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Cited by 10Neonatal skin health careMaternal and Neonatal HealthcareGlobal Maternal and Child Health

Mothers’ cord care practices in an academic hospital in Kenya

Open access
M Kyololo, O’Brien, J Kipkoech, Maculater·2023·African Health Sciences
DOI 10.4314/ahs.v23i1.45PMC PMC10398470
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Abstract

Background: Nearly 99% of neonatal deaths globally occur in low- and middle-income countries with about three-quarters of the neonatal deaths resulting from sepsis including those arising from cord infections. Thus, good cord care practices have the potential to reduce the neonatal deaths in low and middle-income countries such as Kenya. Objective: Describe cord care practices of mothers in an academic hospital in Kenya. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to 114 mothers attending child welfare clinic at 6 weeks in an academic hospital in Western Kenya. Descriptive statistics were computed for continuous variables while frequencies were computed for categorical variables. Parametric and non-parametric tests were used to check for association between maternal variables and cord care practices. Results: Most mothers applied chlorhexidine (n =73, 64%) or practiced dry cord care (n = 17, 14.9%). Some mothers (12.9%) applied potentially harmful substances including saliva, ash and soil. Mothers who attended at least three antenatal clinic visits practiced the recommended cord care (χ 2 =16.02, p. = 0.03).Conclusions: Although mothers predominantly practiced the recommended cord care, some potentially deleterious practices were reported. There is need to encourage attendance to antenatal clinic in order to optimize umbilical cord care practices. Keywords: Cord care; practices; neonates; mothers; Kenya.

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Crossref · 10.4314/ahs.v23i1.45

Cites

45 of 45 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Women in the local settings are often tempted to apply other herbal concoctions that may predispose the cord to infections.

    “Considering that women in the local settings are often tempted to apply other herbal concoctions that may predispose the cord to infections”

    From Women’s perceptions of midwifery continuity of care provided by bachelor of midwifery students from a public university in Northern Uganda: a descriptive qualitative study (2026) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Introduction says that applying herbs to the cord is a traditional practice that may cause infections, and the Discussion reports herb use in other countries. But the study’s Results identify saliva, ash and soil—not herbal concoctions—among the potentially harmful substances used by mothers in its Kenyan setting. The source therefore does not establish that women there often apply herbal concoctions. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Cord care recommendations for daily 7.1% chlorhexidine solution are not always possible in our settings due to unavailability of these solutions.

    “The cord care recommendations for a daily 7.1% chlorhexidine solution are not always possible in our settings due to the unavailability of these solutions.”

    From Women’s perceptions of midwifery continuity of care provided by bachelor of midwifery students from a public university in Northern Uganda: a descriptive qualitative study (2026) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) says Kenyan guidelines recommend 4% chlorhexidine on the cord stump for seven days or until it falls off. The Discussion also describes chlorhexidine as a recommended antiseptic in some settings. Neither passage specifies a daily 7.1% solution or says that unavailability prevents its use; searches for the concentration and availability found no such passage. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Sustainable ways of cord care were devised as a homemade saline solution.

    “sustainable ways of cord care were devised as a homemade saline solution [28, 29].”

    From Women’s perceptions of midwifery continuity of care provided by bachelor of midwifery students from a public university in Northern Uganda: a descriptive qualitative study (2026) · cites this paper as [29]

    The Results (Cord care practices; page unavailable) list substances mothers applied, chiefly chlorhexidine and surgical spirit. The Discussion (page unavailable) describes dry cord care and antiseptic recommendations. Searches for homemade saline, salt water, and a devised cord-care solution found no passage addressing the claim. (LLM, conf=0.72)

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. [10]World Health Organization WHO recommendation on postnatal care of the mother and newborn 2013 World Health Organization Available from: http://apps.who.int 24624481
  2. [16]Sinha R C Lal B S Regmi B Pant B Newborn Care Practices among mothers in Rautahat District, Nepal Journal of Nepal Public Health Association, | JNEPHA 2013 5-1
  3. [45]Asim M Mahmood B Sohail M M Infant health care Professional Medical Journal 2015 22 08 978 988

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Related

Authors
M Kyololo, O., & J Kipkoech, M.
Venue
African Health Sciences
Publisher
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Published
2023-04-11
Volume
23
Issue
1
Pages
429-37
ISSN
  • 1680-6905 (ISSN-L)
  • 1729-0503
DOI
10.4314/ahs.v23i1.45
PMC
PMC10398470
OpenAlex
W4365512767
Cited by
10
References
45
Citations by year
2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1
FWCI
3.67
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • African Health Sciences (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Neonatal skin health care
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Global Maternal and Child Health
Keywords
umbilical cord care, neonatal sepsis, neonatal mortality, chlorhexidine, dry cord care, antenatal care attendance, maternal health practices, low- and middle-income countries, Kenya
MeSH terms
Child, Chlorhexidine, Female, Hospitals, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Kenya, Mothers, Pregnancy, Umbilical Cord, Perinatal Death

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