Assessing parenting capacity to identify RSV symptoms and the impact on their children’s health: A brief report

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a viral infectious disease that has detrimentally affected the quality of life in children younger than 2 years of age since it was discovered in 1956. It is the major cause of lower respiratory tract illness in young children. So effectively does RSV spread that essentially all persons have experienced RSV infection within the first few years of life. RSV is estimated to cause up to 75% of all infant bronchiolitis and 40% of all pediatric pneumonia. RSV can manifest in different ways, causing a myriad of symptoms which are as follows: (1) cough; (2) shortness of breath; (3) fever; (4) wheezing; (5) decrease in appetite; and (6) runny nose. Data collection methods for this study consisted of the utilization of primary methods such as interviewing. Interviews conducted in either Spanish or English were utilized for data collection, accommodating the local Hispanic population. Seemingly, a weak negative correlation exists between early identification of RSV and oxygen requirements upon inpatient admittance and a weak positive correlation exists between early identification of RSV and length of hospital stay. This study concludes the need for additional research among the Hispanic population due to lack of information in parenting capacity to identify RSV symptoms.