International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health | December 2023 | Vol 10 | Issue 12 Page 1 International Journal of Community Medicine and Public Health Mulwa PM et al. Int J Community Med Public Health. 2023 Dec;10(12):xxx-xxx http://www.ijcmph.com pISSN 2394-6032 | eISSN 2394-6040 Original Research Article Determinants of cord care practices among caregivers in a level 5 facility in Kenya Penina Muia Mulwa 1 , Ruth Gathoni Mbugua 2 *, Jane Karonjo 3 INTRODUCTION Globally, in the year 2020, 2.4 million children died with Sub-Saharan Africa reporting the highest mortality rates. The likelihood of a child in sub-Saharan Africa to die in their first month after birth is ten times higher compared to developed countries. Neonatal sepsis is the 3rd leading cause of neonatal mortality globally. 1 Neonatal sepsis may stem from omphalitis which may lead to systemic infections. This is may be attributed to contamination of the umbilical cord stump. 2 While omphalitis is not limited to particular settings, it is more prevalent in low and middle-income countries where there is a high number of home deliveries that occur unattended by a skilled birth attendant in unsterile settings. 3 The umbilicus can be a source of infection in the first days of life after delivery based on the cord care practices. 4 Evidence across countries in developing countries shows the use of various harmful substances for cord care which ABSTRACT Background: Globally, in the year 2020, 2.4 million children died with the likelihood of a child in Sub-Saharan Africa to die in their first month after birth being ten times higher compared to that in developed countries. Infection is a leading cause of mortality among infants with a significant number being attributed to umbilical cord infections. The aim of the study was to assess cord care practices and the associated factors among mothers and care givers at the Mombasa County referral hospital in Kenya. Methods: This was a facility-based descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the maternal child health/family planning clinic at a level 5 public health facility in Mombasa County, Kenya. Systematic random sampling was employed to select study respondents. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. The association of the dependent and independent variables was assessed using Pearson Chi-square statistics. A p<0.05 was considered significant at 95% CI. Results: Slightly below half (43.6%) of the respondents had practiced inappropriate cord care. Inappropriate cord care practices reported included the use of breast milk (24.3%), herbal substances (17.8%), warm salty water (16.4%), saliva (15.1%), soot (11.2%), black soil (7.9%) and coconut oil (7.2%). Socio-cultural beliefs regarding cord care were prevalent among the respondents. Socio-demographic characteristics, facility-related factors, and socio-cultural factors were associated with cord care practices (p<0.05). Conclusions: There is a need to enhance health education regarding cord care among women in the health facilities and community. Strategies to enhance scale- up of chlorhexidine use should be explored. Keywords: Cord care practices, Omphalitis, Umbilical, Neonatal sepsis 1 ReaMedica Healthcare Limited, Nairobi, Kenya 2 Mama Ngina University, Gatundu, Kenya 3 Mount Kenya University, Thika, Kenya Received: 13 October 2023 Revised: 08 November 2023 Accepted: 10 November 2023 *Correspondence: Dr. Ruth Gathoni Mbugua, E-mail: rmbugua15@gmail.com Copyright: © the author(s), publisher and licensee Medip Academy. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20233547