Incidence and Determinants of Depressed Apgar score in Neonates Born at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Jinja District, Uganda between April to August, 2022

Anyijukire Fred

Faculty of Clinical Medicine and Dentistry, Kampala International University Uganda

ABSTRACT

This study was conducted at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital in Uganda to evaluate the prevalence and determinants of depressed Apgar scores in neonates born there. The study included 69 infants with low Apgar scores (19.3%), compared to 288 (80.7%) considered normal. Socio-demographic determinants of depressed APGAR scores included women under 20 being five times more likely to give birth to infants with low Apgar scores than women aged 34 and older. Women with no formal education were three times more likely to give birth to babies with poor Apgar scores compared to those with college level education. Women with just one child had a one-time increased risk of having newborns with poor Apgar scores compared to those with more than three children. Women in formal employment were three times more likely to have newborns with low Apgar scores compared to those in rural areas. The study found that women who did not follow up on their antenatal care (ANC) attendance were eight times more likely to have babies with poor Apgar scores than those who did. Induced laborers were twice as likely to deliver infants with poor Apgar scores as spontaneous laborers. Pre-term and post-term pregnancies were three times more likely to result in low Apgar scores than term pregnancies. Non-vertex of fetal presentation was two times more likely to produce babies with low Apgar scores compared to those with vertex of fetal presentation. The study concluded that 19.3% of singleton new babies have low Apgar scores.

Keywords: Neonates, Apgar scores, pregnancy, Women, Hospital

CITE AS: Anyijukire Fred (2024). Incidence and Determinants of Depressed Apgar score In Neonates Born at Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Jinja District, Uganda between April to August, 2022. RESEARCH INVENTION JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL AND APPLIED SCIENCES 3(1):27-38.