Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Community Medicine

Health seeking behaviors have the potential to substantially reduce child mortality through prompt and appropriate care seeking practices particularly in developing countries. This study was conducted to assess care seeking behavior of the mothers during childhood illness and to determine the most important factors affecting. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 299 mothers who have child under 5 years old suffered from fever, symptoms of respiratory disease and/or diarrhea during the preceding 15 days before the data collection at a rural PHC unit (Qalyubia governorate). Pretested interviewing questionnaire about socio demographic characteristics of mothers and their children, HSB and presented child symptoms. Respiratory symptoms followed by fever then diarrhea were the most common symptoms affecting the studied children within 15 days prior to the study. More than four- fifths of mothers sought appropriate care and the private sector was their first choice followed by PHC facilities. Half of mothers have delayed in seeking care while only about one third of mothers sought appropriate at a proper time. Proper ANC visits ( {u2265}4), presence of fever (alone or with other symptoms) and perceiving child illness as severe were found to be significant predictors of seeking appropriate care at a proper time

Issued also as CD