Knowledge and first aid management of choking children among parents in a tertiary care hospital, Sri Lanka.

BACKGROUND

Choking is a critical medical emergency caused by the obstruction of airway due to foreign objects. Timely and appropriate first aid is essential to prevent further complications and save the lives of choking victims, especially children. However, inadequate knowledge of first aid management in choking can lead to delayed or incorrect interventions, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality among children. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the level of knowledge and identify the sources of information regarding first aid management of choking among parents whose children were admitted to a Specialized Children Hospital, Sri Lanka.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out including 425 parents of children admitted to Sirimavo Bandaranayake Specialized Children Hospital, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio demographic characteristics, awareness of potential choking hazards and first aid management. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS software. The knowledge was categorized as good or poor using a 50% cut-off value.

RESULTS

Majority of caregivers were mothers (n = 343, 80.7%). Overall, 38.8% of participants demonstrated good knowledge regarding choking first aid with the mean knowledge score (12.8 ± 3.95). Although general awareness of choking first aid was high (87.8%), only 18.8% had received prior first aid training. The main sources of information included healthcare professionals (53.1%), media (46.9%), and family members (41.6%). Notably, 21.9% correctly identified universal sign of choking as clutching the throat, and 50.8% recognized the symptoms of complete airway obstruction. However, only 10.4% were aware that first aid for choking should be initiated within three minutes. However, no significant association was identified between the knowledge of first aid for choking children with first aid training, male gender, age and educational attainment of their parents.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental knowledge regarding the first-aid management of choking is insufficient. Parents with prior first-aid training demonstrated better knowledge. Implementing parental education programs and comprehensive first aid training would enhance knowledge and skills in managing choking incidents and reducing childhood morbidity and mortality.