[Analysis of parental knowledge and care in childhood fever]

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Family Medicine

Background:

• Fever is a common concern for parents of young children.
• Understanding parental knowledge and care practices for childhood fever is crucial for effective health interventions.
• Socio-demographic factors may influence parental understanding and management of fever.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess parental knowledge and care practices regarding fever in children under two years of age.
• To examine the relationship between parental socio-demographic characteristics and their fever management knowledge and practices.

Main Methods:

• A multicenter, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted.
• 311 parents of children under two years old, attending vaccination appointments, participated.
• Parental knowledge and fever care/management were assessed using an adapted questionnaire.

Main Results:

• Nearly 70% of parents demonstrated correct fever care/management practices.
• Only 3.9% of parents possessed complete knowledge about fever.
• Lower educational attainment correlated with lower fever knowledge scores; geographic origin also showed significant differences in knowledge.
• Parents of children with chronic conditions exhibited higher accuracy in fever care (p=0.03).
• A positive correlation was found between fever knowledge and management scores (rho=0.15, p=0.008).

Conclusions:

• Effective fever management practices exist among parents, even with suboptimal knowledge levels.
• Targeted health education, tailored to diverse parental backgrounds and addressing ethnic-specific beliefs about fever, is recommended to enhance child fever care.
• Further research into cultural beliefs surrounding fever management is warranted.