Abstract

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the current study was to determine the knowledge of the mothers of the children about fever, find out their worries and behavior against fever, and the facts affecting all those discussed above.

METHODS

The present study was performed in Pediatric Emergency and Pediatric Outpatient Clinics between November 2008 and April 2009. The mothers of 500 children who are 14 years and less age with fever were included in the study. A questionnaire was applied to the patient’s mothers. Written informed consent was obtained from all mothers. The age of mothers and their children, number of the siblings, education levels of the parents, income of the family, the place that the family lives, presence of thermometer at the house, the way and time of measuring the fever, knowledges of the mothers about fever, management of fever at home, the use of antipyretics and the concerns about fever. Also the level of the body temperature was measured on hospital admission.

RESULTS

The mean age of children was 3.9±3.3 years. Majority of mothers’ education time was between 1 and 8 years. Approximately three-quarters of the families had been residing in the city and usually had middle-income level. Seventy one percent of the mothers had a thermometer at home. The rate of correct knowledge of the normal body temperature was found to be 79%. But 42% of mothers had wrong information about high body temperature limits. We found a high positive correlation between giving the correct answers about the fever and mothers’ education and income level (p<0.001). It was revealed that %37.6 of the mothers was taking of the clothes, 33.2% were giving a shower, and 18.6% of them were giving antipyretics as the first management against fever. Three hundred eighty four (76.8%) of the participants were found to have fever at the contact, and it was noticed that using antipyretics without asking a doctor was 99%. Also giving antipyretics in a period less than 4 hours were found to be as 24%. Frequent usage of antipyretics was not to be correlated with mothers’ educational level. All of mothers had worried about the children in case of fever.

CONCLUSION

Sufficient knowledge and attitudes of mothers about fever may reduce unnecessary treatment and emergency applications and may also reduce their fever-related concerns.