MOTHERS KNOWLEDGE OF NEWBORN CARE AND IT'S RELATIONSHIP WITH INDIVIDUAL, SOCIAL, AND CULTURAL FACTORS

Background & Aims: Mother is the key person and the main caregiver in maintaining the health and meeting the physiological and psychological needs of her baby.Various factors can affect the mother's knowledge of newborn care.Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of investigating mother's knowledge of newborn care and its relationship with individual, social and cultural factors. Materials & Methods:The present descriptive correlational study was conducted on 283 primiparous mothers with convenient sampling using a questionnaire to measure the knowledge of newborn care and a questionnaire to determine individual, social and cultural variables.Data analysis was done with descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS software version 25.Results: The level knowledge of mothers in newborn care was average ( %52/3).A positive and significant relationship was found between the source of information, the mother's decision to continue breastfeeding, hand hygiene practices, the mother's age, the age at which she became pregnant, the mother's occupation and education, the income level, the occupation and education of the spouse, having support, receiving training, giving birth in a private hospital, and accepting culturally safe beliefs with the mother's caregiving knowledge (P<0/05). Conclusion:Considering the average level of knowledge among mothers and the impact of individual, social, and cultural factors on it, it is hoped that through appropriate actions that take into account the identified facilitating and intervening factors in this area, targeting vulnerable mothers, addressing individual, social, and cultural differences among mothers, emphasizing the role of family-centered care, and strengthening education during pregnancy and postpartum, a favorable environment will be created to enhance mothers' knowledge..