Analysis of Mothers' Knowledge, Beliefs and Practice towards Neonatal Jaundice in Bingham University Teaching Hospital Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

Neonatal jaundice is defined as the yellowish discoloration of the skin and sclera due to accumulation of unconjugated bilirubin. This is common in newborns and if not detected and treated early can lead to severe morbidity and mortality. Aim: The aim of the study was to analyze the knowledge, attitude and practices of mothers in Bingham University Teaching Hospital on Neonatal Jaundice. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study which was carried out among mothers coming for ante and post-natal clinics in Bingham University Teaching Hospital from March to June 2019, using consecutive sampling of mothers that came for ante and post-natal services that consented to the study. The knowledge, attitude and practice of Neonatal Jaundice (NNJ) was assessed using a pretested questionnaire which was analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: The results showed that 80% of mothers >40 years are able to define jaundice correctly compared to the 30% in mothers <26 years. Thirty-seven percent of mothers did not know any single cause of NNJ. Knowledge on NNJ was significantly associated with occupation, education and parity with fisher’s exact test of 0.045, 0.034 and 0.026 respectively.  Only 16% of the mothers knew that phototherapy is the major form of treatment for NNJ, most will expose their babies to sunlight. Some traditional beliefs about the cause of NNJ includes bad blood, bad breastmilk, change in weather and evil eye. Conclusion: There is need for more health education talks, campaigns and enlightenment of mothers on NNJ.