Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 May 16;16(10):1723.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph16101723.

Key Decision Makers and Actors in Selected Newborn Care Practices: A Community-Based Survey in Northern Uganda

David Mukunya  1 , Victoria Nankabirwa  2   3 , Grace Ndeezi  4 , Josephine Tumuhamye  5 , Justin Bruno Tongun  6 , Samuel Kizito  7 , Agnes Napyo  8 , Vincentina Achora  9 , Beatrice Odongkara  10 , Agnes Anna Arach  11 , Thorkild Tylleskar  12 , James K Tumwine  13
Affiliations

Key Decision Makers and Actors in Selected Newborn Care Practices: A Community-Based Survey in Northern Uganda

David Mukunya et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Knowledge of key decision makers and actors in newborn care is necessary to ensure that health interventions are targeted at the right people. This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Lira district, Northern Uganda. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine factors associated with mothers being the key decision maker regarding where to give birth from and when to initiate breastfeeding. Fathers were the key decision makers on the place of birth (54.3%, n = 505) and on whether to seek care for a sick newborn child (47.7%, n = 92). Grandmothers most commonly bathed the baby immediately after birth (55.5%, n = 516), whereas mothers and health workers were common decision makers regarding breastfeeding initiation. Predictors for a mother being the key decision maker on the place of birth included: Mother having a secondary education (AOR 1.9: 95% C.I (1.0-3.6)) and mother being formally employed (AOR 2.0: 95% (1.5-2.9)). Mothers, fathers, grandmothers, health-workers, and traditional birth attendants were the most influential in the selected newborn care practices. Programs that aim to promote newborn care need to involve husbands, grandmothers, and health workers in addition to mothers.

Keywords: Uganda; actors; behavior; decision-making; implementation; influencers; neonatal; newborn; post-conflict.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. GBD 2016 Mortality Collaborators Global, regional, and national under-5 mortality, adult mortality, age-specific mortality, and life expectancy, 1970-2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet. 2017;390:1084–1150. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)31833-0. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bhutta Z.A., Das J.K., Bahl R., Lawn J.E., Salam R.A., Paul V.K., Sankar M.J., Blencowe H., Rizvi A., Chou V.B., et al. Can available interventions end preventable deaths in mothers, newborn babies, and stillbirths, and at what cost? Lancet. 2014;384:347–370. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60792-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Darmstadt G.L., Bhutta Z.A., Cousens S., Adam T., Walker N., de Bernis L. Evidence-based, cost-effective interventions: How many newborn babies can we save? Lancet. 2005;365:977–988. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)71088-6. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kumar V., Kumar A., Darmstadt G.L. Behavior change for newborn survival in resource-poor community settings: Bridging the gap between evidence and impact. Semin. Perinatol. 2010;34:446–461. doi: 10.1053/j.semperi.2010.09.006. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Knippenberg R., Lawn J.E., Darmstadt G.L., Begkoyian G., Fogstad H., Walelign N., Paul V.K. Systematic scaling up of neonatal care in countries. Lancet. 2005;365:1087–1098. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(05)74233-1. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types