42. Muheisen, A. A Study of Neonatal Hypothermia Admitted to Ramallah Hospital During Winter 1986-87 and Planning of Health Education Program in the West Bank, 1987.

A questionnaire was given to mothers of 35 neonates who reported to the hospital and to a control group matched for gender, residence and place of delivery. Using the chi-square test there was a significant correlation between risk of neonatal hypothermia and prematurity, low birth weight, availability of electricity in the household, availability of hot water, swaddling, household size, birth order and failure to measure temperature. Sixty-two percent of the hypothermic neonates had pneumonia, 21% had septicemia, 7% had meningitis, 3% had urinary tract infection and 3% had tetanus.

When asked why they had delayed taking their children to hospitals, 40% of the mothers said they had already been to a physician, and 77% said they did not know that their child was ill.

Thirteen hypothermic children died, 11 had one or more infections, 8 had thrombocytopenia, 4 acidosis, 2 R.D.S., 2 marasmus and two had hypoglycemia.