PREVALENCE, TREND, AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF CONGENITAL ANOMALIES AMONG NEWBORNS IN KERSA HEALTH AND DEMOGRAPHIC SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM, EASTERN ETHIOPIA: AN EIGHT YEARS CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Congenital anomaly is defined as structural or functional anomalies that occur during intrauterine life. Although some institution-based studies estimated the prevalence of congenital anomalies in Ethiopia, the findings could not be generalizable to the community. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence, trend, and associated factors of congenital anomalies among newborns in Kersa District, Oromia regional state, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted among newborns. The study used Kersa Health and Demographic Surveillance System data from 2015 to 2022. Kersa Health and Demographic Surveillance System tracks demographic and health changes in the community. The data was extracted from the database by using a checklist prepared from the literature that addresses the study objectives. The extracted data was exported to SPSS version 26.0 for Analysis. The prevalence of congenital anomalies was estimated. The associated factors of congenital anomalies were identified using binary logistic regression; the significance was declared at a p-value of < 0.05 and considering 95% CI of the adjusted odds ratio. Results: In this study, 27,350 newborns were included. The prevalence of congenital anomalies was 0.38% (3.83 per 1000 live births). During 2015-2022, the prevalence of congenital anomalies showed an increasing pattern. It was significantly associated with the age of the mother older than 35 years (AOR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.07, 2.62), place of birth (AOR: 2.04, 95% CI: 1.04, 4.02), and birth weight (AOR=0.14, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.47). Conclusion: The trend of congenital anomalies at the Kersa Health and Demographic Surveillance system showed an increasing trend. It was significantly associated with age of the mother, place of birth, and birth weight. Therefore, maternal care during pregnancy that can modify fetal-maternal Health should be strengthened; and it should get special consideration during the epidemic problem. Further longitudinal study is important to support the findings of the study.