“A Study to Assess The Effect of Health Teaching on Knowledge Regarding Identification of Danger Signs of Neonatal Illness among Mothers in Selected Hospital”.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The neonatal period, which covers the first 28 days of life, is the most critical stage in the life of a newborn. During this time, infants are highly vulnerable to various health problems such as infections, breathing difficulties, hypothermia, jaundice, and feeding problems.

AIM: To assess the effect of health teaching on knowledge regarding identification of danger signs of neonatal illness among mothers in selected hospital.

METHODOLOGY: A quantitative research approach with a pre-experimental one group pre-test and post-test design was adopted for this study. The study was conducted among mothers admitted in a selected hospital. A total of 100 mothers were selected as the sample for the study using a convenient sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The tool consisted of two sections. Section A included demographic variables of the mothers such as age, education, occupation, type of family, place of residence, monthly family income, and source of information. Section B consisted of knowledge-based questions related to neonatal danger signs including fever, difficulty in breathing, poor feeding, lethargy, convulsions, jaundice, and other symptoms that require immediate medical attention. Initially, a pre-test was conducted after the that structured health teaching program was administered to the mothers.

RESULT: The findings of the study revealed that the pre-test assessment, 52% of mothers had poor knowledge, 45% had average knowledge, and only 3% had good knowledge regarding neonatal danger signs. The post-test results showed that 83% of mothers had good knowledge and 17% had average knowledge, while none of the participants remained in the poor knowledge category. Result clearly indicated that the structured health teaching program was effective in improving the knowledge of mothers regarding the identification of neonatal danger signs.

CONCLUSION: The study highlights the importance of providing health education to mothers to enhance their awareness and ability to recognize early warning signs in newborns. Improving maternal knowledge can contribute to early diagnosis, timely treatment, and better neonatal health outcomes, thereby reducing neonatal morbidity and mortality.