307595
Understanding newborn hygiene practices in the home and community in rural Cambodia
Methods: A rapid ethnographic approach was used and consisted of semistructured interviews, focus group discussions and observation with health center staff, families of infants, and Village Health Support Group volunteers.
Results: We found barriers to optimal hygiene and sanitation in the Health Center and home environment; suboptimal Health Center staff practices in hygiene and recognizing danger signs for newborn illness; families unable to recognize danger signs of newborn illness; and barriers to care seeking for newborns in the community.
Conclusion: Behavioral interventions which aim to reduce newborn mortality in the context of first level facility births should 1) include community-to-facility linked referral systems and 2) focus on creating an enabling environment for optimal hygiene practices such as handwashing by anyone coming into contact with the newborn, laundering of linens used for newborns, and clean birth practices.
Learning Areas:
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programsSocial and behavioral sciences
Learning Objectives:
Describe newborn care practices at the home and community level in rural Cambodian households with newborn children. Formulate potential messages and channels for dissemination of improved care practices.
Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I developed the research, carried it out and analyzed all data.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.