PRACTICE OF KANGAROO MOTHER CARE OF THE NEWBORN AMONG POSTPARTUM MOTHERS ATTENDING HEALTHCARE FACILITIES IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a cost-effective and high-impact intervention for improving newborn survival. This study aimed at investigating the practice of KMC among postpartum mothers attending healthcare facilities in Anambra State, Nigeria. The objectives of the study were: To determine the level of adoption/practices of kangaroo mother care of the newborn among postpartum mothers attending Healthcare Facilities in Anambra State, Nigeria and to identify the gestational age of infants that are exposed to kangaroo mother care by postpartum mothers attending Healthcare Facilities in Anambra State. A descriptive cross sectional survey method was used for the study. A sample size of 374 postpartum mothers was selected for the study using multi-stage sampling technique. Questionnaire on practice of kangaroo mother care was used to collect data. Reliability test of the instrument involving 34 participants attending postnatal clinic in two healthcare facilities which were not part of the selected healthcare facilities indicated Cronbach alpha score 0.85. Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts and percentages for the objectives of the study. Chi square was used to test the hypotheses at P =0.05 level of significance. Result revealed that 71.39% of the respondents had poor level of practice of KMC and that newborns across all gestational ages were exposed to kangaroo mother care. The study also showed that there was no significant association between practice and knowledge of KMC (X2= 2.73, P= 0.098), there was no significant difference across the gestational age of newborns that received Kangaroo mother care (X2= 5.83, P= 0.934). Nurses and Midwives should intensify health education on the benefits of the practice of kangaroo mother care of the newborn during antenatal visits of mothers in healthcare facilities and in the community in general.