Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-2026

Identifier

DOI: 10.1186/s12887-026-07312-5; PMCID: PMC13670820

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Kangaroo mother care (KMC) is a crucial method for improving the health outcomes of preterm and low birth weight (LBW) infants, particularly in resource-limited settings. However, barriers hinder mothers from effectively practicing KMC. This study aims to explore mothers' perceptions, hopes, and buy-in regarding KMC in a tertiary care center in Ethiopia.

METHODS: A semistructured interview guide was developed on the basis of a literature review. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of mothers who had practiced KMC within the past two years at Saint Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College (SPHMMC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The interviews, which were originally conducted in Amharic, were transcribed and translated into English. Thematic analysis was performed independently by three coders, who met regularly to resolve discrepancies and refine the codebook. Thematic saturation was reached after 20 interviews.

RESULTS: The participants were from diverse educational, occupational, and religious backgrounds. Three major themes emerged: (1) personal awareness and acceptance of KMC, where mothers highlighted its advantages for both infants and themselves; (2) Community awareness and acceptance of KMC, where, while Ethiopian culture and religion value mother‒child bonding, specific awareness of KMC was low. Skepticism from family and community members often discourages mothers, adding to their mental burden; and (3) Hope impacts KMC care, with subthemes such as factors that threaten hope, consequences of hopelessness, and factors that support hope. Mothers described how limited awareness and lack of support from partners, families, or communities negatively affected their hope, sometimes leading them to leave against medical advice.

CONCLUSIONS: While mothers recognize the benefits of KMC, their ability to sustain it is influenced by external factors, particularly social support. Addressing these barriers through targeted awareness campaigns and emotional and practical support and fostering a supportive environment are essential for improving maternal commitment and enhancing KMC uptake. Future research should explore interventions to strengthen maternal engagement and improve outcomes for preterm and LBW infants.

Journal Title

BMC pediatrics [electronic resource]

Volume

26

Issue

1

MeSH Keywords

Humans; Ethiopia; Female; Kangaroo-Mother Care Method; Adult; Infant, Newborn; Mothers; Hope; Young Adult; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Interviews as Topic; Infant, Low Birth Weight

PubMed ID

42469703

Keywords

Africa; Buy-in; Community awareness; Cultural barriers; Ethiopia; Hope; Kangaroo mother care; Low-birth-weight infants; Maternal perceptions; Preterm infants; Support

Comments

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.

Publisher's Link: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12887-026-07312-5

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