BACKGROUND Delaying newborn bathing for 24 h after childbirth protects the baby from hypothermia, infection and hypoglycaemia and provides an opportunity for mother-baby emotional bonding. However, no previously published study has investigated the early newborn bathing practices of pastoral mothers in Ethiopia. This study aims to investigate early newborn bathing and associated factors among mothers in Afar Region, Northeast Ethiopia. METHODS Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2021. A systematic random sampling technique was used to recruit 386 mothers, and the data collection was performed using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Multivariable logistic regression modelling was used to examine the association between explanatory variables (including sociodemographic, obstetric, health service and health literacy factors) and early newborn bathing. RESULTS The overall prevalence of early newborn bathing among postpartum mothers was 73.1% with a 95% confidence interval (CI) from 68.4 to 77.5%. Mothers who attained college or higher education [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.21; 95% CI 0.06-0.66], those who were from urban areas (AOR = 0.19; 95% CI 0.09-0.42) and those who gave birth using operational delivery (e.g. caesarean section and instrumental delivery) (AOR = 0.01; 95% CI 0.01-0.04) were less likely to practice early newborn bathing. CONCLUSION The practice of early newborn bathing was unacceptably high in pastoral communities of the Afar Region. There is a need for interventions specifically targeting at uneducated and rural mothers as part of the implementation to improve the essential newborn care practices of mothers in pastoral communities in Ethiopia.

中文翻译：

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埃塞俄比亚东北部阿法尔地区母亲的早期新生儿沐浴和相关因素。

背景 分娩后延迟新生儿洗澡 24 小时可保护婴儿免受体温过低、感染和低血糖的影响，并为母婴情感联系提供机会。然而，之前发表的研究没有调查过埃塞俄比亚牧区母亲的早期新生儿沐浴习惯。本研究旨在调查埃塞俄比亚东北部阿法尔地区母亲的早期新生儿沐浴及相关因素。方法 于 2021 年 5 月至 6 月进行了基于机构的横断面研究。采用系统随机抽样技术招募了 386 名母亲，并使用访谈者填写的问卷进行数据收集。多变量逻辑回归模型用于检查解释变量（包括社会人口学、产科、健康服务和健康素养因素）和早期新生儿沐浴。结果 产后母亲早期新生儿沐浴的总体患病率为 73.1%，95% 置信区间 (CI) 为 68.4% 至 77.5%。接受过大学或高等教育的母亲 [调整后的比值比 (AOR) = 0.21；95% CI 0.06-0.66]，来自城市地区的人（AOR = 0.19；95% CI 0.09-0.42）和使用手术分娩（例如剖腹产和器械分娩）分娩的人（AOR = 0.01；95% CI 0.01-0.04) 不太可能进行早期新生儿沐浴。结论 在阿法尔地区的牧区社区，早期新生儿沐浴的做法高得令人无法接受。