Fever: do you know how to correctly take the temperature?
Only 1 in 10 Spaniards is sure how the temperature is taken, according to the Barometer on the self-care of the Spanish population. The data extracted suggest that the 84.2% of the population is not sure how the temperature is taken since they perform two, or even more, measurements when it is not considered necessary to perform this repetition because, if done correctly, the body temperature does not change in a short space of time.
This year, the flu has entered with virulence in our country, calling itself a pandemic in many autonomous communities, a disease that has a high fever and requires the measurement of periodic temperature. In contrast to 15.8% of respondents who say they only perform one measurement, 24.1% affirm that they always repeat, while 26.8% do so most of the time and 33.3% do so at some time. Men are the ones who repeat the most, with 86.7%. On the other hand, 81.6% of women confirm that they take the temperature several times to confirm the result, of which 23% always do so.
By age, those who repeat it the most are the respondents from 25 to 34 years (30.9%) and the least, those ranging from 55 to 64, of which 22.1% confessed never to repeat it. In homes where there are children under 3 years old it is where the test is repeated the most (25.7% repeats it always and 41.4% most of the time) and also in those under 7 years, in which more than 30% always repeats it.
Tips for a correct temperature measurement
Before measuring the temperature:
- Avoid taking hot or cold drinks
- Do not take a bath or shower
- Wait a few minutes after physical exercise
- Refrain from smoking 15 minutes before
Note that:
- Body temperature varies from one person to another
- Body temperature varies throughout the day
- Each area of the body has a reference value
- It is recommended to know the usual temperature in good health conditions to know its reference value and to measure the temperature always in the same place. An increase of 1ºC or more with respect to the reference temperature is usually indicative of fever.
Digital thermometers, the most demanded
The barometer also reveals that at home we usually have one or two thermometers and that almost half of the respondents renewed their thermometer less than two years ago. By type of thermometer, households that have a digital thermometer (86.9%) stand out, as well as a surprising fact that still 27.7% of Spanish households have a mercury thermometer. Below, there are infrared thermometers, which can be by ear, front or without contact, with 10.3% and gallium thermometers (2.5%).
Likewise, in households where there are children from 3 to 7 years old, the tendency to buy thermometers is greater and 72.8% affirmed that they acquired one recently or in the last two years. Among those who declared buying a thermometer recently, most opted for digital ones (94.2%).
Those over 65, those who most use the mercury thermometer
Although its commercialization was prohibited, mercury thermometers are more abundant in homes where people older than 65 reside, where 35.9% still maintain it. However, this is not due to the fact that no new thermometers are acquired, since 81.8% also have a digital one and almost half of them have renewed their thermometer in the last two years, being in the average of the rest of Spanish households.
Bárbara Navarro
