Mothers’ knowledge of danger signs in childhood illnesses: the integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) strategy in Alimosho area of Lagos State, Nigeria

Introduction: according to the integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI), adequate knowledge of danger signs by caregivers is a vital parental tool that will result in a positive healthcare-seeking behavior. Most studies done in Nigeria have been facility-based. This study aimed at collecting baseline information on mothers/caregivers regarding their knowledge of danger signs of common childhood illnesses in under-five children in Alimosho Local government area of Lagos State. Methods: this was a community based descriptive cross-sectional study using a multi-stage sampling method to administer a pre-tested questionnaire on a total of 360 mothers of under-five children residing in Alimosho Local government area of Lagos State between March and May 2016. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze the data using SPSS version 22.0. Results: over 90% of the mothers showed good knowledge and ability to recognize the general danger signs of childhood illnesses. Health workers were the most reported source of information for their knowledge. Nearly all the respondents agreed that they worry when their children had fever, fast breathing and convulsion. High maternal education and parity were significantly associated with knowledge of danger signs (p<0.05). Conclusion: the knowledge of the mothers towards danger signs of common childhood illnesses was high and they had a positive attitude and practices towards the proper management of the identified danger signs.