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Background: Traditional harmful newborn care practice is the leading reason for different kinds of neonatal infections contributing to neonatal morbidity and mortality. Significant proportion of neonatal mortality occurs at home. Based on different studies traditional newborn practice like application local substance on the newborn cord, providing local medicine to sick newborns, avoiding sunlight exposure were practiced by mothers in the rural parts of Ethiopia and in the area where the study was conducted.
Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of local harmful traditional newborn care practices and identify associated factors in the study area of Meki town, Dugda woreda, Oromia.
Method: Facility-based cross-sectional study design was followed. A total sample of 265 eligible mothers who gave birth during the last six months were interviewed. Data were collected using structured questionnaire from respondents who came for the immunization service at Meki health center. After data collection, data was entered into Epi info version 7.1 and analyzed using SPSS software.
Result: The study revealed that 74.7% study participants had practiced local harmful traditional practice to their neonate. About 46.4 % had applied substance on cord. Postnatal care visit, breastfeeding and giving Colostrum have revealed association with applying substance on cord.
Conclusion and Recommendation: Harmful local traditional practices such as applying substance on cord, swallowing butter, oral drink/herbal leaf, avoiding exposure to sunlight, keeping neonates in dark and abdominal massaging persisted as a problem. It is recommended that health education on importance of essential newborn care should be given particularly during ANC follow up and/or after delivery.............................................................
Thesis available at ACIPH Library |
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