This research was concerned with how parents from different
ethnic groups manage their children's respiratory and
febrile illnesses, and their consultations at the general
practitioner (GP).
A review of the few British studies looking at parental
health behaviour revealed that parents are continually
having to make complex decisions, in which the clinical
characteristics of the illness and the behaviour of the
child are the most important factors in predictions of what
the parent will do.
Despite the belief among some GPs that their Asian
patients consult more often and for trivial illnesses, we
predicted that consultations, however many there are, will
reflect rational decisions on the part of the parents. What
may appear trivial to a doctor may not be for a parent.
Including our pilot studies, we interviewed parents of
159 children - aged between two and eleven years - from
three general practices in the inner-city area of Leeds.
These parents were either white and indigenous, Muslims,
Sikhs or Afro-Caribbeans; and approximately half of the
children had been taken to see the doctor in the previous
fortnight with a respiratory/febrile complaint, whereas the
other half had not been to see a doctor for at least four
months.