Gender and neonatal mortality in Ekiti state, Nigeria; evidence from a healthcare institution

Abstract

Neonatal Mortality is a global concern, efforts at reducing it is one of the clearly spelt out aims of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The current global trend reveals that over 2.4 million babies will die in the first month of life between 2019 and 2030 which is approximated to 2.2 million preventable annual neonatal deaths. The current study investigated the biopsychosocial predictors of neonatal mortality in a Nigerian setting with the view of providing psychological intervention to the spate of preventing neonatal mortality. Data were obtained from a two-year retrospective cohort medical record comprising 150 dead neonates in a tertiary hospital. Chi-Square statistic was utilized to establish association among variables as appropriate while the results indicated there was no significant relationship between gender and mortality rate nor between gender and diagnoses. Further results revealed that Asphyxia occurred more on the first day of delivery and death occurred more on the first two days of delivery than days after. While adequate care and strong social support were recommended for the mother during pregnancy and especially in the first few days of delivery, the study concluded that the mind state of the expectant mother and her attitude must be put into consideration by all concerned during and after delivery.