Feasibility study: honey for treatment of cough in children

• Main Authors: Naveed Ahmed, Alastair Sutcliffe, Claire Tipper
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2013-06-01
• Series: Pediatric Reports
• Subjects: upper respiratory infections, common cold, pediatrics, primary care, community medicine, common illnesses
• Online Access: http://www.pagepress.org/journals/index.php/pr/article/view/4757
• ISSN: 2036-749X; 2036-7503

Respiratory tract infections are an important health problem because of high incidence and economic costs. The World Health Organization identifies honey as a potential demulcent treatment for cough. The aim of this study is to determine: i) patient public perceptions towards a proposed randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the effects of honey to placebo for treatment of cough in children; ii) potential participation rates for proposed trial; iii) whether age and gender of parent or child impacts on proposed cough assessment tools. Forty adult participants with children age 1-6 years presenting with an upper respiratory tract infection were enrolled. They underwent a structured interview regarding the proposed trial and assessed their child’s cough using two validated questionnaires. Eighty-eight percent of those recruited were willing to participate in the proposed trial. The two independently validated cough scores correlated well. A relationship between age and gender of child or parent with cough assessment score was not found. We conclude that a RCT to determine the effects of honey versus placebo is feasible. The public find the outcome measures and trial design acceptable.