AWARENESS REGARDING MOTHER’S KNOWLEDGE RELATED TO PREVENTIVE MEASURES OF PNEUMONIA

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia ranks among the top causes of mortality in children under five worldwide. A mother's understanding of preventive measures such as proper hygiene, exclusive breastfeeding, and vaccinations can greatly decrease the mortality and morbidity associated with pneumonia. Many children suffering from pneumonia experience delays in accessing healthcare services promptly, often due to their mother's inability to identify the seriousness of their child’s illness.

METHOD :Current hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of pediatric unit 1 jamshoro Hospital between February to  April 2025 .Mother of children under 5 years of age, suffering from pneumonia and were admitted in the department of pediatric ward were included and interviewed. Total 80 mothers were interviewed by using a close-ended, adapted questionnaire comprising of 16 closed-ended items. Written consent was taken from each participant before filling of the questionnaire. Data was entered and analyzed in SPSS version 23.00.

RESULTS: Out of 80 subjects, 62.50% was male. 53.8% study participant was illiterate, 50% subjects were in the age group of (21to30) years . 37.5% of respondents were unable to recognize sign and symptoms of pneumonia. Exclusive breast feeding habit was found in 43.8% mothers. Mothers don’t know the importance of hand washing in pneumonia 66.3%.mothers also unable to recognized the importance of vaccination in children 37.5%.

CONCLUSION : The research found that mothers had limited understanding of pneumonia, the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding, and hand hygiene. The government needs to prioritize increasing public awareness about hand washing and exclusive breastfeeding as effective preventive measures, in addition to immunization, and recognizing fast breathing as a symptom of pneumonia.  

KEYWORDS: Pneumonia, Mothers, knowledge, Prevention