Abstract

Objective

To identify enablers and barriers related to home Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) adoption after hospital discharge.

Study design

An exploratory study, using a mixed methods evaluation, followed 60 mother–infant dyads from the hospital ward to 4 weeks post-hospital discharge.

Results

Fifty-three of the mothers (88.3%) completed all study visits. The majority of mothers were breastfeeding and practicing skin-to-skin contact 4 weeks post-discharge. Seven mothers (13.2%) discontinued skin-to-skin contact at 4 weeks. KMC was practiced on average 3.3 h/day and 5.1 days/week. The top two enablers reported were significantly related to the amount of time skin-to-skin was practiced, with support for household responsibilities being most significant (U¼195, p¼0.008). Lack of privacy (p¼0.002) and lack of motivation (p¼0.034) were negatively correlated to duration of skin-to-skin contact.

Conclusion

Future programs may increase dissemination and adoption of home KMC by specifically addressing enablers and barriers correlated to duration of skin-to-skin contact.