Abstract:
Background: Neonatal danger sign is presence of clinical signs that would indicate high risk of
neonatal morbidity and mortality and need for early therapeutic intervention. Early detection of
neonatal illness by mothers is an important step towards improving newborn survival. Even though
mother’s knowledge of neonatal danger signs plays a critical role in reducing neonatal morbidity
and mortality, studies on the area were limited and most of them were institution-based study
which doesn’t include rural mothers and mothers with home delivery. Objective: To assess
knowledge of neonatal danger signs and associated factors among mother’s who gave birth in the
past 6 months, at chole district, Arsi zone, South East Ethiopia from March 1 to 15, 2019.
Methods: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 520 postnatal mothers by
using multistage sampling method. Structured interviewer administered pre-tested questionnaire
which was adopted from the Safe Motherhood questionnaire was used to collect the data. The
collected data were entered into Epi data version 3.1 and then exported into SPSS version 20 for
analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis were used by using binary logistic regression to
identify factors associated with mother’s knowledge of neonatal danger signs. Statistical
significance was declared at p-value less than 0.05. Finally, the result was presented using
frequencies, tables and figures.
Results: Mother’s level of knowledge on neonatal danger signs was found to be 50.2% (95%CI:
46.3%, 54.3%). Mother’s and husband’s secondary and above educational level [AOR= 2.15
95%CI: (1.11, 4.17)], and [AOR: 2.05, 95%CI: (1.07, 3.94) respectively, being in Urban
[AOR=5.83, 95%CI: (2.77, 12.24)], had four or more antenatal visits [AOR: 2.10, 95%CI: (1.13,
3.90)], counseled during antenatal care [AOR= 4.33 95%CI: (1.88, 9.98)] and knowledge about
essential newborn care [AOR=3.91 95%CI: (2.05, 7.48)] were significantly associated with
mother’s knowledge of neonatal danger signs. Conclusion: The study revealed that mother’s level
of knowledge towards neonatal danger signs was low. Mother’s educational status, husband’s
educational status, place of residence, number of antenatal visits, counseled during antenatal visit
and knowledge about essential newborn care were factors associated with mother’s knowledge of
neonatal danger signs. Innovative strategies that increase awareness of danger signs is needed
through strengthening counseling during antenatal care, postnatal services, and essential newborn
care services
