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Factors Associated with Childhood Tonsillitis in Somalia

Received: 17 February 2021    Accepted: 1 March 2021    Published: 10 March 2021
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Abstract

Background: Tonsillitis, acute or chronic, is more common among children than adults. Risk factors associated with the occurrence of tonsillitis among Somali children are not well-defined mainly due to lack of health research in Somalia. The purpose of this study is to identify the main risk factors of childhood tonsillitis to better prevent and avoid further complications of the disease. Methods: The study included the caregivers of 60 children with tonsillitis receiving treatment, at the time of the study, from Garowe General Hospital. A convenience sampling method was used and data were entered into SPSS and analyzed for frequency and percentages. Results: This study shows that the majority of the study participants with tonsillitis 32 (53%) were 1-7 years old and 39 (65%) of the participants were female. Childhood tonsillitis was associated with parents’ lower educational levels: illiterate 32 (53.3%), primary education 20 (33.3%), secondary school 6 (10%), and university level 2 (3.3%). The importance of personal hygiene was believed in by 31 (52%) of the caregivers, while 18 (17%) of the caregivers reported that their children do not brush their teeth at all. The majority of the caregivers 50 (83%) believed that tonsillitis is a disease with less severity. A family history of tonsillitis 49 (82%) was also associated with childhood tonsillitis. Conclusion: Low socioeconomic status, family history of tonsillitis, and poor personal hygiene were all associated with childhood tonsillitis. Furthermore, in addition to tonsillitis, some of the children in this study had malnutrition, asthma, and allergies. To successfully prevent and control childhood tonsillitis, identification of its risk factors is crucial.

Published in American Journal of Pediatrics (Volume 7, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajp.20210701.16
Page(s) 23-27
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Childhood Tonsillitis, Risk Factors, Socioeconomic Status, Somalia, Chronic Tonsillitis

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Abdulkadir Mohamed Muse, Abdiwahab Mohamed Hassan, Gallad Dahir Hassan. (2021). Factors Associated with Childhood Tonsillitis in Somalia. American Journal of Pediatrics, 7(1), 23-27. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20210701.16

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    ACS Style

    Abdulkadir Mohamed Muse; Abdiwahab Mohamed Hassan; Gallad Dahir Hassan. Factors Associated with Childhood Tonsillitis in Somalia. Am. J. Pediatr. 2021, 7(1), 23-27. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20210701.16

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    AMA Style

    Abdulkadir Mohamed Muse, Abdiwahab Mohamed Hassan, Gallad Dahir Hassan. Factors Associated with Childhood Tonsillitis in Somalia. Am J Pediatr. 2021;7(1):23-27. doi: 10.11648/j.ajp.20210701.16

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajp.20210701.16,
      author = {Abdulkadir Mohamed Muse and Abdiwahab Mohamed Hassan and Gallad Dahir Hassan},
      title = {Factors Associated with Childhood Tonsillitis in Somalia},
      journal = {American Journal of Pediatrics},
      volume = {7},
      number = {1},
      pages = {23-27},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajp.20210701.16},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20210701.16},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajp.20210701.16},
      abstract = {Background: Tonsillitis, acute or chronic, is more common among children than adults. Risk factors associated with the occurrence of tonsillitis among Somali children are not well-defined mainly due to lack of health research in Somalia. The purpose of this study is to identify the main risk factors of childhood tonsillitis to better prevent and avoid further complications of the disease. Methods: The study included the caregivers of 60 children with tonsillitis receiving treatment, at the time of the study, from Garowe General Hospital. A convenience sampling method was used and data were entered into SPSS and analyzed for frequency and percentages. Results: This study shows that the majority of the study participants with tonsillitis 32 (53%) were 1-7 years old and 39 (65%) of the participants were female. Childhood tonsillitis was associated with parents’ lower educational levels: illiterate 32 (53.3%), primary education 20 (33.3%), secondary school 6 (10%), and university level 2 (3.3%). The importance of personal hygiene was believed in by 31 (52%) of the caregivers, while 18 (17%) of the caregivers reported that their children do not brush their teeth at all. The majority of the caregivers 50 (83%) believed that tonsillitis is a disease with less severity. A family history of tonsillitis 49 (82%) was also associated with childhood tonsillitis. Conclusion: Low socioeconomic status, family history of tonsillitis, and poor personal hygiene were all associated with childhood tonsillitis. Furthermore, in addition to tonsillitis, some of the children in this study had malnutrition, asthma, and allergies. To successfully prevent and control childhood tonsillitis, identification of its risk factors is crucial.},
     year = {2021}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Factors Associated with Childhood Tonsillitis in Somalia
    AU  - Abdulkadir Mohamed Muse
    AU  - Abdiwahab Mohamed Hassan
    AU  - Gallad Dahir Hassan
    Y1  - 2021/03/10
    PY  - 2021
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20210701.16
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajp.20210701.16
    T2  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JF  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    JO  - American Journal of Pediatrics
    SP  - 23
    EP  - 27
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2472-0909
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajp.20210701.16
    AB  - Background: Tonsillitis, acute or chronic, is more common among children than adults. Risk factors associated with the occurrence of tonsillitis among Somali children are not well-defined mainly due to lack of health research in Somalia. The purpose of this study is to identify the main risk factors of childhood tonsillitis to better prevent and avoid further complications of the disease. Methods: The study included the caregivers of 60 children with tonsillitis receiving treatment, at the time of the study, from Garowe General Hospital. A convenience sampling method was used and data were entered into SPSS and analyzed for frequency and percentages. Results: This study shows that the majority of the study participants with tonsillitis 32 (53%) were 1-7 years old and 39 (65%) of the participants were female. Childhood tonsillitis was associated with parents’ lower educational levels: illiterate 32 (53.3%), primary education 20 (33.3%), secondary school 6 (10%), and university level 2 (3.3%). The importance of personal hygiene was believed in by 31 (52%) of the caregivers, while 18 (17%) of the caregivers reported that their children do not brush their teeth at all. The majority of the caregivers 50 (83%) believed that tonsillitis is a disease with less severity. A family history of tonsillitis 49 (82%) was also associated with childhood tonsillitis. Conclusion: Low socioeconomic status, family history of tonsillitis, and poor personal hygiene were all associated with childhood tonsillitis. Furthermore, in addition to tonsillitis, some of the children in this study had malnutrition, asthma, and allergies. To successfully prevent and control childhood tonsillitis, identification of its risk factors is crucial.
    VL  - 7
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Programs, Somali Institute of Development and Research Analysis (SIDRA), Garowe, Puntland, Somalia

  • Programs, Somali Institute of Development and Research Analysis (SIDRA), Garowe, Puntland, Somalia

  • Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Science, Jamhuriya University of Science and Technology, Mogadishu, Somalia

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