Medical Illiteracy of Parents and its Impact on Children’s Health

Purpose —to find out the impact of the medical illiteracy of parents on children’s health.

Materials and Methods:the research method —a questionnaire. Questionnaires distributed among parents of children of all ages —between one year old and seventeen. Analyzed 564 questionnaires. It was indicated the position witnessing about the medical illiteracy of parents. Determined medical illiteracy of parents group and detected medical illiteracy of parents coefficient.

Data.It was found that in the group of medical illiteracy of parents complaints about the health of children was significantly more than in the group without an medical illiteracy of parents and in the total sample. The incidence of bronchitis, pneumonia, tonsillitis (chronic tonsillitis) and children’s infections in the group with the medical illiteracy of parents significantly more than in the whole sample and the group without medical illiteracy of parents. Children from group with medical illiteracy of parents significantly more often complain and consist at a dispensary. In the subgroup of medical illiteracy of parents with a high coefficient obtained even higher morbidity rates. Communication between medical illiteracy of parents and the pathology of pregnancy, the incidence of ARVI and the frequency of antibiotics absent.

Conclusions.The revealed regularities allow to predict the possible violations in the health status of children with medical illiteracy of parents, depending on the coefficient.