Mothers Beliefs And Knowledge’ Of Teething In Benin City

Abstract

Background: Several myths and beliefs have accompanied  the teething process for ages. While some  extreme conditions and deaths are no longer linked to  teething, the teething process is still surrounded by some  controversies to date.

Objective: To assess mothers'  beliefs and knowledge of teething. Methods: The study  was designed as a descriptive cross-sectional survey. The  participants were mothers, selected via a systematic  sampling technique. Their socio-demographics, were  evaluated with the aid of a questionnaire. Furthermore,  their knowledge was scored and graded. Version 21 of  IBM SPSS Armonk, NY, USA, was used for data analysis.  Results were presented using frequency tables and  charts. The level of significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. 

Results: A total of 120 mothers took part in the study.  Most of the mothers (86.7%; n=104) believed diarrhea was  a symptom of teething, and close to half (49.2%;  n=59) believed fever was a symptom. Half of the  participants 50.0% (n=60) reported parents as the source  of their information. Only one-sixth of the participants  (16.7%; n=20) had a good knowledge of teething.  Knowledge of teething was found to be related to the  level of education. However, the association was not  statistically significant (p = 0.77)

Conclusion: There is a need for public  enlightenment programs to correct some observed  teething misconceptions, improve the teething awareness  level, and close the gap in the knowledge of  teething of this study population.