THE IMPACT OF MOTHERS HEALTH-EDUCATION ON THE PREVALENCE OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY-INFECTIONS IN CHILDREN

In this study, the effects of educating mothers on acute respiratory i nfections were investigated in Hacilar district of Kayseri, a province in Central Anatolia, The intervention group included 69 children and the control group 57 children between the ages of 0 and 4 years. The c hildren in both groups were checked for symptoms of acute respiratory infections (ARI) in January 1990 and 1991, before and after interventi on. The intervention consisted of 30 minutes of face-to-face education of mothers regarding ARI prevention and treatment. In addition, the n umbers of clinic visits by children for acute respiratory infections b efore and after intervention were compared. The prevalence of acute re spiratory infections decreased from 49.3% to 27.5% in the intervention group and from 43.9% to 38.6% in the control group. The decrease in t he prevalence of acute respiratory infections in the intervention grou p differed significantly, from that of the control group. On the other hand, clinic visits by the intervention group for acute respiratory i nfections increased significantly.