Correlations between Obtaining Fever Management Information from the Internet and Knowledge and Practices of Fever Management by Mothers of Infants and Toddlers

Abstract

This study was conducted to identify correlations between how much fever management information mothers obtained from the internet and their actual knowledge and practices of fever management. This was a descriptive survey of 172 mothers with children aged between 0 and 3 attending five daycare centers located in the city of Daegu. Descriptive statistics, the independent t-test or one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients were used for data analysis. In total, 75% of the mothers had searched the internet for information on fever management. The overwhelming majority (92.2%) used information from the internet to help manage fever in their children. Positive correlations were found between acquiring fever management information from the internet and fever management practices (r=.18, p=.038), and between mother's knowledge and practices of fever management (r=.27, p<.001). Based on the results of this study, to improve fever management practices, it is necessary to increase mothers' knowledge. Therefore, resources should be developed to augment mothers' knowledge of fever management through the internet.