Home management of pneumonia among mothers of under 5 children attending out-patient pediatric clinic at Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo

Pneumonia, though a preventable, treatable and curable disease, still poses significant threat to the lives of under-five children in Nigeria. This study assessed the home management of pneumonia among mothers of children under-5 years attending paediatric clinic at Osun State University Teaching Hospital, Osogbo from July to October, 2023. 

The study deployed a descriptive cross-sectional research design with simple random sampling technique to select one hundred and seventy (170) mothers of under-five aged children. An adapted validated questionnaire was used to collect data. Hypothesis was tested using the chi square test. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 26.

The result from the study revealed that a preponderant proportion of respondents (98%) had good knowledge of home management of pneumonia in children. Nearly two-thirds (70.6%) had positive attitude towards home management of pneumonia. Majority (89.4%) reportedly had a good practice towards home management of pneumonia. Furthermore, a significant relationship was found between educational level of the respondent and the home management of pneumonia (P= 0.04, χ2=2.680a). There was no significant relationship between the age of the respondent and their knowledge of home management of pneumonia (P= 0.07, χ2=6.894a). 

The mothers of children of five years and below in this study had relatively adequate knowledge about the signs and symptoms of pneumonia, the risk factors and treatment measures, a reflection of proactive practices and good attitude among them. Continuing health education and reinforcement mechanisms are necessary to sustain the high knowledge level and positive attitude revealed in this study.