Abstract:
Background: According to estimates, congenital abnormalities rank as the fourth most common
cause of death for newborns. An estimated 2.4 million babies worldwide pass away in their first
month of life. The purpose of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of abdominal wall defects
and the factors that contribute to them in neonates admitted to three particular teaching hospitals.
Approach: To ascertain the frequency and contributing factors of abdominal wall defects in
neonates, a quantitative retrospective design was employed. SPSS version 26 statistical software
was used to analyze the data. To find the relationship between AWDs, chi-square was used and
the significance level was set at p < 0.05.
Findings: CHUK had the highest prevalence of AWDs (9.4%), followed by KFH (7.4%), and
RMRTH (5.6%) had the lowest. The three hospitals' combined prevalence was 7.5% overall.
Family history of alcohol use (AOR=1.4, CI=1.0-3.7, p=0.031), traditional drug use (AOR=1.3,
CI=0.6-2.5, p=0.046), and congenital malformation (AOR=2.3, CI=1.6-4.5, p=0.022) at three
hospitals. Abdominal wall defects were linked to the use of antibiotics during pregnancy
(AOR=1.7, CI=0.6.2.03, p=0.027), NSAIDS during pregnancy (CI=1.6, CI=0.8-3.6, p=0.011), and
parents who did not use folic acid+iron (1.5, CI=0.7-2.7, p=0.013). However, there was no
statistically significant correlation between AWDs and residence, marital status, hospital birth
type, maternal education level, or occupation (p>0.05).
Conclusion: AWDs continue to be a major neonatal concern, according to this study's findings,
with notable variations in prevalence across hospitals. Important modifiable maternal risk factors
were found, highlighting the necessity of better prenatal care and focused education.
Recommendations: Women of reproductive age should be encouraged to receive prenatal and
antenatal care, as well as health education regarding lifestyle modifications, in order to reduce the
risk factors that predispose them to AWDS. These hospitals should also educate medical
professionals on how to identify AWDs in newborns during prenatal care, how to treat them after
birth, and how to begin treatment as soon as possible.
