How childhood diseases awareness contributes to minimize the risk of disease severity in children under five age: an evolutionarystudy

Abstract

Abstract

Objective: To scrutinise the contribution of childhood disease awareness in mothers to minimise the risk of disease severity in children aged <5, and to evaluate the effectiveness of a proposed app in this context.

Methods: The evolutionary study was conducted in Children’s Hospital and the Institute of Child Health Multan from September 2018 to February 2019 and comprised two sessions with the app involving 30 mothers who were provided with smartphones with the app installed. The mothers were divided into 4 age groups. The app was evaluated using quantitative and qualitative measures. Suggestions and opinions were obtained in the first session and all suggestions were implemented by the second session.

Results: Of the 30 mothers, 8(26.6%) were in Group 1 aged 14-20 years, 12(40%) in Group 2 aged 21-27 years, 7(23.3%) in Group 3 aged 28-34 years, and 3(10%) in Group 4 aged 35 years and above. The participants were able to diagnose their kids’ diseases accurately by following the instructions provided by the app. The subjects also agreed that they diagnosed the diseases accurately. All the participants were interested in the app and expressed the desire to have it available across the healthcare facilities in Pakistan.

Conclusion: All subjects showed acceptance for the app and affirmed its easy usability, especially for illiterate mothers.

Key Words: Childhood disease, mHealth app, Mother literacy, Mortality rate.