Health Care Seeking Behaviour on Neonatal Danger Signs among Mothers in Tenta District, Northeast Ethiopia: Community based cross- sectional study.

Abstract

Health care seeking behaviour is any action undertaken by individuals who perceive to have a health problem or to be ill for finding an appropriate remedy. It involves recognition of symptoms, perceived nature of illness, followed initially by appropriate home care and monitoring. In Ethiopia, little is known about mother's health care seeking behaviour on neonatal danger signs. Therefore, this study assessed the health care seeking behaviour on neonatal danger signs among mothers in Tenta district, Northeast Ethiopia. Community based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 23 to November 17, 2015. The study district was stratified into urban and rural kebeles. From each stratum, 1 out of 3 urban and 7 out of 25 rural kebeles were selected by simple random sampling technique. A total of 527 mothers were interviewed using structured and pre-tested questionnaire. The data were checked for missing values and outliers, and analysed using SPSS version 20.0. Logistic regression analyses were employed to see the association between dependent and independent variables. Mothers who sought medical care for neonatal danger signs were 167 (41.3%). Mothers' secondary educational level (AOR=4.64, 95% CI=1.1-19.81), have given birth in health center (AOR=3.35, 95% CI=1.31-8.56), practicing optimal thermal care (AOR=2.52, 95% CI=1.08-5.85), and having higher decision-making abilities in seeking neonatal health care (AOR=11.28, 95% CI=4.36-29.22) were significant predictors of mother's health seeking behaviour towards neonatal danger signs. Long distance of the residence from health facility, experiencing less serious neonatal danger signs, and beliefs that some danger signs were caused by evil spirits were the most common reasons cited by mothers who did not seek neonatal medical care. In this study, more than half of mother's did not seek medical care for neonatal danger signs. Maternal education and improving their decision-making abilities, and promoting institutional delivery are the recommended interventions to improve mother's health care seeking for neonatal illness. Health facilities should integrate essential neonatal care service during ANC and PNC follow up to improve the quality of health information about neonatal danger signs. At the community level, health extension workers should educate mothers about newborn care practices and neonatal danger signs.

Determinants of care-seeking practice for neonatal illnesses in rural Bangladesh: A community-based cross-sectional study

“…This positive association explains the ANC visits' role in strengthening caregivers' knowledge and awareness regarding neonatal health and the availability of newborn healthcare services in health facilities [ 28 ]. Moreover, women who gave birth at a facility had three times higher odds of care-seeking from trained providers compared to those who gave birth at home, and the finding corroborated with other studies [ 2 , 7 , 18 ]. Giving birth at health institutions probably facilitated postnatal counseling leading to increased awareness of neonatal danger signs and seeking healthcare from skilled providers.…”

“…Studies also reported prompt identification of danger signs and perceived quality of care for using skilled healthcare providers as determinants [ 19 , 20 ]. Furthermore, social factors such as autonomy of decision-making and accessibility to health facilities may also influence seeking skilled-care for sick neonates [ 18 , 20 ]. While a strengthened health system, with essential services and human resources, is needed to address the problem, recognizing illness and caregivers’ decision to reach the skilled healthcare providers are critical to reducing mortality.…”

Knowledge of neonatal danger signs, care seeking practice and associated factors among postpartum mothers at public health facilities in Ambo town, Central Ethiopia

“…In this study only 60.5% of mothers whom their baby developed danger-sign sought health care from health facility immediately. This finding was higher than study done in four regions of Ethiopia (1/3rd) and Tenta district (41.3%) women sought medical care for NDSs [27, 28]. The possible reason for this might be due to the variations in time, study setting, study population and cultural variations in which studies in four regions of Ethiopia and Tenta district were conducted in 2014 and 2015, were community-based, majority were from rural and there were cultural reasons of keeping neonates inside home; but in current study majority of them were from urban and it was conducted among those mothers who came for immunizing their babies.…”

<p>Knowledge of Neonatal Danger Signs and Associated Factors Among Mothers of <6 Months Old Child in Dire Dawa, Ethiopia: A Community Based Cross-Sectional Study</p>

“…This is higher than the studies conducted in Tenta District, (41.3%) and Wolkite, (32%), Ambo town (79.2%). 17,24,27 The discrepancy might be because there is better health coverage in the current study area and they are near to the center for careseeking than those studies.…”

“…Data was distributed into two further categories, appropriate healthcare-seeking are those mothers who were taken their child to the registered health facilities (government or private health facility) after their baby's developed danger signs and inappropriate healthcare-seeking are those who sought the care other than that. 24…”