Factors associated with pneumonia in children under 5 years old at the Department of Pediatrics Kampala International University Hospital (KIUTH) in Bushenyi, Uganda
This study aimed to identify factors associated with pneumonia in children under 5 years old atthe Department of Pediatrics, Kampala International University Hospital. This is a quantitativecross-sectional study. Simple random sampling was used to select study participants, and datawere collected using a questionnaire. Data were collected and recorded using Microsoft Excel andanalyzed using SPSS version 16.The analyzed data were then presented in tabular form. Accordingto my research, more than half (52%) of study participants had poor knowledge about pneumoniaand its risk factors, while 48% had good knowledge. The majority (35.00%) think that pneumoniais dangerous while 25.00%, 21.00% and 19.00% think that pneumonia is very dangerous, notdangerous and don't know.81.00% think it is necessary and 19.00% think it is not necessary. It isnecessary to take children with pneumonia to a medical facility. The majority (75.00%) had a goodattitude towards doctors' prescriptions, while 25.00% had a bad attitude. More than half (53.00%)said they had heard of the pneumonia vaccine. The majority (57.00%) said they would take theirchild to a health facility within 24 hours, while 43.00% would take their child to a health facilitywithin 24 hours. 60% of the respondents would give medication before admission while 19.00%,12.00% and 9.00% would breastfeed, do nothing and give their baby liquid food/waterrespectively. The majority (81.00%) said they would first take their child to the nearest medicalcenter, while 12.00% and 7.00% would take their child to see religious leaders and traditionalpractitioners. More than half of the mothers in the study had little knowledge about pneumoniaand its risk factors, and the majority considered pneumonia dangerous. Most take their childrenfor formal medical examinations and most have a good attitude towards medical professionals'prescriptions. Poor health-seeking behaviors existed among study participants. The majorityarrived at a medical facility after 24 hours and self-treated before seeking formal medical advice