Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information

Click here to browse AJSM online!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Clinical Pediatrics
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Holland, P. R.
Right arrow Articles by Yamamoto, L. G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Holland, P. R.
Right arrow Articles by Yamamoto, L. G.
Right arrowPubmed/NCBI databases
Medline Plus Health Information
*Common Cold
*Diarrhea
*Ear Infections
*Parenting
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

Survey of Parenting Books for Advice on the Common Cold, Diarrhea, and Otitis Media in Infants and Toddlers

Paul R. Holland

Department of Pediatrics, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii

Monica K. Mau

Department of Pediatrics, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii

Loren G. Yamamoto, MD, MPH, MBA

Department of Pediatrics, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children, Honolulu, Hawaii

Parenting books often provide advice for common medical ailments of infants and toddlers. However, the accuracy of such advice has never been evaluated. The purpose of this study is to survey the informational content of a sample of parenting books. Fifty general parenting books were identified and reviewed for the informational content on the following topics: common colds, diarrhea, and otitis media. When covered by the book, accurate and consistent information was generally provided in the following topic areas: non-medicated nose drops for nasal congestion, upright positioning for children with colds, breastfeeding infants with diarrhea, electrolyte solutions for diarrhea, and feeding practices as they relate to otitis media. The following topic areas displayed significant inconsistency: the use of decongestants, antihistamines, expectorants, cough suppressants, and decongestant nose drops for colds; antidiarrheal medications; soft drinks and juice for diarrhea; home recipes for oral hydration solutions; and the usefulness of pressure equalization tubes for refractory otitis media. Practitioners should be aware that parents may be misinformed by some parenting books and take measures to educate parents.

Clinical Pediatrics, Vol. 43, No. 7, 647-651 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/000992280404300711
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?