Prevalent practice of swaddling and its association with developmental dysplasia of hip

Background: Traditional swaddling is widely used in neonates which imply restrictive mobilization of the lower limbs by extending and addicting the hip forcefully. It has been proven the association between incorrect methods of swaddling with an increased risk of Developmental Dysplasia of Hip (DDH). This study aims to determine the prevalent practice of swaddling among mothers in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This was an observation cross-sectional conducted among 3166 Saudi mothers in the eastern province, Saudi Arabia during the period of 1/10/2021 to 26/2/2022. A mother who is 18 years and above and has a child was included in the stud. A self-structures validated questionnaire was used. Results: This study involved 3166 mothers with a mean age of 36.9 +/- 11.7 years old and more than half of the 61% had a high level of education. Seven percentage of participant had a child with DDH that was diagnosed during the first 6 months of age. Only 37% showed good knowledge about DDH level its complications. An exact 64.7% acknowledged that Swaddling is a predisposing factor for DDH but only 27.1% had fair knowledge regarding swaddling. Most of the participants 86% learned how to swaddle from their families. Mothers with a high level of education, having a child with DDH, and being health care providers had proper prevalent of practicing swaddling (P <0.05). Conclusion: Hip-safe techniques of swaddling are considered as a modifiable risk factor, being familiar with this association is essential to eliminate the risk of it.