Table 1 Demographic and clinical characteristics of newborns admitted to Rwinkwavu and Kirehe District Hospital neonatal care units from October – December 2017 (pre-intervention) and September 2018 – March 2019 (post-intervention)

Hospital of admission

0.003

1

8.98

  Kirehe

141

55.3

521

65.8

  Rwinkwavu

114

44.7

272

34.3

 Place of child's birth

(n = 253)

(n = 779)

0.02

3

9.56

  Hospital

165

65.2

531

68.2

  Health Center

70

27.7

158

20.3

  Home

16

6.3

69

8.9

  Other

2

0.8

21

2.7

Type of delivery

(n = 251)

(n = 767)

0.01

1

7.34

  Vaginal

172

68.5

452

58.9

  Caesarean section

79

31.5

315

41.1

Sex of child

(n = 210)

(n = 781)

 < 0.001

1

15.73

  Male

83

39.5

429

54.9

  Female

127

60.5

352

45.1

Birthweight category

(n = 254)

(n = 786)

0.02

3

9.89

  Extremely low birthweight, < 1000 g

13

5.1

16

2.0

  Very low birthweight, < 1500 g

21

8.3

48

6.1

  Low birthweight, < 2500 g

94

37.0

342

43.5

  Normal birthweight, ≥ 2500 g

126

49.6

380

48.4

Prematurity category recorded in hospital register

(n = 240)

(n = 762)

0.88

1

0.02

  Term

144

60.0

453

59.5

  Preterm

96

40.0

309

40.6

Gestational age category (if gestational age in weeks reported)

(n = 225)

(n = 683)

0.05

3

8.02

  Extremely preterm < 28 weeks

9

4.0

12

1.8

  Very preterm 28–31 weeks

21

9.3

39

5.7

  Moderate/late 32–36 weeks

51

22.7

179

26.2

  Term 37 + weeks

144

64.0

453

66.3

Mother's Age

(n = 240)

(n = 759)

0.24

3

4.20

   < 20 years

19

7.9

79

10.4

  20–24 years

52

21.7

198

26.1

  25–34 years

120

50.0

332

43.7

  35 + years

49

20.4

150

19.8

Gravidity (# pregnancies) of mother

(n = 244)

(n = 755)

0.40

2

1.85

  1 pregnancy

66

27.1

238

31.5

  2–4 pregnancies

121

49.6

358

47.4

  5 + pregnancies (grand multigravida)

57

23.4

159

21.1

Parity (# viable deliveries) of mother

(n = 244)

(n = 757)

0.01

2

9.73

  1 delivery

79

32.4

330

43.6

  2–4 deliveries

127

52.1

323

42.7

  5 + deliveries (grand multiparous)

38

15.6

104

13.7

DOL^a on admission

0.39

1

0.75

  DOL 0

212

83.1

677

85.4

  DOL 1

43

16.9

116

14.6

Diagnosis (not mutually exclusive)

  Preterm, or gestational age < 37 weeks

102

40.0

308

38.8

0.74

1

0.11

  LBW^b, or birthweight < 2500 g

123

48.2

406

51.2

0.41

1

0.68

  Infection

141

55.3

328

41.4

 < 0.001

1

15.15

  HIE^c/asphyxia

29

11.4

70

8.8

0.23

1

1.46

  Other

23

9.0

145

18.3

 < 0.001

1

12.31