Abstract:
Abstract
Background: Perinatal asphyxia is one of the leading causes of neonatal
mortality and morbidity in Ethiopia. Understanding risk factors for perinatal
asphyxia is important to identify vulnerable groups and to improve care during
the perinatal period. Thus, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and risk
factors of perinatal asphyxia among newborns admitted to NICU at Gondar
University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.
Method: Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted on 364 new
borns from November 1
st
/2018 - August 31
st
/2019. Data was collected using a
structured and pre-tested questionnaire. It was then cleaned, coded and
entered using EPI INFO version 7, then analyzed with SPSS statistics
versions 20.0. The Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify the
relation of each independent variable to the dependent variable. An adjusted
odds ratio
Result: The prevalence of perinatal asphyxia in this study was 19.8%.
Significantly associated risk factors with perinatal asphyxia were: Absence of
maternal formal education
Conclusion and recommendation: The prevalence rate of perinatal
asphyxia in this study was 19.8%. Absence of maternal formal education,
pregnancy induced hypertension, premature rupture of membrane, prolonged
labor, C/S delivery, meconium stained amniotic fluid and non-vertex fetal
presentation were having significant association as a risk factor for perinatal
asphyxia in this study.
Key words: Perinatal asphyxia, Newborn, Gondar, Ethiopia
