Implementing Community-Based Strategies for Improved Pneumonia Care in Children: Insights From a Pilot Study.

INTRODUCTION: Respiratory ailments, encompassing a spectrum of disorders, are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in children, with pneumonia being particularly significant, accounting for 16% of child mortality. To ensure timely engagement with healthcare services, it is imperative to instill awareness through Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) initiatives targeting mothers of children under five. The primary objective of this pilot study is to assess the feasibility of a community-based intervention on health-seeking behaviour, knowledge, and practice measures concerning the management and prevention of pneumonia in children.

METHODOLOGY: The pilot study mirrored the main study's procedures in two villages, Bhuvanahalli and Gavanahalli, each randomly assigned as either an experimental or a control group. We selected 12 mothers with children under the age of five who had community-acquired pneumonia, employing a straightforward random technique, with six mothers from each group. These mothers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire focusing on health-seeking behaviour, knowledge, and practices related to the management and prevention of pneumonia. Mothers in the experimental group received a community-based intervention, specifically an educational set focusing on health-seeking behaviour, knowledge, and practice measures concerning the management and prevention of pneumonia in children, while those in the control group continued with their routine practices. We collected post-test data from the mothers in both groups at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th months of the intervention. The data analysis was conducted using the IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 28 (Released 2021; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York) software. The Mann-Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis analyses indicated a notable and statistically significant shift in health-seeking behaviour, knowledge, and practices pertaining to the management and prevention of pneumonia in children as a result of the community-based educational intervention implemented in the experimental group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Community-based intervention is crucial to preventing mortality and morbidity in children. The findings of the pilot study affirm its feasibility and lay a strong foundation for further investigation and implementation.