Fearful or functional--a cross-sectional survey of the concepts of childhood fever among German and Turkish mothers in Germany.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fever is one of the most common presenting complaints in paediatrics and general practice. In the majority of cases nothing harmful is diagnosed. However, the subjective meaning of fever often varies between doctors and parents. Knowledge of the parents' concept of fever may help tailor counselling to their needs.In this study we determine 1) the influence of socio-economic status and cultural background on two concepts of fever which we labelled "functional" and "fearful", each representing typical experiences of mothers, and 2) the actions taken by the mothers related to these concepts.

Methods

A standardized interview study was conducted among German and Turkish mothers in Germany in 2009. The questionnaire consisted of 36 questions and 205 items. Interviews we

SUBMITTER: Langer T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3118121 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature