J Korean Acad Child Health Nurs.  2009 Jul;15(3):306-313.

Knowledge and Practice of Infection Prevention by Mothers of Young Children

• Lee DW
• Kwon IS

Abstract

PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to investigate the knowledge and practice of mothers of young children in infection prevention in everyday life. The results will provide basic data for future interventions for infection prevention in early childhood. METHODS: The participants included 313 mothers from three cities in Gyeongnam Province, Korea. The data were collected from December 2007 to January 2008 using a self-report questionnaire developed by the researchers and analyzed using the SPSS program. RESULTS: Average rate for correct answers of knowledge of infection prevention was 81.1%, and the mean score of practice in infection prevention was 3.18+/-0.34, out of 5. There was a positive correlation in the relationship between knowledge and practice (r=.236, p<.001). There were differences in knowledge and practice according to mothers' education, monthly family income, and type of residence, but there were no differences according to number of children and admission history of child for infectious disease. CONCLUSION: The level of knowledge and practice infection prevention by the mothers was not enough to prevent infection in early childhood. Therefore, effective strategies should be developed to help mothers in the prevention of infections during early childhood.

Keyword

Mother; Knowledge; Infection; Prevention; Practice

MeSH Terms

Child
Communicable Diseases
Humans
Korea
Mothers
Child Health
Surveys and Questionnaires