Volume 26, Issue 125, July 2022

The assessment of awareness level among the parents regarding the neonatal jaundice in the Arar city, KSA

Irfan Hanif¹, Sarwar Hussain¹, Wael Khulaif J Alanazi², Faris Athal F Alanazi², Abdullah Ayidh Q Alanazi², Ziyad Daham R Alanazi²

¹Assistant prof. of pediatrics, NBU, Arar, KSA
²Undergraduate, Medical students, NBU, Arar, KSA

ABSTRACT

Background: Raising parental awareness will help the illness progress by enabling early identification, prompt treatment, and appropriate management of new born jaundice. Objective: The aim and objectives of the existing research paper was to explore the awareness level of parents about neonatal jaundice (NNJ) knowledge and attitude. Methods: A cross sectional survey was conducted in Arar city, Saudi Arabia, by using social media, personal interviews and paper-based questionnaires, during the period from 1 May to 31 July, 2021. Results: The study included 385 participants, 69.4% of them were females and 30.6% were males. 55% of study participants had a child or more diagnosed with neonatal jaundice. 49.9% of participants had knowledge of NNJ. Source of knowledge was relatives and friends in 46.2% of participants, and 14.3% from a healthcare provider. 36.4% of participants reported head as the first part of the body affected by neonatal jaundice, 15.6% arms and 2.6% legs. Neonatal jaundice complications included physical handicap, hearing and vision loss, mortality, epilepsy, and delayed development, which were all reported by 10.4%, 14.0%, and 5.2% of participants respectively. 37.4% of participants reported using sunshine as their primary form of treatment for newborn jaundice, followed by home lighting (12.7%), hospital light therapy (5.69%), and blood transfusion (4.9%). Conclusion: The inhabitants of Arar Saudi Arabia knew little about the causes, problems, and treatments of newborn jaundice. Efforts to improve generals’ knowledge and attitudes are needed to promote good maternal health-seeking behaviour and decrease impairments and infant jaundice-related deaths.

Keywords: jaundice, neonate, parental awareness

Medical Science, 2022, 26, ms317e2388

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.54905/disssi/v26i125/ms317e2388

Published: 27 July 2022