DETERMINANTS OF NEONATAL JAUNDICE AMONG NEWBORNS IN PASIR PUTEH DISTRICT, KELANTAN.

Background: Neonatal jaundice is one of the most common medical conditions in newborns. Knowing the predisposing factors of neonatal jaundice can be effective in controlling jaundice and the primary problem. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the proportion of neonatal jaundice and its associated factors among newborns in Pasir Puteh district. Materials and Methods: This study was a comparative cross-sectional study conducted in Pasir Puteh health facilities from August until September 2019 through retrospective record review of KIB205A birth registry, maternal and child health records. 140 randomly sampled newborns delivered between 1 st January until 31 st August 2019 were included in the study. Study proforma containing variables of interest were used for data collection to determine the associated factors for neonatal jaundice. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression were performed for data analysis. Result: Out of 1154 newborns delivered between 1st January until 31st August 2019, 727 (63%) of them had neonatal jaundice. As for newborns with neonatal jaundice, their mean (±SD) for maternal age, gestational age and birth weight were 30.67 (±5.91) years old, 38.41 (±1.21) weeks and 3.02 (±0.46) kg, respectively. Newborns with neonatal jaundice mostly have non-diabetic mothers (74.3%), were delivered through vaginal delivery (84.3%) and male (61.4%). After adjusting the confounders by multiple logistic regression, diabetic mother [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 4.66; 95% CI: 1.39, 15.63; p value =0.013], Caesarean delivery [AOR 5.34; 95% CI: 1.01, 28.38; p value=0.049] and male gender [AOR 2.61; 95% CI: 1.25, 5.45; p value=0.011] were the significant factors associated with neonatal jaundice. Conclusion: This study provided important criteria to anticipate neonatal jaundice to improve the timely diagnosis and treatment in order to reduce the morbidity and mortality of neonates. Keywords: neonatal jaundice, proportion, associated factors, Kelantan, Malaysia.