Related Experiment Videos
Knowledge and attitudes about otitis media risk: implications for prevention
K A Daly1, R E Selvius, B Lindgren
1Otitis Media Research Center, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
Objectives:
To investigate maternal knowledge and attitudes about otitis media (OM) risk, to estimate the prevalence of risk factors in the first year of life, and to identify barriers to the reduction of risk factors (eg, formula feeding, day care attendance, and exposure to passive smoke).
Methods:
Questionnaires mailed to a systematic sample of 504 Minnesota women >/=18 years old identified through 1994 birth certificates.
Results:
Eighty percent returned a completed survey. According to maternal report, 29% of infants (age 8 to 13 months) had recurrent OM (>/=3 episodes) and 2% had tympanostomy tubes. Forty-six percent attended day care, 29% had >/=1 smoking parent, and 49% breastfed for
Conclusion:
OM education and prevention programs should target pregnant women and new mothers with OM risk factors, and those who are young, single, and less educated.