Knowledge of Mothers Regarding Management of Fever in their Children Under Five Years of Age in Al-Hilla City

Abstract

Background: Improper fever definitions will lead to excessive treatment with its adverse consequences, or missed fever, or delayed diagnosis of dangerous illness. Mothers’ care for a feverish child can sometimes be inappropriate and harmful. Objective: To assess knowledge of mothers regarding definition and management of fever in their children under five years of age and to identify the association between mothers’ knowledge and mothers’ socio demographic factors. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 302 mothers of alive children aged bellow five years. The mothers were interviewed (face-to-face) after giving their verbal consent to participate in this study by using a systematic questionnaire, which included mothers’ socio-demographic characteristics and questions related to fever management. It was carried out at Babylon Teaching Hospital for Maternity and Children, Al Imam Al Sadiq Teaching Hospital, and Al Noor Hospital For Children in Al-Hilla City, Iraq, from February 1 to June 15, 2022. Results: The mean age of mothers was (27.07 ± 6.33) years, 16.56% of mothers were higher education graduates, 86.75% were housewives. 0.66% of mothers had insufficient knowledge regarding fever management, 65.23% had moderate knowledge, and 34.11% had high knowledge. The mothers’ knowledge was in significant association with the mothers’ educational level, mothers’ occupation, using internet, and in significant negative correlation with number of alive children that the mothers had. Conclusion: About two-thirds of the mothers had moderate knowledge regarding fever management, about one-third had high knowledge, and less than one percent of mothers had insufficient knowledge.