Early Neonatal Death and Associated Factors Among Babies Born in North Shoa, Ethiopia

Background: Early neonatal death is the death of newborns from birth to seven completed days after birth or birth weight of at least one kilogram. Early neonatal death is one of the health indicators for prenatal, intrapartum, and newborn care. It is one of the major challenges for under-five mortality. There are limited numbers of studies conducted related to early neonatal deaths in our country. Most of the researchers have used secondary data and are institution based. Therefore, this study may provide information about early neonatal death in rural communities of Ethiopia. Objective: To assess the magnitude of early neonatal death and associated factors among babies born in North Shoa, Oromia from January to march 2020. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural area of the North Shoa Zone from January 1 to March 30, 2020. Epi-data 4.2 and SPSS Version 23 were used for data entry and analysis. The variable associated with the outcome variable in Bivariable analysis p value <0.25 was considered for further multivariable analysis to control for potential confounders. Crude and Adjusted Odd Ratios were calculated to assess the association between dependent and independent variables with 95% CI. The variable, which shows p ≤0.05, was considered statistically significant. Result: The magnitude of Early neonatal death was 9(9.4%) (95%, CI: 7%-11%). Maternal age less than 18 years, mothers unable to read and write, gestational age less than 37 weeks, unable to cry immediately after delivery, and the short inter-pregnancy interval was significantly associated with early neonatal death. Conclusion: Generally, this study has high early neonatal death, which needs more attention. Maternal age less than 18 years, mothers unable to read and write, gestational age less than 37 weeks, unable to cry immediately after delivery, and the short inter pregnancy interval was significantly associated with early neonatal death. Keywords: Ethiopia, Neonatal death, Newborn, Oromia, Still birth