Knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding neonatal jaundice among caregivers in a tertiary health facility in Ghana

Abstract

Background Neonatal jaundice is a major reason babies are frequently re-admitted after hospital discharge following delivery. One means of improving neonatal care and reducing potential mortality associated with neonatal jaundice in resource-limited settings is to create awareness among caregivers. Caregivers who tend to have higher knowledge and awareness, also have positive attitudes, and are not guided by outmoded socio-cultural beliefs and practices are more likely to seek early care and treatment for neonatal jaundice. Objective This study investigated caregivers’ knowledge, attitude and practices regarding neonatal jaundice in a tertiary health facility in the Volta region of Ghana. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study that employed a quantitative approach for data collection. A total of 202 caregivers from the Ho Teaching Hospital in the Volta region of Ghana were sampled using a systematic random sampling strategy where quantitative data was collected using a questionnaire and analyzed with STATA version 14.0. Ordered logistic regression was used to determine the factors that were associated with caregivers’ knowledge regarding neonatal jaundice and attitude after controlling for relevant covariates. Results Less than half of the caregivers demonstrated good knowledge (45.5%) and attitude (47.5%) but 58.9% had good practices regarding neonatal jaundice. Caregivers who had prior awareness and education on neonatal jaundice were three times more likely to have good knowledge about jaundice than those without previous education [AOR = 3.02, (95%CI: 1.59–5.74), p = 0.001]. A caregiver employed in the public sector was two times more likely to have a good attitude about jaundice than those employed in the private sector [AOR = 2.08, (95%CI: 1.03–4.21), p = 0.042]. Conclusion Less than two thirds of the caregivers demonstrated good practice with limited knowledge and poor attitude. Efforts to promote well informed and improved caregivers’ attitude will advance positive maternal health-seeking behavior and reduce disabilities and death through early detection and intervention of infants with neonatal jaundice. Public awareness and education about neonatal jaundice especially among caregivers in the private sector should also be intensified.

Maternal knowledge, attitudes and practices related to neonatal jaundice and associated factors in Shenzhen, China: a facility-based cross-sectional study

“…Poor knowledge about the causes and danger signs of jaundice may mean mothers turn to traditional treatments, which results in delays in seeking medical attention for neonatal jaundice, thereby contributing to the development of ABE and kernicterus. 11 Therefore, it is recommended that medical staff incorporate information about the causes and danger signs of jaundice into neonatal jaundice health education programmes. For breast milk jaundice, this involves monitoring the jaundice without changing in the infant’s breast feeding; 27 however, 73% of mothers in this study did not know that breast milk jaundice is generally a benign condition, where interruption of breast feeding is not recommended as a therapeutic intervention.…”

“…Relatively few mothers provided correct answers to some items; for example, ‘cranial haematoma may cause neonatal jaundice’ (29%), ‘blood test is the gold standard for diagnosing neonatal jaundice’ (34.2%), ‘it is abnormal for jaundice to appear within 24 hours after birth’ (36.2%) and ‘it is abnormal for jaundice to reappear after it subsides’ (37%). Poor knowledge about the causes and danger signs of jaundice may mean mothers turn to traditional treatments, which results in delays in seeking medical attention for neonatal jaundice, thereby contributing to the development of ABE and kernicterus 11. Therefore, it is recommended that medical staff incorporate information about the causes and danger signs of jaundice into neonatal jaundice health education programmes.…”

“…10 Hospital staff therefore need to clarify what mothers know about jaundice and their current attitudes and practices, which will allow health education programmes to target identified gaps. Although similar investigations have been done in other countries or regions including Ghana, 11 Accra 12 and Egypt, 13 no evaluation tools or reports related to maternal knowledge, attitudes and practices about neonatal jaundice are available in China.…”

The assessment of awareness level among the parents regarding the neonatal jaundice in the Arar city, KSA

“…Increased concentration of indirect bilirubin leads to acute and chronic bilirubin encephalopathy or kernicterus which results in permanent brain damage and death. Cerebral palsy, mental retardation, and hearing impairment could be consequences if jaundice is not noticed and managed early (Salia et al, 2021). However, early detection, rapid and suitable management of neonatal jaundice can be achieved by raising the level of awareness among the parents which will improve the outcome of the disease (Amegan-Aho et…”

“…Medical Science, 26, ms317e2388 (2022)NeonatalIn Ghana, 8.9% of the caregivers had good knowledge about neonatal jaundice(Salia et al, 2021). Another study in Ghana found that merely 17.3% of moms caught about newborn jaundice(Adoba et al, 2018).…”