Primary Homecare for Febrile Illness Among Mothers in Auta Balefi, Karu, Nasarawa State

Abstract

Introduction: In Nigeria, febrile sickness is a serious public health issue that has a big influence on both mothers’ and children’s health. Effective home-based care solutions are now necessary due to the incidence of febrile illnesses, which are frequently linked to diseases like malaria.

The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge, skills and ability of mothers on how to provide effective primary homecare on febrile illness in Auta Balefi, Karu, Nasarawa State.

The objectives of this study include

To assess the knowledge of febrile illness among mothers in Auta Balefi.

To Determine the home-care practices towards febrile illness among mothers in Auta Balefi.

To identify the determinants of healthcare utilization for febrile illness among mothers in Auta Balefi.

Methodology: This is a cross sectional-based study. A cross-sectional Based study is an observational study where data from a population is analyzed at a single point in time. The study population will be mothers between the ages of 18 to 40 in Auta Balefi, Karu Local Government Area. I used Simple Random Sampling by balloting, where Auta Balefi was selected also out of 27 areas in Auta, I selected 10 areas using simple random sampling by balloting. Well-structured questionnaires were distributed for this study to mothers with children.

Result: this study showed that most participating mothers out of the 246 participants who participated were young adults aged 24–35 years and mainly married, making them a key group for child health education. Educational attainment was generally high, and this significantly influenced knowledge of febrile illness (χ² = 3.80, df = 3, p = 0.0283). Overall, 84.6% of mothers demonstrated good knowledge.

Conclusion: Most mothers practiced appropriate home-care measures such as giving paracetamol, tepid sponging, and ensuring hydration, but many still relied on traditional remedies. While most expressed confidence in local health facilities, cost and distance were major barriers that encouraged home treatment too.