Osarogiagbon W O, Isara A R
Department of Child Health, School of Medicine, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.
Department of Community Health, School of Medicine, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria.
Afr J Thorac Crit Care Med. 2018 Dec 20;24(4). doi: 10.7196/AJTCCM.2018.v24i4.188. eCollection 2018.
Acute respiratory infection (ARI) is a common respiratory problem in Nigeria and spans a spectrum of infections, from the common cold to pneumonia. ARI is the leading cause of mortality in children under 5 years of age, with the majority of deaths occurring in developing countries.
To assess the knowledge of and the home-based practices used by caregivers of under-fives during episodes of ARI.
A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among an urban community in Edo State, Nigeria. Participants were selected using a multistage sampling technique. A pretested researcher-administered questionnaire was used for data collection.
Of the 346 participating caregivers, the majority had poor knowledge of ARI-related aspects and only some respondents showed good or fair knowledge. Specifically, only 12 respondents (3.5%) showed good knowledge of ARI symptoms and only nine (2.6%) showed good knowledge of the danger signs associated with ARIs. The majority of respondents (n=163; 81.1%) used shea butter oil (orioyo) as a home remedy.
Despite a high level of awareness of ARI among caregivers in the sampled community, a poor level of knowledge of the symptoms, causes and danger signs of ARI was observed. Various homemade preparations and remedies were used to treat ARIs.
急性呼吸道感染（ARI）是尼日利亚常见的呼吸道问题，涵盖从普通感冒到肺炎的一系列感染。ARI是5岁以下儿童死亡的主要原因，大多数死亡发生在发展中国家。
评估5岁以下儿童急性呼吸道感染发作期间照料者的相关知识及家庭护理措施。
在尼日利亚江户州的一个城市社区开展了一项描述性横断面研究。采用多阶段抽样技术选取参与者。使用经过预测试的研究人员自填式问卷收集数据。
在346名参与研究的照料者中，大多数人对ARI相关方面的知识了解不足，只有部分受访者表现出良好或中等的知识水平。具体而言，只有12名受访者（3.5%）对ARI症状有充分了解，只有9名（2.6%）对与ARI相关的危险信号有充分了解。大多数受访者（n = 163；81.1%）使用乳木果油（orioyo）作为家庭疗法。
尽管抽样社区的照料者对ARI的认知程度较高，但对ARI的症状、病因和危险信号的了解程度较低。人们使用了各种自制的制剂和疗法来治疗ARI。
