Knowledge and Management of Fever Among Latino Parents

Fever is a common childhood condition that is often misunderstood and incorrectly managed by parents. This study uses a questionnaire about fever administered to a convenience sample of Spanish-speaking-only parents bringing their child to a hospital-based urban pediatric clinic. The questionnaire e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Clinical pediatrics 2009-03, Vol.48 (2), p.183-189
Main Authors: Crocetti, Michael, Sabath, Bruce, Cranmer, Lisa, Gubser, Sasha, Dooley, Danielle
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Analgesics, Non-Narcotic - therapeutic use
Body Temperature
Child, Preschool
Children
Complementary Therapies - utilization
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Fever
Fever - ethnology
Fever - psychology
Fever - therapy
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Hispanic Americans
Humans
Infant
Male
Measurement methods
Medical treatment
Parents - education
Parents - psychology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Temperature effects
Temperature measurement
Thermometers
United States
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Summary:Fever is a common childhood condition that is often misunderstood and incorrectly managed by parents. This study uses a questionnaire about fever administered to a convenience sample of Spanish-speaking-only parents bringing their child to a hospital-based urban pediatric clinic. The questionnaire elicits information about definition and cause of fever, concerns about fever, methods of temperature measurement, and treatment modalities used by the parents. Latino parents have numerous misconceptions about fever and its role in illness. Educational interventions should target fever definition, clarification of cause and potential harm of elevated temperatures, temperature monitoring, and safe treatment modalities. Owning a thermometer is strongly associated with correct knowledge of temperature values. Providing parents with a thermometer and educating them about its proper use may lead to an increase in appropriate monitoring and medical treatment of the febrile child.
ISSN:0009-9228
1938-2707
DOI:10.1177/0009922808324949