TRADITIONAL NEWBORN CARE IN JIMMA TOWN, SOUTHWEST ETHIOPIA

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Neonatal deaths in general, early neonatal deaths in particular now represent two- third ofinfant deaths and one-third of under-five deaths worldwide. Therefore, improving newborn survival is a majorpriority in child health today. Negotiation of improved neonatal health care practice into the community requiresdifferentiation of benign from harmful indigenous practices. The objective of the study was to assess traditionalcare given to newborns in Jimma Town.METHODS: A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted from February 8-22, 2004 in Jimma Townamong 700 mothers of infant age 6 months or less. Descriptive statistics and inferences were done using SPSS forWindows version 11.0 and statistical significance was taken when p< 0.05.RESULT: Out of 700 sampled, 650 subjects were reached giving a response rate of 93%. However, the data of 40subjects were not complete and so analysis was done on the 610 mothers with complete data. Five hundred twentytwo (85.6 %) had antenatal care attendance for the last pregnancy and 436 (71.5%) of the index children weredelivered in health institutions. Bedding-in (babies slept with mothers) was done for 591 (96.9%) neonates,prelacteal feeds was given to 77 (12.6%) neonates and 305 (50.0%) were initiated on breast-feeding after 12 hoursof the delivery. On-demand and frequent (> 8/day) breast-feeding was reported by 569 (93.2%) of the mothers andbreastfeeding problems by 44 (8.9%) of the mothers, Three hundred fifty six (58.4%) of the babies were bathedwithin 24 hours of delivery, butter was applied to the umbilical stump in 32 (48.7%) of the home delivered babiesand only 17/85 (2.8%) “small” babies received additional care.CONCLUSION: High rate of ANC attendance and institutional delivery were observed. Practice of exclusive andon-demand breast-feeding was high and very few neonates received prelactal feeds. Most babies slept with theirmothers Home delivered babies were exposed to harmful practices and small babies did not receive special care.harmful practices were Mothers should be educated during ANC follow up and after delivery on the need forspecial care to low birth weight/smaller babies.