A Case Control Study on Clinical Characterictics and Outcome of Pneumonia Among Infants in Association with Conventional Child Rearing Practices

Abstract

Background: The traditional child rearing practices pertaining to child care and cultural practices pertaining to mother care are being followed from one generation to another which has become part of our lives and being strictly followed. Certain practices tend to cause pneumonia among infants and children. Team approach concepts are necessary to educate mothers, paramedical and social workers upon the hazards of harmful traditional child rearing practices.

Materials and Methods: Our study is a prospective comparative study conducted in department of pediatrics at a tertiary care center. The study included all infants with clinical and radiological evidence of pneumonia in PICUs and wards who had a history of traditional child rearing practices were referred to as cases and infants with clinical and radiological evidence of pneumonia in PICUs and wards with no history of traditional child rearing practices were referred to as controls.

Result: About 100 newborns out of 300 had a history of conventional Child Rearing Practice. When all babies with pneumonia were analysed, 55% of infants were under 3 months, 33% between 4–6 months and 22% between 7–12 months. When the clinical parameters of pneumonia among the cases and controls were compared and analysed, it is discovered that: prolonged fever (82%), respiratory distress (>3) (70%), prolonged need for oxygen supplementation (70%), prolonged difficulty taking feeds (83%), extended IV fluid requirements (79%) and prolonged ICU care (87%) were shown to be related with pneumonia in children with traditional child rearing practices with statistically significant p value of <0.05 in cases.

Conclusion: This study shows that traditional childrearing practices are associated with longer durations of hospital stay with greater clinical severity and with complications of pneumonia. As a result, it is imperative to fully examine the advantages, disadvantages and possible hazards of many of the traditional childrearing methods applied to infants.