Cord care education and its content given to mothers at antenatal clinics in various health facilities in Edo State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Hygienic umbilical cord care is necessary for the well-.being of the newborn. Health education is a strong tool for lifestyle modification aimed at healthy living. This ought to extend to mothers who care for their infants' umbilical cord stump in various ways especially after discharge from hospital. The content of health education on cord care given to mothers (if any) at various health institutions which they accessed for antenatal care is thus worth evaluating. Objective: To evaluate the content of health education on cord care given to mothers at various health facilities which served as their places of antenatal care in Benin City; Nigeria. Methods: The study subjects included mothers who brought their babies to Well Baby/Immunization Clinic of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH); Benin City; Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to assess their biodata; places of antenatal care; whether health education on cord care constituted part of the services received in health facilities and the content of the cord care education. Results: Of the 497 subjects studied; 487 (98.0) received antenatal care (ANC) in both orthodox and unorthodox facilities. Amongst these; 352 (72.3) received health education on cord care while 135 (27.7) did not. Teaching and private hospitals contributed 116 (48.9) and 103 (43.5) respectively to the total documentation of the advice concerning use of methylated spirit alone. The relationship between content of health education on cord care and method of cord care practiced by mothers was statistically significant. Conclusion: Health education on cord care is lacking in some of our health facilities and where available; content may not be evidence-based. We must equip health workers with facts required to enlighten patients. A standard and universal method of cord care should be adopted to reduce or abolish the confusion which mothers presently encounter in caring for their babies' umbilical cords