Knowledge and Attitudes of Mothers on Neonatal Jaundice in Saravan, Iran

The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge and attitudes of mothers in Saravan, Iran on neonatal jaundice, whether or not herbal remedies were being used, and if these herbal remedies were harming the neonates. 59 participants answered questions from a questionnaire delivered orally and answers were recorded and entered into a spreadsheet for analysis. 72.88% of the neonates of the mothers questioned had neonatal jaundice within the first 28 days of birth. 58.67% of mothers knew that neonatal jaundice was a “sign of serious illness” and “could damage the brain.” 97.73% of neonates with jaundice within the first 28 days survived and 97.67% of the surviving babies had no abnormalities. 77.5% of mothers had given their neonate with jaundice “antibiotics,” “remedies,” or “herbs.” We concluded that the rates of jaundice among neonates were abnormally high in this region and that the mothers’ knowledge on the significance of the illness was appropriate. Although most of the mothers were giving their neonates herbal remedies, these remedies did not seem to be harming the neonates. Further research will be done to determine correlations and further conclusions