Infant care practices among mothers attending well-baby clinics at primary health care centers in Unaizah city.

BACKGROUND

Infant care, crucial for the well-being of infants, is an inherent human practice. Although there are important implications of infant care practices on infant health, there is a dearth of comprehensive studies covering all important aspects of infant care in an individual study.

OBJECTIVES

To determine practices regarding infant feeding, infant sleep, use of pacifiers, and immunization, and to explore the association of these practices with mother's demographic data.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administrated questionnaire distributed among mothers attending well-baby clinics in Primary Health Care Centers (PHCCs), Unaizah city, Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. By using the two-stage cluster sampling method, 50 women participated from each of the four selected PHCCs, leading to a total of 200 participants. The survey was conducted from December 2020 to February 2021. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.

RESULTS

A total of 124 (62%) respondents were between the ages of 26 and 35 years, 64% had a bachelor's degree, and 69.5% were housewives. Breastfeeding was practiced by 88% of women, 48% began infant weaning at 6 months of age, and 49% put their infant to sleep on their back. Up-to-date vaccination was reported for 188 (94%) infants. Infant pacifier use was reported by 58% of the respondents, and 82.5% of the participants had been offered formula milk for the newborn at the hospital. Vaginal delivery, absence of complications during pregnancy or labor, presence of a housemaid, and family income of more than 10,000 Saudi Riyals were significantly associated with better infant care practices.

CONCLUSION

The study participants have good practices for certain infant care aspects such as immunization; however, improvement is needed for other practices, including weaning at the proper age, infant sleep position, and the use of pacifiers. Administrative measures are required to monitor the use of formula milk at hospitals and to enhance health education for mothers.