The Influence of Mothers' Socioeconomic Status on Pneumonia in Childhood (Case Study in Khartoum State-Sudan)

Children in developing countries suffer the highest burden of pneumonia. However, few studies have evaluated associations between socioeconomic status of mothers and prevalence of pneumonia among their children. A prospective population-based study on pneumonia was carried in Khartoum State. Sample size was 400 families, the main respondents were mothers. Different quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection were used (questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, and observations). The prevalence of pneumonia and anthropometric measurement were performed for children under ten years old. The study found that income was the strongest influencing factor (P=0.000) affecting negatively the prevalence of pneumonia among children through affecting many standards of living. Also there is strong relation between mothers' education and children pneumonia (P=0.05). Therefore, the government must give more attention to mother's education, and adopt more effective policies to improve the standards of living in general.