Impact of Clean Cord Care Practices on Neonatal Mortality: Evidence from Rural Uttar Pradesh, India

Praween Kumar Agrawal, Urban Health Resource Centre (UHRC)
Abdullah M. Baqui, Johns Hopkins University
Emma K. Williams, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Gary L Darmstadt, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Vishwajeet Kumar, Johns Hopkins University
Ramesh C. Ahuja, King George Medical University
Vinod K. Srivastava, King George Medical University

Paper examines the impact of clean cord care practice on neonatal mortality in rural Uttar Pradesh, India by analyzing data of 7,812 singleton live baby delivered at home in 2004-2005. Impact of clean cord care practices on neonatal mortality were estimated using multiple logistic regression, after adjusting for mother’s age, education, caste/tribe, religion, wealth and ANC care. Only 30 percent of the mothers practiced clean cord care. A significant variation was observed in the cord care practice according to program exposure and background characteristics. Logistic regression result shows that clean cord care practice was associated with 39 percent lower neonatal mortality (OR=0.61; 95% CI: 0.48-0.78) even when the effects of other selected socio-economic and demographic risk factors and potential confounders were controlled. Promoting clean cord care practice among the neonates in community-based maternal and newborn care programs can be an effective tool for decreasing the neonatal mortality rate in India.