Parental awareness of pediatric foreign body aspiration in Taif city, Saudi Arabia

Background: With an overall mortality rate of about 5-7%, foreign body aspiration is a prevalent cause of illness and mortality in children. Studies on aspirated foreign bodies in kids in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia are nonexistent. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate parental awareness of pediatric FBA in Taif, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study included interviewing participants and prompting them to fill in a questionnaire. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS. Results: A total of 424 individuals (parents) who participated in this study were divided into the following three study groups: illiterate, undergraduate, and postgraduates. All groups exhibited inadequate overall knowledge of pediatric FBA, with a knowledge score of 67%. Furthermore, a significant association was observed between educational background and knowledge about pediatric FBA (p-value= 0.039); postgraduate participants scored higher than those in the undergraduate group. Conclusion: A significant number of parents exhibit low knowledge about pediatric FBA. However, most parents were aware of FBA management and prevention. We recommend that parents must be informed about the risks associated with pediatric FBA using several media platforms.