Abstract

Otitis media (OM) is the leading illness among infants and children. Risk factors have been identified which increase occurrence of OM in infants. The purpose of the quasi- experimental study was to determine if teaching OM prevention to parents of healthy infants would reduce the occurrence rate of OM. The theoretical framework for the research was based on the Health Promotion Model (Pender, 1996) which focuses on the integration of health-promoting behavior into lifestyles. The research hypothesis was that there would be no statistically significant difference in the effects of an OM prevention program on healthy infants and a control group who did not receive the OM prevention program. The study was conducted at a home health care agency in Central Mississippi. Subjects were parents, age 18 years or older, who had a full-term infant age birth to 9 months. Parents who breast-fed or infants with a present diagnosis of OM were excluded. The sample (N = 40) consisted of a control group of 2 0 subjects who received no preventive teaching and an experimental group of 2 0 1 1 1 subjects who received a teaching intervention on prevention of OM. Data for the control group were obtained by retrospective chart review. Data for the experimental group were obtained by chart review for 8 weeks following the educational intervention. Statistical analysis was determined by a t test with an alpha level of .05. The difference between the two means was statistically significant at the .03 level of statistical probability. Chi square with an alpha level of .05 determined that the two groups did not vary in sociodemographic characteristics. Thus, the results of the study showed that the educational intervention accounted for the decrease in OM scores.

Degree

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Department

Graduate Nursing

Degree Date

8-1-1997

Publication Number

27924572

Document Type

Thesis

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