Maternal attitudes and practices toward childhood fever: insights from a large-scale survey of over 3,000 mothers.

backgroundFever is a common childhood symptom and a frequent source of parental concern. Despite medical advances, misconceptions and inappropriate management strategies remain widespread. This study aimed to describe maternal knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding childhood fever in Türkiye and to identify areas that may benefit from targeted education.

methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional, online survey using snowball sampling. A total of 3,133 mothers provided complete responses. The questionnaire assessed thermometer use, fever definitions, attitudes, and management practices. Descriptive statistics were reported, with exploratory comparisons conducted where relevant.

resultsThe mean age of the participants was 33.4 ± 6.0 years, and the average age at which they became mothers was 27.6 ± 6.7 years. Digital thermometers were the most commonly used devices (83.1%), while 13% reported use of mercury thermometers, likely reflecting legacy devices or misclassification. Fever was most frequently defined as ≥ 38 °C (42.7%). Parental anxiety scores were high (mean 7.7/10), with febrile seizures being the most feared complication (73.1%). Antipyretics were often given early and at short intervals, with 39% of mothers administering them every 4 h or less. While most mothers relied on physicians for information, some used unvalidated practices such as vinegar or alcohol rubs.

conclusionsThis large descriptive survey suggests that fever phobia and misconceptions persist among mothers in Türkiye. Findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the study's design limitations, including non-representative sampling and lack of child-level age data. These results provide a baseline for future, representative studies and may help inform parental counseling strategies.