Abstract:
Background: Despite applying the thermal care principle recommended by WHO and though predisposing factors
for neonatal hypothermia are easily preventable, the problem of neonatal hypothermia remains a challenge.
Inconsistency of prevalence and associated factors among different studies has been observed through time.
Objective: This study aimed to estimate the national pooled prevalence of neonatal hypothermia and its association
with delayed initiations of breastfeeding and low birth weight in the Ethiopian context.
Method: Pub Med, Cochrane library, and Google Scholar databases were used for searching. In addition, reference
lists of included studies and Ethiopian research repositories were used. Appropriate searching terms were used to
retrieve studies from databases. Searching was limited to studies conducted in Ethiopia, published in the English
language, and done with a design of cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control. Joanna Briggs Institute Meta-
Analysis of Statistics Assessment and Review Instrument (JBI-MAStARI) was used for critical appraisal of
studies. A weighted inverse variance random-effects- model was used. The I2 test statistics and Egger’s test were
computed to test heterogeneity and publication bias respectively. Furthermore, sensitivity was conducted.
Result: In this systematic review and meta-analysis, a total of 5 studies with 1,790 study participants were
included. The overall pooled prevalence of neonatal hypothermia in Ethiopia was found to be 62.68 % (95% CI;
(54.66, 70.70). Delayed initiation of breastfeeding (OR: 3.26 (95% CI = 2.07, 5.13) and low birth weight (OR:
2.63 (95% CI = 1.37, 5.07)) were significantly associated with high odds of neonatal hypothermia.
Conclusion: The overall prevalence of neonatal hypothermia in Ethiopia was high. Delayed initiation of breastfeeding
and low birth weight were a predictor of neonatal hypothermia. Therefore, health workers who are
working in the maternal, neonatal, and child health units need to adhere to the warm chain principle; particularly
counseling caregivers about the initiation of early breastfeeding has to be improved.
