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18. Newborn Care Practices in Pakistan – A Study in Community
Ayan Amir1, Rameen Amir2, Aleena Amir2 and Zahid Anwar3
ABSTRACT
Objective: We conducted this study to investigate the types of newborn care practices followed by our population in a non-teaching healthcare facility in Lahore.
Study Design: Questionnaire-based cross-sectional study
Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted at the Amir Medical Centre, a non-teaching hospital Lahore, from July 2022 to December 2022.
Methods: Interviewees were selected by non-probability convenient sampling.
Results: A total of 364 mothers were interviewed during the 6-month study period, with a mean age of 27.6 ± 7.2 years, as depicted in Table 1. The majority of these women were married (332 out of 364), and among them, 56% had one or more children. This implies that the remaining 44% (comprising unmarried individuals, married individuals without children, and those with their first child) lacked prior experience in newborn care. It's noteworthy that nearly all participants hailed from Lahore city, making this essentially an urban-based study. Only 11.5% of the participants had either no education or had completed only primary school level education. Furthermore, a significant majority of the women (72%) identified as housewives.
Conclusion: There is a pressing need for the dissemination of evidence-based guidelines regarding newborn care, to both women and medical personnel.
Key Words: Newborn, Population, Healthcare Facility