Determinants of parental knowledge on childhood foreign body aspiration

Abstract

Background: Although foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a life-threatening event with grave consequences, it is still Preventable. One of the most important risk factors for FBA-related consequences is a lack of knowledge by the caregivers. Better understanding of FBA is very essential to prevent complication and premature death due to FBA. However, there is a limited shred of evidence regarding the knowledge of FBA related among parents in Ethiopia, particularly in Tigray. Objectives: To assess determinants of parental knowledge on childhood foreign body aspiration among clients visiting ACSH. Methods: A facility-based, cross-sectional study was carried out among 423 parents attending Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital from January to March, 2025. A pre-tested structured interviewer-administered 12 FBA-related items questionnaire is used for data collection. Descriptive frequency used to see the level of knowledge then binary logistic regression model was carried to see factors associated with parental knowledge of foreign body aspiration Result: From the total respondent, 271(64.07%) [95% CI, 59%-68%] had good levels of knowledge on the consequences of FBA. Parents with a college degree or higher (AOR=7.19, 95% CI: 4.21–12.29),Having more than three children (AOR=2.25, 95% CI: 1.34–3.78) Parents whose youngest child was less than one year old (AOR=4.55, 95% CI: 1.71–12.10) or between one and five years old (AOR=3.03, 95% CI: 1.23–7.44) Previous experience with FBA: parents who had encountered FBA once (AOR=2.68, 95% CI: 1.30–5.54) or twice (AOR=2.97, 95% CI: 1.44–6.11) were significantly associated with parents’ knowledge on the foreign body aspiration. Conclusion: This study revealed that a majority of parents (64.07%) possess good knowledge regarding body aspiration (FBA). Higher educational attainment, having more children, younger age of the youngest child, and previous experience with FBA were all significantly associated with better parental knowledge.