Abstract
Background
The existing literature demonstrates insufficient parental knowledge around fever, and international guidelines suggest studying parents’ perceptions and practices in treating febrile sickness. This study investigated parental knowledge, attitudes and practices toward fever in preschool children to help address all pointed gaps and provide information with the aim of supporting clinical reports for parental education.
Methods
A cross-sectional study design was used to explore parental experiences with fever. Participants were recruited randomly from schools all over Lebanon targeting the preschool divisions to include parents of children aged 5 years or less. An electronic self-administered questionnaire was sent to the parents through the schools’ emails and e-learning mobile applications, with a separate message encouraging parents to take time to fill carefully the survey.
Results
A total of 733 parents were included in the study. Only 44% identified fever correctly according to the recognized definition by international guidelines. A significant association between parents’ knowledge of antibiotics and years of parenting experience was found (ORa = 4.23, 95% CI 1.41-12.68, P=0.01). Other sociodemographic factors that were significantly associated with parents’ knowledge of antibiotics were age (ORa = 3.42, 95% CI 1.09-10.73, P=0.036) and education level (ORa = 7.99, 95% CI 3.71-17.23, P<0.001). Greater than 75% usually give their children antipyretics without consulting a doctor. Approximately one-quarter of parents (26.3%) consulted different doctors at the same time, of which more than half (58.4%) had received different medical information.
Conclusions
This research determines deficiencies in parents’ knowledge of fever with some malpractices in its management. It provides insight for healthcare providers to empower parental experiences by offering the necessary information to enhance general outcomes of febrile sickness.