title: Evaluation of maternal knowledge level about neonatal jaundice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the knowledge of mothers on neonatal jaundice.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted on 161 mothers who had given birth to healthy newborns at Izmir Aegean Gynecology and Obstetrics Hospital between January 2010 and April 2010. A questionnaire was used to assess the mothers' knowledge on neonatal jaundice. Knowledge was evaluated as "sufficient" or "insufficient" based on responses. Sufficiently informed mothers were compared with insufficiently informed group for the knowledge level about neonatal jaundice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of insufficiently informed mothers was 53.6%. Logistic regression analysis showed that education level and having a previous offspring with jaundice were independent variables affecting the mothers' knowledge level. Low education level was found to increase the probability of the mothers' knowledge level to be insufficient by 2.1 folds (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.3-3.4; p = 0.003). Being informed beforehand by a previous offspring with jaundice increased the probability of the mothers' knowledge to be sufficient by twofolds (OR 2, 95% CI 1.1-3.7; p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is found that the mothers' knowledge about neonatal jaundice is insufficient. Maternal education level and having a previous offspring with jaundice are major factors affecting the knowledge of the mothers on hyperbilirubinemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ministry of Health Izmir Tepecik Research and Teaching Hospital, Izmir, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sumer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sutcuoglu
authors.forename: Siar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dursun
authors.forename: Oya
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Halicioglu
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.forename: Sezin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akman
authors.forename: Isin
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yaprak
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ozer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D019359:Knowledge; D008297:Male; D009035:Mothers / Q000193:education; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult