Infant Skin-Related Practices Among Attendees of Maternal and Child Health Clinics in Jos, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Evidence-based skin-related practices such as delayed bathing, skin-to-skin contact (SSC), and maternal skin care education are recommended to improve neonatal outcomes.

Objective: To assess infant skin-related practices among attendees of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Clinics and identify gaps relative to global recommendations.

Methods: A facility-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 255 mothers of infants attending nine public and private health facilities in Jos North Local Government Area (LGA). A semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics and infant skin-related practices across antenatal, delivery, and postnatal contacts.

Results: Essential infant skin practices were often missed during facility contacts. Only 36.5% of mothers received instruction on infant bathing, 37.3% practiced SSC after delivery, and only 9.4% reported infant skin checks during postnatal visits. Inappropriate practices, such as bathing within 24 hours of life, were common, especially in public primary health centres (73.7%), while removing vernix caseosa was nearly universal (94.4%). Grandmothers were the main influencers of infant skincare practices, surpassing health workers (38% vs 22.7%) except in public tertiary hospitals, where health workers predominated.

Conclusion: Infant skin care practices in Jos remain suboptimal and inconsistent with international guidelines. Integrating evidence-based skin care education into routine maternal-child health services and strengthening health workers' capacity about skin-related practices are crucial to improving neonatal outcomes.