Table 1

Mothers' response to fever (n = 96 unless indicated)

Variables
Frequency (%)

Mothers recognized fever as "hot body" or "hot body with others symptoms or signs"
68 (70.8%)
Mothers defined malaria as "fever or fever with other symptoms or signs"
84 (87.5%)
Mothers blamed malaria for the child current fever
38 (40.0%)
Mothers believed that the common cause of fever in the area is malaria
76 (79.2%)
Mothers seeking advice from any source before coming to health facilities
58 (60.4%)
Mothers give the child any sort of care before coming to health facilities
49 (51.0%)
The care given to the child was drugs (n = 49)
44 (89.8%)
Village is the source of the care given (n = 49)
43 (87.8%)
Duration (in hours) of response from the initiation of fever (Mean ± SD)
67.8 ± 41.3
Mothers now in this facility because child condition deteriorated
93 (96.9%)
Decision for coming here was the decision of:

     • Mother
41 (42.7%)
     • Father
17 (17.7%)
     • Mother/father
33 (34.4%)
     • Others
05 (05.2%)

Malik et al. Malaria Journal 2006 5:60   doi:10.1186/1475-2875-5-60