Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices toward Acute Respiratory Infection among Parents of Children under Five Years

Abstract

Background: Acute respiratory infection (ARI) causes high morbidity and mortality rates among children under five years. As parents are the main caregivers for these children, it is important to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) toward managing ARI. Objectives: The objectives of this study were to assess KAPs toward ARI among Jordanian and Syrian parents with children under five years, and to examine the relationship between KAPs toward ARI and parental sociodemographic variables. Method: A cross-sectional design was conducted using a sample of 204 parents (124 Jordanians and 80 Syrians). The data were collected at community associations in Irbid city between December 2021 and February 2022 through a self-reporting questionnaire. Results: The results revealed that the total score of knowledge toward ARI was 10.14 (SD = 2.75) out of 18, the score of attitudes was 8.09 (SD = 1.97) out of 12, while the score of practice was 4.04 (SD = .89) out of 5. Father’s education and mother’s education were positively correlated with the knowledge scores. Family income, father’s education, and mother’s education were positively correlated with the attitude and practice scores. Finally, Jordanian parents reported significantly higher attitude and practice scores than Syrian parents (p ≤ .05).   Conclusions and Nursing Implications: The study highlights the need for health education that should target parents with low socioeconomic status in general and Syrian refugee parents in particular. Primary health care centers, hospitals, public places, and community organizations are the best places to conduct health education.

Keywords

• acute respiratory infection
• knowledge
• attitudes
• and practices (kap)
• parents
• children under five years