Association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis among neonates presenting to a primary care facility in Nairobi County, Kenya: a case-control study [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]
Background: Three-quarters of all annual neonatal deaths in developing countries are attributable to neonatal sepsis. In primary care settings, poor cord hygiene due to improper handling of the infant’s cord is a major contributor to the occurrence of neonatal sepsis. The objective of this study was...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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F1000 Research Ltd
2019-07-01
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| Series: | F1000Research |
| Online Access: | https://f1000research.com/articles/8-920/v2 |
| _version_ | 1811225504446939136 |
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| author | Phoebe K. Moraa Marshal M. Mweu Peter K. Njoroge |
| author_facet | Phoebe K. Moraa Marshal M. Mweu Peter K. Njoroge |
| author_sort | Phoebe K. Moraa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Three-quarters of all annual neonatal deaths in developing countries are attributable to neonatal sepsis. In primary care settings, poor cord hygiene due to improper handling of the infant’s cord is a major contributor to the occurrence of neonatal sepsis. The objective of this study was to describe the umbilical cord practices among mothers attending a primary care facility, assess the relationship between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis, its impact on the population, as well as the influence of other neonatal and maternal factors on this relationship. Methods: A case-control study was conducted to assess the umbilical cord hygiene-neonatal sepsis relationship among neonates attending a primary care facility between August and October 2018. All cases were selected, while controls were systematically random sampled, as per study eligibility criteria. Exposure variables were summarized using descriptive statistics. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to evaluate the association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis adjusting for the effect of potential confounders. Subsequently, a population attributable fraction (PAF) was estimated. Results: The proportion of mothers with improper hygiene was 35.3%: 72.1% among the cases and 16.3% among the controls’ caregivers. The odds of neonatal sepsis were 13 times higher (OR=13.24; 95% CI: [7.5; 23.4]) among infants whose caregivers had improper hygiene compared to those who had proper hygiene. None of the neonatal and maternal covariates confounded the umbilical cord hygiene-neonatal sepsis association. This odds ratio gave a PAF of 66.7% (95% CI: 62.5; 69.0). Conclusions: Improper cord hygiene is prevalent in this low resource setting. Improper cord hygiene has a strong positive association with neonatal sepsis. Observing good cord care practices could avert up to 67% of newborn infections. This calls for inclusion of comprehensive cord care practices in the antenatal care educational package. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:08:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7c039c0bf2cb49d2b5e38b15ece9ff4d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2046-1402 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T09:08:20Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | F1000 Research Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | F1000Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-7c039c0bf2cb49d2b5e38b15ece9ff4d2022-12-22T03:39:02ZengF1000 Research LtdF1000Research2046-14022019-07-01810.12688/f1000research.19544.221993Association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis among neonates presenting to a primary care facility in Nairobi County, Kenya: a case-control study [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]Phoebe K. Moraa0Marshal M. Mweu1Peter K. Njoroge2School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, KenyaSchool of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, KenyaSchool of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, KenyaBackground: Three-quarters of all annual neonatal deaths in developing countries are attributable to neonatal sepsis. In primary care settings, poor cord hygiene due to improper handling of the infant’s cord is a major contributor to the occurrence of neonatal sepsis. The objective of this study was to describe the umbilical cord practices among mothers attending a primary care facility, assess the relationship between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis, its impact on the population, as well as the influence of other neonatal and maternal factors on this relationship. Methods: A case-control study was conducted to assess the umbilical cord hygiene-neonatal sepsis relationship among neonates attending a primary care facility between August and October 2018. All cases were selected, while controls were systematically random sampled, as per study eligibility criteria. Exposure variables were summarized using descriptive statistics. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to evaluate the association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis adjusting for the effect of potential confounders. Subsequently, a population attributable fraction (PAF) was estimated. Results: The proportion of mothers with improper hygiene was 35.3%: 72.1% among the cases and 16.3% among the controls’ caregivers. The odds of neonatal sepsis were 13 times higher (OR=13.24; 95% CI: [7.5; 23.4]) among infants whose caregivers had improper hygiene compared to those who had proper hygiene. None of the neonatal and maternal covariates confounded the umbilical cord hygiene-neonatal sepsis association. This odds ratio gave a PAF of 66.7% (95% CI: 62.5; 69.0). Conclusions: Improper cord hygiene is prevalent in this low resource setting. Improper cord hygiene has a strong positive association with neonatal sepsis. Observing good cord care practices could avert up to 67% of newborn infections. This calls for inclusion of comprehensive cord care practices in the antenatal care educational package.https://f1000research.com/articles/8-920/v2 |
| spellingShingle | Phoebe K. Moraa Marshal M. Mweu Peter K. Njoroge Association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis among neonates presenting to a primary care facility in Nairobi County, Kenya: a case-control study [version 2; peer review: 2 approved] F1000Research |
| title | Association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis among neonates presenting to a primary care facility in Nairobi County, Kenya: a case-control study [version 2; peer review: 2 approved] |
| title_full | Association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis among neonates presenting to a primary care facility in Nairobi County, Kenya: a case-control study [version 2; peer review: 2 approved] |
| title_fullStr | Association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis among neonates presenting to a primary care facility in Nairobi County, Kenya: a case-control study [version 2; peer review: 2 approved] |
| title_full_unstemmed | Association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis among neonates presenting to a primary care facility in Nairobi County, Kenya: a case-control study [version 2; peer review: 2 approved] |
| title_short | Association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis among neonates presenting to a primary care facility in Nairobi County, Kenya: a case-control study [version 2; peer review: 2 approved] |
| title_sort | association between umbilical cord hygiene and neonatal sepsis among neonates presenting to a primary care facility in nairobi county kenya a case control study version 2 peer review 2 approved |
| url | https://f1000research.com/articles/8-920/v2 |
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