ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF MOTHERS OF ASTHMATIC CHILDREN

Abstract

The aim of the current study was to assess the knowledge and practice of mothers of asthmatic children. The study was carried out in outpatient pediatrics clinics of Chest Disease Hospital in Port Said Governorate. Moreover the outpatient pediatrics clinics included Health Insurance of EL-Arab clinic and EL-Amal clinic .

The sample size was 274 mothers who had asthmatic children with age from (6-16 years ) .

The study was carried out by using a pre-designed interviewing questionnaire. It included several parts to gather data in relation to general characteristics of mothers and their asthmatic children, mothers' knowledge and practice about asthma.

Data were collected over a period of 7 months from August 1998 to

March , 1999 for 4 days a week ..

The main findings obtained were the following:

• Almost half mothers ( 49.3 % ) were in the age group of 40 to less than 50 years and also ( 26.6 %) of them were illiterate . Two thirds of mothers (66.4 %) were housewives who had monthly family income of I 00 pounds or less .

• Less than half of children ( 46% ) had positive family history of asthma and the majority of the asthmatic children ( 78 %) had other forms of allergies such as allergic rhinitis , urticaria and allergic conjunctivitis .