Assesment of mothers' behavior about prevention of febrile seizure in children in Arak city: application of the Health Belief Model

Assesment of mothers' behavior about prevention of febrile seizure in children in Arak city: application of the Health Belief Model M Sajadi Hazaveh, M Shamsi * Abstract: (5847 Views) Introduction: Febrile convulsion is the most common neurological disorder in children below the age of six. Considering the important role of mothers in controling the disease, the present study was carried out to assess the mothers' behavior based on the Health Belief Model about prevention of febrile seizure in children in Arak city. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted on one hundred women with children under 2 years of age. Data were collected through a questionnaire based on HBM (perceived susceptibility, severity, barrier and benefit and cues to action and performance checklist about prevention of febrile convulsion. The data were collected through organized interviews and finally analysed. Results: The findings showed that the amount of perceived barriers in mothers with weak performance was more than that in other mothers, and the two groups revealed a significant difference. Poor functioning was more commonly seen in illiterate mothers or those with primary education,and the two groups showed a significant difference. Percived susceptibility in mothers with low literacy and poor performance was also lower than the others (P<0.05). Conclusion: Considering the fact that most mothers in this study performed poorly in preventing seizures caused by fever, increased awareness, severity, intensity and perceived benefits and reduced perceived barriers performance in preventing further seizure-induced fever were increased. Therefore, a strict educational program based on Health Belief Model for the health of children is recommended. Keywords: Febrile Seizures, Child, Mothers, Behavior