographic variables and their relationship with the knowledge, attitudes and practices of the caregivers were analysed.

Results:

A total of 519 caregivers were surveyed, most of whom were the mothers of the children. It was found that the predictors related to the knowledge and practices were: schooling, kinship, affiliation with the system, origin, number of children and people in the home, and no related variables were found in terms of attitudes.

Conclusions:

It was confirmed that sociodemographic variables predict the presence of knowledge and practices related to child maltreatment in caregivers. The predictors found are fundamental for identifying populations with higher risk of child abuse towards which priority promotion and prevention actions should be directed. The results of this study are essential for being able to incorporate strategies that promote appropriate child care, prevent child abuse into the community component of integral care of prevalent diseases of children (AIEPI), and modulate its effects through by promoting resilience in Colombia.

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