Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Parents Regarding Convulsion in Children Under Five Years in Muea Community, Cameroon

Abstract

Background Convulsion is an event that can emotionally traumatise most parents. Inadequate knowledge regarding convulsion can cause parental anxiety. Aim This research sought to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, concerns and practices of parents regarding convulsion in children under five-years. Methods The study employed a community based cross-sectional survey design. Purposive, convenient and snowball samplings were used to select the study site and enroll participants to the study. The study was conducted in Muea Community, Buea Health District in Fako Division, South West Region of Cameroon. The study participants were made up of parents of children under 5-years of age and who had witnessed convulsion in a child. Respondents who met the inclusion criteria and gave their consent to participate in the study were selected. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire made up of both open and closed-ended questions. Data was collected on the knowledge, attitudes, concerns and practices of parents regarding convulsions in children. Data collected was entered using a pre-designed EpiData version 3.1 and data from open-ended questions were analysed using systematic process of thematic analysis. Results A total of 100 respondents participated in the study. The study revealed that more than half of the respondents 53.7% had good knowledge on convulsion, 61.9% of the respondents had positive attitudes towards convulsion and 51.4% of parents had good practices regarding convulsion. This study also revealed that knowledge of convulsion had an association (p=0.05) with gender and marital status but was not dependent (p>0.05) on age and level of school attained. Conclusion The study concluded that even though more than half of the respondents were knowledgeable on convulsion, there is still need for proper parental education as inappropriate attitudes and practices like putting the child’s head in the toilet pit, which can lead to complications are still being practiced.