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Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of mothers on acute respiratory infection in children under five years
Shireen Qassim Bham1, Farhan Saeed2, Manzar Alam Shah3
1Dr. Shireen Qasim Bham, DCH, FCPS. Department of Pediatrics, Liaquat College of Medicine & Dentistry and Darul Sehat Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
Insights
Mothers demonstrate good knowledge and appropriate attitudes towards Acute Respiratory Tract Infection (ARI) in children. Higher literacy rates positively impact their understanding and practices regarding childhood ARI.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Acute Respiratory Tract Infection (ARI) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in children under five.
- Understanding maternal knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) is crucial for effective ARI prevention and management.
- Limited data exists on maternal KAP regarding ARI in the study region.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practices of mothers concerning Acute Respiratory Tract Infection (ARI) in children under five years of age.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 335 mothers at Darul Sehat hospital.
- Data was collected via interviewer-administered questionnaires translated into Urdu.
- Inclusion criteria focused on local mothers with children under five; exclusion criteria included foreign mothers or those with communication difficulties.
Main Results:
- 68% of the 335 children studied had ARI, with cough being the most common symptom.
- Pneumonia was the most frequent complication (83%), and dust was a common aggravating factor (81%).
- Most mothers sought treatment from medical practitioners (89%), though 58% practiced self-medication, frequently using paracetamol.
Conclusions:
- Mothers possess good knowledge of ARI symptoms, environmental triggers, and complications.
- Maternal attitudes towards ARI are appropriate, leading to timely consultation with healthcare providers.
- Improved maternal literacy correlates positively with enhanced knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding ARI.
Objective:
To assess Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of mothers on ARI (Acute Respiratory Tract Infection) in children less than five years of age.
Methods:
This cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Department of Pediatrics, Darul Sehat hospital from 1st December 2014 to 28th February 2015. Mothers(n=335) who were local residents, had at least one child below the age of five years and coming to the hospital for any medical problem along with accompanying women were included. Foreign mothers and/or those having difficulty in perceiving questions were excluded. Language used in the Questionnaire was English which was translated to Urdu for better understanding. Questionnaire was interviewer administered. Researchers and two house physicians took part in questioning the mothers.
Results:
Total 335 children were studied. Out of 335 children 228(68%) had ARI. Mean age of the children was 20 months ±17 SD while mean Birth weight was 2.7 kg ± 1.8 SD. The most common symptom perceived was cough (n=303, 40%), mostly worsening during winter season (n=255,87%), commonest aggravating factor was dust (n=174,81%), most common complication was Pneumonia (n=135, 83%), and most mothers opted for medical practitioner (n=268,89%) for treatment. Self-medication was practiced by 192(58%) and paracetamol was frequently used medication (n=117,42%).
Conclusion:
The study reveals good knowledge of mothers on ARI symptoms, worsening environmental conditions, aggravating factors and complications. Their attitude towards ARI was appropriate with early consultation with qualified medical practitioner. Better literacy rate, has a positive influence on the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of mothers.
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