Title : Association between maternal sociodemographic factors and length of hospital stay among low birthweight infants receiving kangaroo mother care (KMC) in a tertiary hospital in Tagum city, Philippines

Background: Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is an evidence-based intervention for low birthweight infants that promotes skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, and improved neonatal outcomes. Maternal sociodemographic characteristics may influence caregiving capacity and neonatal care; however, their association with the length of hospital stay among infants receiving KMC requires further investigation.

Objective: To determine the association between maternal age, civil status, educational attainment, and employment status and the length of hospital stay among low birthweight infants receiving KMC in a tertiary hospital in Tagum City, Philippines.

Methods: This quantitative, observational, cross-sectional, predictive study involved a retrospective review of 300 mother–infant records selected through total enumeration from January 2023 to December 2024. Data were obtained from KMC enrollment and weight-monitoring logbooks, the hospital information system, and Social Service records. Eligible participants were infants delivered in the hospital, born at ≥34 weeks of gestation, with birthweights ≥1,400 grams, and who underwent KMC. Outborn infants and those with chromosomal abnormalities or life-threatening congenital anomalies were excluded. Length of hospital stay was categorized as ≤7 days or 8–14 days. Logistic regression was performed to assess associations between maternal sociodemographic characteristics and length of stay.

Results: Among the 300 mothers included, 148 (49.3%) were aged 25–34 years, 190 (63.3%) were single, 151 (50.3%) had undergraduate educational attainment, and 167 (55.7%) were unemployed. Most infants (296, 98.7%) had a hospital stay of ≤7 days, with a mean stay of 3.5 ± 0.8 days. Four infants (1.3%) stayed for 8–14 days, with a mean stay of 9.0 ± 1.4 days. No statistically significant associations were observed between length of stay and maternal age (p=0.277), educational attainment (p=0.205), or employment status (p=0.946). Civil status was significantly associated with length of stay (p=0.037).

Conclusion: Most low birthweight infants receiving KMC in this tertiary hospital were discharged within seven days. Among the maternal sociodemographic factors examined, civil status was the only factor significantly associated with length of hospital stay. However, the small number of infants with stays of 8–14 days warrants cautious interpretation. Further multicenter studies with larger samples and more balanced outcome groups are needed to validate this association and investigate additional determinants of hospitalization duration.

Keywords: Kangaroo Mother Care; low birthweight infants; maternal sociodemographic factors; length of hospital stay; neonatal outcomes.

Fe Thelma D. Cabrera, MD, is a third-year Pediatrics Resident and Chief Resident at Davao Regional Medical Center in Tagum City, Davao del Norte, Philippines. She earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from West Visayas State University in Iloilo City in 2020 and completed her postgraduate internship at Davao Doctors Hospital in 2021. Her clinical and academic interests include neonatal care, maternal and child health, and evidence-based interventions to improve outcomes among low birthweight infants, particularly Kangaroo Mother Care.