Background: Ear diseases are considered as a significant common health problem in the developing countries, with the potential to affect the psychological and social health of children and their families. The present study aimed to assess the knowledge of parents toward childhood ear infections in Saudi Arabia.
Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study was conducted in 2019 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 1,000 Saudi Arabian parents invited to participate in this study. The questionnaire included demographic variables (age, gender, educational level, and socioeconomic status). The self-administrated questionnaire included items that assessed the parental knowledge about pediatric ear infections. Additionally, it included questions related to general knowledge (symptoms, causes, treatment, prevention, and consequences of ear infections).
Results: More than half of the parents (55%) had high knowledge about ear infections in children. About one quarter (25%) had intermediate knowledge, while 20% of parents had low knowledge. Participants' knowledge about ear infection was positively correlated with education and age (p value< 0.05).
Conclusion: Most Saudi Arabian parents in this study had good knowledge of ear infections among under-five children. The main factors were associated with age and educational level of the parents. These findings suggest that it may be beneficial to perform educational programs regarding ear infections among under-five children for Saudi parents to direct them toward better behaviors.
Key words: Ear infections, parents, knowledge, under five
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