Healthcare-seeking behavior and associated factors for neonatal danger signs among mothers who gave birth in Asella town, Arsi zone, Oromia region, Ethiopia. A community based cross-sectional study

Background: Health-seeking behavior for neonatal danger sign encompasses any action taken by the parents who believe their baby is experiencing a health problem, with the purpose of finding an appropriate treatment. Delay in seeking healthcare has a significant impact on neonatal mortality rates. This is due to the fact that a large number of neonate’s deaths occur at home as families often fail to seek medical attention for neonatal illness. Majority of studies focusing on mothers who gave birth within the past 12 months, making recall more challenging. Objectives To assess healthcare-seeking behavior and associated factors for neonatal danger signs among mothers who gave birth in Asella town, Arsi zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia, 2023. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 1 – May 1, 2023. A multistage sampling method was used to select 625 study participants. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data was entered using Epi Dataversion 3.1 then exported to statistical package for social sciences version 26 for further analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used for identifying the factor of healthcare-seeking behavior and the variables which have statistically significant association was identified based on p-value < 0.05, AOR with 95% CI. Result: The finding of this study showed that 38.7% (95% CI: 34.6-42.5%)of mothers have good health care seeking behavior for neonatal danger sign. Mothers who have college and above educational level (AOR = 2.839, 95% CI: 1.173-6.87), Mothers who have good knowledge on neonatal danger sign (AOR=4.996, 95% CI: 3.343-7.468), Mothers who had antenatal care follow (AOR = 4.714, 95% CI: 2.417-9.193), were factors associated with health care seeking behavior. Conclusion and recommendation: The health-seeking practices in the area concerning neonatal danger signs did not meet the standards established by the World Health Organization. There were significant association between healthcare seeking and factors like the education level of mothers, antenatal care follow up, and knowledge of neonatal danger signs. As a result, the study recommends targeted interventions, awareness campaigns, improved health education, enhanced antenatal care and further research.