Acute cough in Italian children: parents’ beliefs, approach to treatment, and the family impact

Abstract

Abstract Background Acute cough is the most common symptom among children in primary care, but the impact of cough episodes was never investigated in Italian families. Methods A cross-sectional telephone survey was conducted on a representative sample of Italian families, randomly selected from general population; a specific and validated questionnaire was used. Results The sample (604 calls) was uniform by geographical distribution, and by children age and gender. Mean cough episode was 3.1/year, they were short lasting (only 4.7% > 2 weeks). Independent predictors of children cough episodes were parents’ active smoking habit and work (p € 30 in 18.4% of cases). Conclusions Parents’ actions against cough episodes were variable, depending on their beliefs, smoking habit, and occupational status. The parents’ perceived efficacy of usual prescriptions is poor, and their willingness to pay out-of-pocket for an “effective remedy” against cough is high. The interest for alternative treatments is not negligible in these circumstances.

Keywords

• Acute cough
• Acute cough in children
• Parents’ beliefs
• Prescribing attitude
• Cough impact