Does fever phobia cross borders
Pediatrics International, 04/27/2012
Sakai R et al. – Fever phobia exists on both sides of the border, and while caregivers in Japan appear to have a more accurate understanding of fever, they are more likely to rely on health–care professionals to manage the condition.
Methods- A questionnaire was distributed to parents of children who visited a pediatric outpatient clinic in Juntendo University Nerima Hospital between 19 and 30 November 2007.
- Data was obtained from 211 parents who agreed to participate in the study.
- Compared with much smaller proportions reported in the two previous studies, 62% of caregivers considered a temperature below 37.8°C to be a fever, although less than half of parents reported that they were “very worried” about fever.
- Over 90% identified doctors and nurses as their primary information source.
- In contrast to 7% of parents in the US studies, almost no parents reported that temperatures could rise to or above 43.3°C if fever was left untreated; however, 63% of parents stated that they would visit a hospital.
