Knowledge and Practice Regarding Prevention of Covid-19 in Children among Mothers of Underfive Children

Aim: A study titled “knowledge and practice regarding prevention of COVID-19 in children among mothers of underfive children” is a descriptive study conducted on 300 mothers of underfive children admitted in pediatric medical wards of Sree Avittam Thirunal Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. Objectives: The objectives of the study were to assess the knowledge of mothers of underfive children regarding prevention of COVID-19 in children, to assess the practice of mothers of underfive children regarding prevention of COVID-19 in children, to find out the correlation between knowledge and practice of mothers of underfive children regarding prevention of COVID-19 in children, to determine the association between knowledge of mothers of underfive children regarding prevention of COVID-19 in children and selected socio demographic variables, to determine the association between practice of mothers of underfive children regarding prevention of COVID-19 in children and selected socio demographic variables and to prepare a module regarding prevention of COVID-19 in children. Materials and Methods: The theoretical framework of the study was based on Nola J. Pender’s Health Promotion Model. Data regarding mother’s knowledge were assessed using questionnaire and practice through rating scale. Results: The study revealed that of the 300 mothers, 51% mothers had overall good knowledge, 41.3% had average knowledge and 7.7% had poor knowledge regarding prevention of COVID-19 in children. Of the 300 mothers, 82.3% had good practice and 17.7% had average practice regarding prevention of COVID-19 in children. Conclusion: It was observed in the study that there was a weak positive correlation between knowledge and practice (r= 0.265, p< 0.01) and there was a significant association between knowledge of mothers and sociodemographic variables such as age, educational qualification, occupation and income of mother. It was also found that there was a significant association between practice of mothers and educational qualification of mother. The study findings inferred that, even though majority of mothers are following good practices, they lack scientific knowledge regarding preventive practices.