Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Mothers Concerning Fever among Children under Five Years of Age in the Mabulu 2 Quarter in Kinshasa

Abstract

Purpose: This exploratory study aims to improve the knowledge, attitudes and practices of mothers in the face of fever in children under five years old. Material and methods: A cross-sectional study carried out from 1 to 30 November 2022 among 36 mothers with children under five years old in the Mabulu 2 quarter, using a questionnaire is analyzed using the jamovi 2.3.28 software. Descriptive analyses, Fisher’s exact test and Spearman’s correlation (α = 0.05) were used. Results: Knowledge: 94.4% of mothers consider fever to be an illness. 66.7% believe that the best temperature sampling site is the armpit, which the first step to take is to administer medication and know that we can use a wet wrap and paracetamol. Attitudes: 55.6% go to the pharmacy; 69.4% prefer to combine the antipyretic and the antibiotic; 75% maintain that an overdose makes it possible to obtain a rapid drug effect and 97.2% are for a dose adapted to the child’s weight. Practices: 69.4% of mothers evaluate the fever by touch; 52.8% evaluate the effects of the intervention at more than 2 hours; 80.6% use the teaspoon for the dose and 66.7% use antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription. Attitudes were associated with level of education (p = 0.003) and compliance with the vaccination schedule (p = 0.035). The practices depended on the age of the mothers (p = 0.014). A positive correlation was found between knowledge, attitudes and practices (p < 0.01). Conclusion: It is useful to educate mothers in the Mabulu 2 neighborhood on fever in order to improve their knowledge, attitudes and practices when it occurs in toddlers.