Fathers' knowledge of neonatal danger signs and its associated factors in Northwest Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

Objective This study aimed to assess fathers' knowledge of neonatal danger signs and their associated factors in Northwest Ethiopia. Design Community-based cross-sectional study. Setting Enarji and Enawga Woreda, Northwest Ethiopia. Participants The study was conducted on 613 participants in Enarji and Enawga Woreda from 13 May to 13 June 2022. Participants were selected using stratified simple random sampling. Participants with serious illnesses who were unable to respond to the questions were excluded from the study. A total of 602 participants completed the questionnaire. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews conducted by four well-trained data collectors. To assess participants' knowledge, 10 structured and standardised questions were adopted from WHO and the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health. The data were analysed using SPSS V.26. A logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with knowledge about neonatal danger signs. An adjusted OR (AOR) with a 95% CI and a p value <0.05 was used to declare factors as significantly associated. Result Less than a quarter (23.26%) of fathers had good knowledge of neonatal danger signs (95% CI 19.9, 26.8). The study also found that several factors were significant predictors of good knowledge, including: secondary education (AOR 2.98, 95% CI 1.08, 8.24), college education or higher (AOR 3.45, 95% CI 1.09, 10.85), number of children (AOR 3.68, 95% CI 1.62, 8.34), history of sickness in the index baby (AOR 2.18, 95% CI 1.18, 4.01), fathers' attendance on postnatal care visits (AOR 4.32, 95% CI 2.06, 9.08), history of neonatal death (AOR 3.94, 95% CI 1.80, 8.64), receiving information on neonatal danger signs (AOR 2.71, 95% CI 1.30, 5.64) and health professionals as a source of information (AOR 3.27, 95% CI 1.52, 7.04). These factors were all significantly associated with good knowledge of neonatal danger signs. Conclusion Fathers' knowledge of neonatal danger signs was found to be low. Therefore, substantial efforts are needed to enhance their knowledge. It is essential to develop strategies that actively involve fathers in the continuum of postnatal care for both mothers and newborns. Additionally, providing targeted information on neonatal danger signs through health professionals can significantly improve fathers' knowledge.