Prevalence and predictors of mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact at birth in Papua New Guinea.

The study has demonstrated that the prevalence of mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact in Papua New Guinea is low. Factors shown to be associated with mother and newborn skin-to-skin contact were maternal level of education, antenatal care attendance, health facility delivery, and community socioeconomic status. A concerted effort should be placed in improving maternal health service utilisation such as antenatal care attendance and skilled birth delivery, which subsequently lead to the practice of skin-to-skin contact. Also, women should be empowered through education as it has positive impact on their socioeconomic status and health service utilisation.