ArticleBMJ global health2022
Mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact in sub-Saharan Africa: prevalence and predictors.
Article in BMJ global health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Maternal and neonatal health service access and utilisation in sub-Saharan Africa (2015-2023): a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC health services research · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of skin-to-skin contact between mother and newborn during the third stage of labour in reducing postpartum haemorrhage risk.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Pooled it
- Individual and community-level determinants of skin-to-skin contact in Somaliland: a multilevel analysis of the 2020 demographic and health survey data.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Geographical inequalities in skin-to-skin contact after birth among women in Somaliland: a multilevel and spatial analysis of the 2020 survey.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Article
- Predictors of mothers' home cord care, breastfeeding, and thermoregulation practices for newborns in a South-Eastern State, Nigeria.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Prevalence and determinants of mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact: an assessment from the 2017-18 BDHS data.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- Prevalence and factors associated with mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact in Afghanistan.PloS one · 2025Article
- Mother and newborn skin to skin contact in East Africa: Prevalence and predictors (2019-2023).PLOS global public health · 2025Article
- Article
- Sociocultural context of exclusive breastfeeding in Africa: A narrative review.Health science reports · 2024Review
- Article
- A descriptive analysis of the coverage of newborn care services among women who delivered in health facilities in 17 sub-Saharan African countries.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2023Article
- Fetal outcomes and their correlates following caesarian section in a rural setting in Ghana.PloS one · 2023Article
- Multilevel Determinants of Mother-Infant Skin-to-Skin Contact at Birth in Somalia: Findings from Somali Demographic and Health Survey.SAGE open nursingArticle
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8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionSkin-to-skin contact is an evidence-based intervention that signifies a situation whereby a newborn is positioned directly on the mother's abdomen or chest in order for them to have direct ventral-to-ventral skin contact. The act of skin-to-skin contact begins immediately after delivery to about 23 hours afterwards. Evidence shows that skin-to-skin contact is important in improving child health outcomes. Nevertheless, evidence on its prevalence and predictors in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) remains sparse. The study, therefore, estimated the prevalence of skin-to-skin contact between mothers and their newborns, as well as its predictors.
methodsUsing data from the recent Demographic and Health Survey conducted between 2015 and 2020 from 17 countries in SSA, we included 131 094 women who gave birth in the last 5 years preceding the survey in the final analysis. We used percentages to summarise the prevalence of skin-to-skin contact. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to determine the predictors of skin-to-skin contact. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to present the results of the regression analysis.
resultsApproximately 42% (41.7 to 42.2) of mothers practiced newborn skin-skin contact. The highest prevalence was found in Benin (75.1% (74.1 to 76.0)) and the lowest prevalence in Nigeria (11.7% (11.2 to 12.1)). The likelihood of skin-to-skin contact was higher among women covered by health insurance, those who delivered in health facilities, those in the richest wealth index, women who attended 1-3 antenatal care (ANC) visits and four or more ANC visits, and those with secondary or higher education. The odds of skin-to-skin contact was low among women who delivered by caesarean section (adjusted OR=0.15; 95% CI 0.13 to 0.16).
conclusionConsidering that less than half of the surveyed women practiced skin-to-skin contact, it is expedient for intensification of advocacy and strict supervision of the practice within the included countries. Informal educational programmes can also be rolled out through various media platforms to sensitise the public and healthcare providers on the need for skin-to-skin contact. These will help maximise the full benefits of skin-to-skin contact and expedite prospects of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal targets 3.1 and 3.2.
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