Assessing Maternal Management of Childhood Illnesses in Anaocha Local Government Area, Anambra State: A Study of Home-Based Practices and Strategies

Background: Children under 5 years are especially vulnerable to infectious diseases like malaria, pneumonia, diarrhea, HIV, and tuberculosis which are also the major causes of death among this age group. In this study, the three most common under 5 illnesses will be studied which are malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhea. Objectives: To ascertain the home management of childhood illness among mothers in Anaocha local government area of Anambra state. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted among women and data collected using pretested interviewer administered questionnaire among 320 respondents. Results were analyzed using SPSS 25.0. Results: A total of 320 women were interviewed. Their mean age was 28.40±6.07 years, more than half of the respondents were within the age range of 20-29 years. Respondents who had heard about these illnesses before the study were 99.4%, 62.5% and 80.9% for malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea respectively. Majority of the respondents had good knowledge of symptoms of childhood illness, 222(69.4%) with an average knowledge score of about 56.4±21.0%. The relationship between educational level of mothers and preventive measure was statistically significant but there was no association between age and preventive measures. The prevalence of home management of the different childhood illnesses was 0.90, 0.81 and 0.36 for malaria, diarrhoea and pneumonia respectively. More than two-third of the respondents visited the hospital to seek for external assistance. The factors identified to cause delays in seeking medical care include cost of health care, 178(55.6%); and transportation, 159(49.7%). With respect to age, highest educational level attained, occupation of mothers and their relationship to visiting the hospital within 24hours of onset of illness, there was significant association with a p-value <0.05. Conclusion: It was found that mothers were able to recognise symptoms of childhood illnesses. Misconceptions about .............