Knowledge, Attitudes and Opinions of Families Applying to Education Family Health Center About Childhood Periodic Health Examinations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14582701Keywords:
Periodic health assessments, child wellness monitoring, preventive healthcareAbstract
Objective: Childhood periodic health assessments are vital for sustaining well-being, preventing disabilities, and reducing mortality rates among infants and children. Achieving these goals requires that families possess adequate knowledge and awareness regarding such examinations. This study sought to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of families about periodic health checks in childhood.
Methods: This research was conducted at the Atatürk University Faculty of Medicine Education Family Health Center with 126 participants who were parents of children aged 0-5 years and voluntarily completed a survey. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 22.0.
Results: Among the participants, 76.2% were women, and 73.8% held university degrees. All participants unanimously agreed on the necessity of conducting periodic childhood health evaluations. A total of 97.6% (n=123) reported consistently attending family medicine follow-ups, while 74.6% (n=94) considered these evaluations sufficient for their children. Furthermore, 76.2% (n=96) of parents indicated that they conducted preliminary research before attending these follow-ups. High participation and awareness were noted in screenings for conditions such as heel prick tests (86.5%), vaccinations (76.2%), hearing assessments (100%), vision screenings (81%), and developmental hip dysplasia (93.7%). Conversely, lower levels of participation and knowledge were observed in screenings for hypertension (72.2%) and developmental conditions such as autism (23%), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (15.1%), and specific learning disorders (50%).
Conclusion: Healthcare providers should enhance their efforts to provide comprehensive information about childhood health screenings, as parents often have knowledge gaps, particularly regarding hypertension and developmental disorders.
References
1. Gür E. Sağlam Çocuk İzlemi. Istanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine Continuing Medical Education Activities. October 2003, Istanbul/Turkey.
2. Tiraş Ü, Dilli D, Dallar Y. Evaluation of Cases Followed in the Healthy Child Unit at Ankara Training and Research Hospital. Erciyes Medical Journal. 2007;29(6):444-50.
3. Can E, Küçükemre B, Poyrazoğlu Ş, Gökçay G, Baysal SU. Characteristics of Infants and Families Followed in a Child Health Follow-up Clinic. Pediatric Journal. 2008;8(2):96-101.
4. Yangı DT, Top M, Görpelioğlu S. Evaluation of Family Physicians' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Regarding the Periodic Examination Guide. Turkish Journal of Family Medicine. 2018;22(3):104-17.
5. Vitrinel A, Erdağ GÇ. Healthy Child Follow-up. Turkish Journal of Family Medicine. 2008;11(3):101-6.
6. Yangı D.T, Görpelioğlu S, Top M. Evaluation of Family Physicians' Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors Regarding the Periodic Examination Guide. Turkish Journal of Family Practice. 2018;22(3):104-117.
7. Çalik KY, Çetin FC, Erkaya R. Mothers' Practices and Factors Affecting Breastfeeding. Gümüşhane University Journal of Health Sciences. 2017;6(3):80-91.
8. Onbaşı Ş, Duran R, Çiftdemir NA, Vatansever Ü, Acunaş B, Süt N. The Effect of Prepartum Breastfeeding and Breast Milk Education on Breastfeeding Behaviors. Turkish Pediatrics Archive/Turk Pediatri Arsivi. 2011;46(1):75-80.
9. Çataklı T, Taşar S, Oğulluk M, Dallar Bilge Y. Information and Usage Attitudes of Mothers Visiting a Hospital Regarding Vitamin D. Ege Medical Journal. 2014;53(3):135-140.
10. Ferebee A. Childhood vision: Public challenges and opportunities: A policy brief. November 2004, Washington, DC. The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools, School of Public Health and Health Services, George Washington University Medical Center.
11. Vehapoğlu Türkmen A, Yiğit Ö, Akkaya E, Uğur E, Kefeciler Z, Gözütok S. Results of Newborn Hearing Screening at Istanbul Training and Research Hospital. Istanbul Medical Journal. 2013;14(3):175-180.
12. Eskiocak M, Marangoz B. The Status of Immunization Services in Turkey. September 2019, Ankara.
13. Terlemez İH. Evaluation of Conservative and Surgical Treatment Methods in Patients with Developmental Hip Dysplasia Detected by Newborn Hip Ultrasound Screening. 2019.
14. Ulusoy E, Yılmaz TE, Çifci A, Yılmaz T, Kasım İ, Özkara A. The Role of Parents and Health Literacy in Healthy Child Follow-up. Ankara Medical Journal. 2020;20(3):588-604.
15. Eryılmaz E, Üstündağ-Budak AM. Gender Bias in the Early Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Turkish Psychology Articles. 2019;22(43):90-101.
16. Biçen G. Social Anxiety and Alexithymia in Children and Adolescents Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Işık University; 2018.
17. Kızılkaya A. Investigation of Cardiac Involvement in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. 2017.
18. Zwi M, Jones H, Thorgaard C, York A, Dennis JA. Parent Training Interventions for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in Children Aged 5 to 18 Years. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2011(12):CD003018.
19. Aslan K. Early Signs of Specific Learning Disabilities and Early Intervention Practices: A Review. Hacettepe University Faculty of Health Sciences Journal. International Participation 3rd Child Development and Education Congress Proceedings. 2015.
20. Klısh WJ. Childhood Obesity: Pathophysiology and Treatment. Pediatrics International. 1995;37(1):1-6.
21. Önal Z, Adal E. Childhood Obesity. Okmeydanı Medical Journal. 2014;30(1):39-44.
22. Eckstein KC, Mikhail LM, Ariza AJ, Thomson JS, Millard SC, Binns HJ. Parents' Perceptions of Their Child's Weight and Health. Pediatrics. 2006;117(3):681-90.
23. Esenay FI, Yigit R, Erdogan S. Turkish Mothers' Perceptions of Their Children's Weight. Journal for Specialists in Pediatric Nursing. 2010;15(2):144-53.
24. Akgun C, Dogan M, Akbayram S, Tuncer O, Peker E, Taskin G, et al. The Incidence of Asymptomatic Hypertension in School Children. Journal of Nippon Medical School. 2010;77(3):160-5.
25. Kaplan MM, Yıldırım ZY, Aksu BY, Nayır AN, Yılmaz A. The Relationship Between Hypertension Etiology and Intra-Life Blood Pressure Monitoring in Children. Pediatric Journal. 2018.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Ceyda Fatma Ekinci, Suat Sincan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
