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The Knowledge, Concerns, and Beliefs of Mothers Towards Febrile Convulsions and Its Management in Aseer, Saudi Arabia

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction Febrile convulsions are common in children aged six months to five years, causing significant parental distress despite being generally harmless. Various beliefs about their causes exist, including high fever and supernatural factors. Previous studies indicate that mothers' education levels and occupations influence their knowledge and attitudes toward febrile convulsions. This study in Aseer, Saudi Arabia, aimed to assess mothers' knowledge, concerns, and beliefs about febrile convulsions to identify educational needs. Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted in Aseer, Saudi Arabia, and performed from October 2023 to July 2024. Data were collected via an online questionnaire. The collected data were cleaned in MS Excel (Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corp.) and analyzed in IBM SPSS version 29 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.). Results This study surveyed 538 mothers with 25.7% (n=138) aged 36-45 years, and 77.0% (n=414) were married. Regarding the number of children, 25.5% of participants (n=137) had none, 18.6% (n=100) had one child, 14.1% (n=76) had two, and 41.8% (n=225) had three or more children. Education levels showed 56.9% (n=306) had university degrees or higher. Among 401 participants, 30.9% (n=124) reported febrile convulsions in their children. The first convulsion was before one year of age in 14.0% (n=56), and between one and five years in 29.2% (n=117) participants. Misconceptions were common, with 73.3% (n=294) mistakenly believing that febrile convulsions are a form of epilepsy. Higher maternal education was significantly associated with lower knowledge about febrile convulsions (p=0.040), and mothers with children who had experienced febrile convulsions demonstrated significantly lower knowledge (p=0.003). Conclusion This study provides valuable insights into the knowledge, concerns, and beliefs of mothers in Aseer, Saudi Arabia, regarding febrile convulsions. While there is a high level of awareness about some aspects, significant misconceptions persist. Higher education and children with febrile convulsions are negative predictors of high awareness and knowledge about febrile convulsions.

Source: Cureus

DOI: 10.7759/cureus.71403