Abstract:
Background: Essential new born care is a set of comprehensive recommendation designed by world health Organization (WHO) to improve health of new born through intervention, soon after birth and in neonatal period. Globally 2.4 million children died in the first month of life in 2020. In Ethiopia about 87,000 new-borns die every year which accounts for 47% of all deaths of under-five mortality. From this burden, lack of essential new born care practice has its own share.
Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the level of essential new born care practices and its associated factors among women who have infants less than three months of age in Toke Kutaye district
Methods: A Community based comparative cross sectional study was conducted from September 01-30/2022 among a total of 320 (160 rural and 160 urban) women who have infant less than 3 months of age. Systematic random sampling was used to select the study participants from the selected kebeles of Toke Kutaye district. Data were collected through interviewer administered, using structured and pretested questionnaires. The collected data were entered into Epi-data version 4.6, and analyzed using SPSS version 26 software. Descriptive statistics was used to show the level of ENBCP. Bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regression analyses were conducted. Adjusted odds ratio was used to identify variable that were significantly associated with ENBCPs at 95% CI with P-value <0.05.
Result: In this study, 124(62% from Urban and 38% from rural) mothers had a good practice on essential newborn care. Mothers who had no formal education [AOR =0.175,[95%CI [0.031, 0.975]], Having =<3 ANC visit [AOR =0.470,[95%CI=0.257,0.861]. No home visited by HEW in the first week [AOR=0.514,[95% CI=0.286,0.923]] and having poor knowledge of mother on ENBC [AOR=0.380,[95%CI=0.163,0.888]], were significantly associated with ENBCP.
Conclusion: These studies conclude that, the overall level of ENBCP was low according to WHO recommendation. Mother’s educational level, number of ANC visit, home visit by HEW in the first week and knowledge of mother on ENBC were significantly associated with ENBCP. Health facilities should include ENBCP counselling during ANC contacts, and HEW should early visit all delivered mothers to provide ENBCP counselling
