Maternal Compliance Practices during Childhood Pneumonia in Imo State, Nigeria

Abstract

Pneumonia is a serious acute respiratory infection which, if not prevented, could cause serious illness among children. It can be prevented and treated effectively if mothers could comply with treatment regimen, follow-up and referral practices. Compliance practices are in most cases influenced by factors such as level of education, parity and occupation of mothers. This study aimed at identifying the mothers’ compliance practices during childhood pneumonia in Imo State. A cross-sectional survey design was used in order to achieve the objectives of the study. A sample of 2400 mothers of child bearing age (15-49 years) randomly drawn from 26 out of 27 local government areas in Imo State participated in the study. The instrument used to collect data was a structured questionnaire which had a reliability coefficient of 0.86. Results of the study showed that level of education, parity and occupation influenced mothers’ compliance practices during childhood pneumonia. Among the recommendations include that doctors, nurses and health educators should teach mothers the importance of adequate compliance practices during childhood pneumonia to avoid drug resistance and death.

Keywords: Maternal, compliance, practices, childhood pneumonia, Imo State