Volume 26, Issue 128, October 2022

Parents’ knowledge and management of children’s fevers in Saudi Arabia after the COVID-19 pandemic

Somaya Abdulrahman^1♦, Shada Fayad², Najd Al Anazi³, Esraa Abdulgader⁴, Tahani Alqahtani⁵, Ashwaq Alsukhayri⁶, Albatul Al-Shwail⁷, Ali Aljifry⁸, Sarah Alsamaan⁹, Khalid Aboalshamat¹⁰

¹General Dentist, Makkah, Saudi Arabia
²General Medical Practitioner, Cardiology Department, Dr.Samir Abbas Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
³Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
⁴Medical Resident, Pediatric Department, Ministry of Health, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁵General Medical Practitioner, Family Medicine Department, National Guard Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
⁶General Medical Practitioner, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
⁷Medical Student, Oncology Department, King Khalid University, Abha, Saudi Arabia
⁸Medical Intern, Faculty of Medicine, Vision colleges, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
⁹Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Hail University, Hail, Saudi Arabia
¹⁰Associate professor, Dental Public Health Division, Preventative Dentistry Department, College of Dentistry, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

^♦Corresponding author
Somaya Abdulrahman, General Dentist, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Fever is a common childhood symptom that is considered to be the cause of around 70% of pediatric visits. Objectives: This study aimed to assess parents’ knowledge about and management of fevers in children since the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia. Methods: This cross-sectional study collected data from 488 Saudi Arabian parents using a self-administered questionnaire to assess the parents’ knowledge about fevers and how to manage them in children. SPSS was used for analysis. Results: The mean total knowledge score was 8.85 ± 2.09 out of 18, indicating poor knowledge levels. Females had higher total knowledge scores than males. Only 3.69% of respondents identified the rectum as the best location for taking children’s temperatures. A total of 59% knew that fever scan lead to seizures, but 65% believed it also leads to blindness. Most used ear thermometers (51.43%). A majority (76.43%) thought COVID-19 made them more concerned about fevers, with 65.98% becoming more worried about children’s fevers after COVID-19. Conclusion: Saudi Arabian parents have low levels of knowledge about children’s fevers after COVID-19, despite believing the pandemic improved their knowledge. More health-promoting campaigns are needed to boost knowledge about childhood fevers.

Keywords: Parents, Knowledge, Management, Fever, Children, COVID-19, Saudi Arabia

Medical Science, 2022, 26, ms400e2456

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v26i128/ms400e2456

Published: 08 October 2022