Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Pertaining to Fever in Children Among Parents Attending Under Five Clinic at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Bangalore - A Cross-Sectional Study
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Abstract
Objectives: 1. To assess the knowledge and attitude among parents regarding fever in under five years children. 2. To assess the practice among parents in managing fever in under five years children. 3. To correlate the demographic attributes with the knowledge, attitude and practices among parents regarding fever in under five years children. Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 300 parents of children aged < 5 years between April 2023 and May 2024 using a pre-validated questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Chi square test was used to test the association of knowledge, attitude and practices with categorical demographical data. A p - value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: 53% and 47% of children were males and females respectively. Among the 300 parents interviewed, 61% correctly identified the temperature defined as fever and 57% knew the correct site for measuring temperature. Encouragingly, 70% were aware that paracetamol is the drug of choice, while 50.3% were unaware that all types of fever do not require antibiotics and 47% were unaware that fever can be a beneficial symptom indicating an underlying cause. Tepid sponging (33%) and cold water sponging (30%) were the most common home remedies used to reduce fever. Conclusion: This study highlighted that majority of parents had better knowledge regarding basic concepts of fever and adhered to appropriate practices related to management of childhood fever. However, their understanding of the appropriate use of antibiotics was inadequate. Therefore, there is a need for targeted educational programs, aimed at improving parent’s knowledge and promoting evidence-based practices in the management of childhood fever.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Dr Usha B K, Dr Vishnu K, Shriya Sanjeev
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Creative Commons License All articles published in Annals of Medicine and Medical Sciences are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Dr Usha B K, Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Dr Vishnu K, Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Shriya Sanjeev, Intern, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Intern, Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College and Research Institute, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
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