{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,18]],"date-time":"2026-10-18T03:11:30Z","timestamp":1792293090286,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,24]],"date-time":"2025-06-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750723200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosglobalpublichealth.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLOS Glob Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Skin-to-skin contact (SSC) between newborns and mothers is crucial for reducing hypothermia complications and enhancing mother-baby bonding. This study aimed to examine the prevalence rates and risk factors for SSC in five East African countries. Data from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys covering five East African countries from 2019 to 2023 were utilized for secondary data analysis. A total of 37,140 newborns were included in the weighted sample sizes. The factors contributing to SSC prevalence were assessed using a multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression model, with significance declared at p-values &lt;0.05. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and confidence intervals (CI) were used for interpretation. In East Africa, nearly half of newborns did not receive SSC. Individual-level factors associated with SSC included: immediate breastfeeding (IBF) (AOR\u2009=\u20092.24, 95% CI: (1.86, 2.69)), primary education (AOR\u2009=\u20091.60, 95% CI: (1.24, 2.07)), more than four antenatal care visits (AOR\u2009=\u20092.15, 95% CI: (1.37, 3.36)), low birth weight (AOR\u2009=\u20091.35, 95% CI: (1.04, 1.76)), multiple births (AOR\u2009=\u20090.41, 95% CI: (0.24, 0.73)), and cesarean section deliveries (AOR\u2009=\u20090.26, 95% CI: (0.20, 0.34)). Community-level factors included rural residence (AOR\u2009=\u20090.63, 95% CI: (0.48, 0.82)), with significant country-level variations: Kenya (AOR\u2009=\u20092.45, 95% CI: (1.72, 3.49)), Mozambique (AOR\u2009=\u20091.21, 95% CI: (0.91, 1.62)), and Tanzania (AOR\u2009=\u20093.14, 95% CI: (2.29, 4.31)). The findings indicate a low prevalence of mother-newborn SSC in East African countries, with particularly high rates observed in Rwanda and lower rates in Madagascar. Policymakers and ministries of health should prioritize initiatives aimed at improving SSC, particularly for newborns and mothers with low educational levels, limited media exposure, and those living in rural areas, to enhance maternal and neonatal care during delivery.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pgph.0004816","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,24]],"date-time":"2025-06-24T17:36:36Z","timestamp":1750786596000},"page":"e0004816","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pgph.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":4,"title":["Mother and newborn skin to skin contact in East Africa: Prevalence and predictors (2019\u20132023)"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0008-3829-4100","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Alemneh Tadesse","family":"Kassie","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tadesse Tarik","family":"Tamir","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Astewil Moges","family":"Bazezew","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Agnche","family":"Gebremichael","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniel Asefa","family":"Gonete","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alebachew Ferede","family":"Zegeye","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,24]]},"reference":[{"issue":"1","key":"pgph.0004816.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.1016\/j.wombi.2013.09.004","article-title":"Effect of immediate and continuous mother-infant skin-to-skin contact on breastfeeding self-efficacy of primiparous women: a randomised control trial","volume":"27","author":"K Aghdas","year":"2014","journal-title":"Women Birth"},{"issue":"4","key":"pgph.0004816.ref002","first-page":"98","article-title":"Effect of early maternal\/newborn skin-to-skin contact after birth on the duration of third stage of labor and initiation of breastfeeding","volume":"5","author":"RM Essa","year":"2015","journal-title":"J Nurs Educ Pract"},{"issue":"7","key":"pgph.0004816.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1192","DOI":"10.1111\/apa.14754","article-title":"Skin-to-skin contact the first hour after birth, underlying implications and clinical practice","volume":"108","author":"A-M Widstr\u00f6m","year":"2019","journal-title":"Acta Paediatr"},{"issue":"8","key":"pgph.0004816.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1179","DOI":"10.3390\/children9081179","article-title":"Burden of childhood malnutrition: a roadmap of global and european policies promoting healthy nutrition for infants and young children","volume":"9","author":"M Sotiraki","year":"2022","journal-title":"Children"},{"issue":"9837","key":"pgph.0004816.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(12)60478-4","article-title":"Maternal deaths averted by contraceptive use: an analysis of 172 countries","volume":"380","author":"S Ahmed","year":"2012","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"pgph.0004816.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1921","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2020.01921","article-title":"Mother-Infant Skin-to-Skin Contact: Short- and Long-Term Effects for Mothers and Their Children Born Full-Term","volume":"11","author":"AE Bigelow","year":"2020","journal-title":"Front Psychol"},{"issue":"2","key":"pgph.0004816.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"67","DOI":"10.1053\/j.nainr.2013.04.001","article-title":"The sacred hour: uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth","volume":"13","author":"R Phillips","year":"2013","journal-title":"Newborn and Infant Nursing Reviews"},{"issue":"5","key":"pgph.0004816.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"64","DOI":"10.3390\/tropicalmed7050064","article-title":"2.5 Million Annual Deaths-Are Neonates in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Too Small to Be Seen? 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