Prevalent cord-stump care practices among mothers of infants: Against the backdrop of chlorhexidine digluconate gel scale-up

Abstract

Within the context of Chlorhexidine scale-up, this cross-sectional study explores umbilical cord-stump care practices of mothers of infants in Enugu-North, and their perspectives on specific issues fueling unhygienic cord-stump care practices. Quantitative data were collected from 397 participants using a structured questionnaire. Cumulatively, 29.2% of the respondents resorted to unhygienic substances for cord-stump-care, and 11.3% of them used Chlorhexidine for care. Compared to mothers within the ‘22-26-year-old’ category, mothers within the ‘17-21-year-old’ category were more likely to desire a short time-to-cord-separation (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.0–4.5). First-time mothers (OR = 5.9; 95% CI = 3.5–10.2) and younger mothers (OR = 152.8; 95% CI = 36.2–891.1) were more likely to yield to gatekeepers' opinions on newborn-care compared to non-first-time mothers and older mothers (32-40-year-old category), respectively. This study identifies putative predictors of newborn-care decisions within the context of Chlorhexidine scale-up. Further, the prevalence of Chlorhexidine use was low, and the use of unhygienic substances was significant.