Indian Pediatr. 1994 Jan; 31(1): 15-8.

How do mothers recognize and treat pneumonia at home?

Mishra S, Kumar H, Sharma D.

Department of Pediatrics, Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital, New Delhi.

Two hundred mothers of children under five years of age having lower respiratory tract infection were interviewed with the help of pretested unstructured questionnaire to know the danger signs perceived by her in a child suffering from pneumonia and the home remedies used by them before seeking medical help. 'Pasli Chalna' and refusal to feed were the most common symptoms perceived as dangerous. 'Pasli Chalna' correlated with retractions in 91.9% and fast breathing in 8.1% cases. Honey (25%) and Ginger (27%) were the most common home remedies used for relief of cough. Self advised medications were used by 24% mothers and majority (58.4%) gained this knowledge from mass media.