Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Postnatal Mothers on Ophthalmia Neonatorum in the Central Region, Ghana

Abstract

Health education is key in the prevention of Ophthalmia Neonatorum (ON). However, health education in relation to eye care in Ghana is very low. To determine the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAPs) of mothers on Ophthalmia Neonatorum (eye infection in newborns), a descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted, using a standardised interviewer-administered questionnaire to collect data. Using a consecutive sampling technique, we enrolled 407 mothers to participate in the study. The overall KAPs of the study participants were assessed using the sum score of each outcome based on Bloom’s cut-off point. Completed data was then analysed using descriptive statistics with SPSS version 22.0 at the level of P < .05. Out of the 407 participants, 321 (78.9%) had not heard about Ophthalmia Neonatorum with nearly 93% having low levels of knowledge on the neonatal infection. We found a significant association between formal education ( P = .001), skilled occupation ( P = .008) and a high level of knowledge on Ophthalmia Neonatorum. The study highlights the need to find improved and alternative methods of educating mothers on Ophthalmia Neonatorum in the bid to reduce blindness attributed to the condition.