KNOWLEDGE OF THE MOTHERS REGARDING NEWBORN CARE

Objective: To assess the knowledge of the mothers regarding newborn care, attending OPDs of the Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi. Background: Neonatal mortality is a persistently present issue in Pakistan, being a major cause of under age 5 deaths. Most of the contributing factors are preventable and have been significantly linked to literacy rate. A number of harmful newborn care practices are observed. Areas where educational intervention has been employed has resulted in considerable positive outcome and awareness. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at Holy Family Hospital Rawalpindi. 100 mothers were included and convenience sampling was done. Babies upto 6 months of age were included. Data analysis was done on SPSS version 22.0 and a structured questionnaire was used as data collection tool. Results: Cord tying (p=0.001), place of birth (p=0.014), and mode of delivery (p= 0.00) were significantly linked to the educational status of the mother. Cord care, physical contact with mother, wiping, bathing and wiping practices, prelacteal feed and its type, colostrum, time of feeding, EPI schedule, handwashing, guidance regarding newborn care were not influenced by the educational status of the mother. Conclusion: Knowledge about newborn care among mothers visiting OPD was found inadequate, especially regarding place of delivery and cord tying, influenced by the literacy status of the mother. MeSh Words: Neonatal, Colostrum, Literacy, Cord care