Parental knowledge and practices toward foreign body aspiration in children in the Al Qassim region of Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Foreign body aspiration (FBA) is a perilous condition with a high mortality rate, especially in children less than three years of age. AIM: This study aimed to assess parental knowledge and practices toward FBA in children in the Al Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among Saudi parents at AlQassim region, Saudi Arabia during the period between February 2020 and June 2020. A validated self-administered questionnaire containing 16 questions of knowledge and practices toward FBA was distributed online via various Social Media platforms. Correct answers were coded and scored. Participant responses were grouped based on their score level of knowledge and practices. RESULTS: We recruited 385 parents with a mean age of 35.4 (range: 19–59) years, and 59.2% were female and 40.8% were male. The mean ± SD knowledge score was 4.97 (1.42)/8 points and the practice score was 12.4 (2.13)/20 points. Parents with poor and good knowledge were 61.3% and 36.9% and those with poor and good practices were 55.3% and 44.7%, respectively. Female professionals with less children who were more aware of FBA significantly influenced knowledge, while having no incidence of FBA among children and having heard of FBA significantly influenced practices. CONCLUSION: We found that parental knowledge and practices toward FBA were insufficient. Educated females with less children that heard about FBA influenced parental knowledge. Also, having no incidence of FBA among children and being aware about FBA led to a better impact in parental practices.