Abstracts

Background: Although neonatal death is a global burden, it is the highest in Sub Saharan Africa countries such as Ethiopia. This study was aimed to provide pooled national prevalence and predictors of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia.

Methods: global databases were systematically explored. All studies conducted from 2013 to 2019 and reporting the prevalence and predictors of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia were included and systematically searched using the following databases: Boolean operator, Cochrane library, PubMed, EMBASE, HINARI, and Google Scholar. Selection, screening, reviewing and data extraction was done by two reviewers independently using Microsoft excel spread sheet. The modified Newcastle–Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the Joanna Briggs Institute Prevalence Critical Appraisal tools were used to assess the quality of evidence. Publication bias was checked by visual inspection of the funnel plots and Egger’s and bagger’s regression test. Heterogeneity also checked by Higgins’s method (I² statistics). A random effects meta-analysis model was computed to estimate the pooled effect size (i.e. prevalence and odds ratio). Moreover, subgroup analysis based on region, sample size and study design was done.

Results: After reviewing 88 studies, 11 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled national prevalence of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia was 16.3% (95% CI: 11.9, 20.7, I² =88.6%). The subgroup analysis indicated that the highest prevalence was observed in Amhara region with a prevalence of 20.3% (95% CI: 9.6, 31.1, I² =98.8) followed by Oromia, 18.8% (95%CI: 11.9,49.4, I²=99.5). Gestational age AOR,1.14 (95% CI:  0.94 ,1.3), neonatal   sepsis (OR:1.2(95% CI: 0.8, 1.5), respiratory distros (OR: 1.2(95% CI: 0.8, 1.5).  and place of residency (ORL1.98 (95% CI:1.1,2.7)were the most important   predictor.

Conclusions: neonatal mortality in Ethiopia was significantly decreased than the national report. There was evidence that neonatal sepsis, gestational age, respiratory distress were the significant predictors. we strongly recommended that health care workers should give a priority for the identified   predictors. Keywords: incidence, prevalence, neonatal mortality, Ethiopia