MOTHER’S KNOWLEDGE REGARDING NEWBORN CARE AND ASSOCIATED HEALTH PROBLEMS

Background: Globally under-five mortality rate has declined over the past few decades, neonatal mortality still remains high and four million deaths occur every year in the first month of life. Almost all (99%) neonatal deaths occur in the low-income and middle-income countries. In India alone, around one million babies die each year before they complete their first month of life, contributing to one-fourth of the global burden. The report, released recently at the National Conference on Child Survival and Development in New Delhi, claims that of the roughly 26 million children born in India each year, 1.2 million die during the first four weeks, that is, 30% of the 3.9 million global neonatal deaths2. The aim of the study was to identify the level of knowledge of primi mothers regarding newborn care and associated health problems. Materials and methods: Descriptive survey design was carried out among 60 antenatal mothers admitted in KLE's Dr. Prabhakar Kore Charitable Hospital, Belgaum by using convenient sampling method. A pretested structured knowledge questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statestics. Results: The present study showed that majority of primi mothers had poor knowledge on umbilical cord infection 44(73.3%), diarrhea 32(53.3%), diaper rash 46(76.6%), vomiting 34(56.6%) and fever 36(60%). There was no association between newborn care and demographic variables such as age, religion, occupation and employment status, economic status, type of family, area of residence, But significant association was found between mother education and area of residence. Hence null hypothesis was accepted.