The relationship between mothers' knowledge and practice level of cough etiquette and their children's practice level in South Korea.

Purpose: This study investigated the relationships between mothers' knowledge and practice level of cough etiquette and their children's practice level of cough etiquette as perceived by their mothers.

Methods: This study was a descriptive correlational study. The data were collected from 160 mothers with preschoolers attending daycare centers and kindergartens in Gwangju, South Korea using self-reported questionnaires.

Results: The correct answer rate for cough etiquette knowledge in mothers was 86.0%, mothers' average practice score was 33.65±4.14, and their children's average practice score was 28.39±4.85 out of 48. The correlation between mothers' cough etiquette knowledge and practice level was not statistically significant. However, mothers' cough etiquette practice was positively correlated with children's cough etiquette level as perceived by mothers (r=.35, <.001).

Conclusion: The development of a systematic cough etiquette education program and measurements for both mothers and children according to their developmental stages is important to effectively prevent respiratory infections.