Chinese parental strategies to prevent pediatric acute respiratory infections after COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Evidence has found that parental knowledge and practices are important in preventing pediatric infectious diseases. Few studies have explored parental preventive measures in the post-COVID-19 era in mainland China. OBJECTIVE Research explored parental preventive measures, children’s self-protection measures, school precautionary measures and impact factors in the post-COVID-19 era. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in ten southern cities and ten northern cities in mainland China using an online structured questionnaire to survey parents of children aged 3-16 years old. RESULTS 2420 participants completed questionnaires including 881 participants in the south and 1539 in the north. The reported number of participants with family history of COVID-19 infection was significantly higher among northern participants than among southern participants (p < 0.001), as was the reported pediatric COVID-19 infection rate (p =0.028). Significant differences between northern and southern participants also appeared in total scores of parental preventive measures (p = 0.008) and school precautionary measures (p < 0.05). Results revealed a positive relationship between children’s self-protection measures and parental preventive measures (p < 0.001) and a positive relationship between children’s self-protection measures and school precautionary measures (p < 0.001). Total children’s self-protection measures scores differed across different parental education attainment (p = 0.021) and occupation (p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS Findings illustrate the importance of parental knowledge and attitudes in preventing pediatric respiratory infectious diseases. To develop better strategies for prevention and control of pediatric infectious diseases, the public health bureau should focus on providing accurate information to parents and schoolteachers to be transmitted to children and incorporated into daily life. Results may contribute to establishing a pediatric infectious disease prevention model and serve as the basis for promoting public health education.