MATERNAL PERCEPTIONS OF PNEUMONIA AND PNEUMONIA SIGNS IN PAKISTANI CHILDREN

Fifty mothers of children attending a hospital outpatient clinic with non-severe pneumonia (fast breathing but no chest indrawing) were inte rviewed in depth. Maternal perceptions and practices with clinical sig nificance were documented. Results showed that most mothers initially tried ''heat-producing'' home remedies designed to counter the ''coldn ess'' of the disease, allowed only 2 days for any particular allopathi c medicine to work, and did not go to the same practitioner twice, Whe n mothers were asked what had alarmed them enough to come to the hospi tal, the symptoms named most frequently were persistent severe cough a nd high fever, inability to sleep and excessive crying. Fast breathing was spontaneously mentioned by only a few, although when questioned, 32/50 said that they had noticed it. The mothers who had prior experie nce with child pneumonia were more likely to notice fast breathing and also came to the hospital earlier than those who were inexperienced. Relatively higher levels of maternal education and income were suggest ively associated with bringing a female child rather than a male child for pneumonia treatment. Fewer than half of the mothers knew where ai r goes when a person breathes in and where the lungs are located. Most held treatment preferences at odds with the protocols proposed for th e national ARI program currently being initiated in Pakistan, e.g. the y said that a doctor should use a stethoscope, should prescribe suspen sions rather than tablets and should give injections. This study provi des baseline data on attitudes and behaviors that can either be built on in that program or addressed through public education campaigns.