Parental Knowledge and Attitude Toward Children Foreign Body Aspiration in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study
Maan Jamjoom1,2,3, Bsaim Abdulsalam Altirkistani2,3, Lamar Hattan Kuwaity2,3*, Abdullah Faisal Alhuzali2,3, Batoul Najeeb Aledwani2,3, Hussa Ali Alrashid1,3, Nada Ali Alhazmi1,3
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Ministry of the National Guard – Health Affairs, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
2College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
3King Abdullah International Medical Research Center, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
*Corresponding author: Lamar Hattan Kuwaity, College of Medicine, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ORCID ID No: 0009-0001-4990-0558, Email:[email protected]
Abstract:
Background: Foreign body aspiration (FBA) causes morbidity and mortality in children. Caregivers play a major role in maintaining the children’s safety and well-being. Therefore, this study aimed to assess parents’ knowledge and attitudes toward children’s FBA in different regions of Saudi Arabia.Methodology:We used an online questionnaire to assess parents’ understanding of FBA, confidence in applying first aid, and details of any previous choking incidents. The data collection process started on May 2023 till July 2023. Statistical software “JMP” was used to analyze the collected data.Results:60.55% of 1,280 total participants chose “1-2 years old” as the most common age group prone to choking. Most parents chose coins, toys, and button batteries as the most likely objects to cause choking, whereas only 1% chose raspberries and apples to cause choking. 72.03% of the participants believed that raspberry ingestion by children did not require immediate hospital transfer. 63.91% of the participants preferred removing objects from their children's reach to prevent choking incidents. Nevertheless, only 3.83% considered themselves very confident in applying first aid. Conclusion: This study revealed that many parents are aware of the life-threatening nature of FBA. Coins were the most frequently identified choking hazard. However, a few recognized raspberries and apples as choking hazards. Therefore, awareness needs to be raised by campaigns and educational workshops to correct misconceptions and increase parents' confidence in their first aid skills, as aspiration is commonly encountered in homes.
Received: 9 October 2024, Accepted: 6 November 2024, Published: 7 December 2024
How to Cite: : Jamjoom, M.; Altirkistani, B.A.; Kuwaity, L.H.; Alhuzali, A.F.; Aledwani, B.N.; Alrashid, H.A.; Alhazmi, N.A. Parental Knowledge and Attitude Toward Children Foreign Body Aspiration in Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study.STJ,2024,1,1-9.https://doi.org/10.70957/uqu.edu.sa/s.toxicology.s/stj.2024.1.1/
Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah, Saudi ArabiaThis article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).