Improving Underweight Mothers' Essential Newborn Care During Early Infancy: A Single-Blinded, Parallel-Randomized,...

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Maternal Health
• Public Health

Background:

• Underweight primigravida mothers are at higher risk for adverse neonatal outcomes.
• Essential Newborn Care (ENC) is crucial for infant survival and development.
• Standardized educational interventions can empower mothers with essential neonatal care knowledge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a standardized Essential Newborn Care (ENC) module delivered by pediatric residents.
• To evaluate the impact of the ENC module on maternal ENC skills and infant growth in offspring of underweight primigravida mothers.

Main Methods:

• A facility-based, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial involving 88 underweight primigravida mothers and their infants.
• Intervention group received ENC education via pictorial aids, demonstrations, and practice; control group received standard information.
• Maternal skills assessed on day 2 postpartum; infant anthropometry (weight, length, head circumference) tracked for 6 months.

Main Results:

• Mothers in the intervention group demonstrated significantly better ENC skills across all domains (P < .001).
• Infants in the intervention group showed statistically significant improvements in weight, length, and head circumference by 6 months.
• Infant z-scores indicated improved anthropometry, with a notable decrease in infants below the 3rd weight percentile in the intervention group compared to the control.

Conclusions:

• A structured ENC educational intervention effectively enhances maternal knowledge and skills.
• This intervention positively impacts the physical growth of infants born to underweight primigravida mothers.
• Strengthening maternal ENC capacity soon after delivery is vital for improving infant anthropometric outcomes.