Background Neonatal hypoglycemia is one of the most common metabolic abnormalities seen in newborns. It is a major contributing factor to neonatal morbidity and mortality. Globally, it affects around 5–15% of all babies and approximately 50% of at-risk babies.. In Ethiopia, neonatal hypoglycemia is frequently diagnosed and one of the commonest causes of admission to the neonatal intensive care unit. Nevertheless, documented records regarding its magnitude and factors associated with hypoglycemia are scarce in the study area. Therefore we aimed to assess the magnitude of neonatal hypoglycemia and its associated factors among neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Hawassa City Public Hospitals, Ethiopia.

Method Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 20 – June 20, 2023among 293 neonates. A systematic random sampling technique was used to reach the study subjects. The data was collected through face-to-face interviews and card review by using structured pretested questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS software version 25. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine factors significantly associated with neonatal hypoglycemia with adjusted odds ratio, p-values <0.05 at 95% confidence interval (CI).

Result The magnitude of neonatal hypoglycemia was found 16.6%. Variables significantly associated with the occurrence of neonatal hypoglycemia were: Diabetes mellitus [AOR=9.8, 95%CI (3.08-31.37)], perinatal asphyxia [AOR=2.87, 95%CI (1.07-7.72)], delayed initiation of breastfeeding [AOR=2.63, 95%CI (1.04-6.6)] and hypothermia [AOR=3.8, 95%CI (1.6-9.1)].

Conclusion In this study the magnitude of neonatal hypoglycemia among neonates was high. Neonates with hypothermia, perinatal asphyxia, and delayed initiation of breastfeeding and maternal history of diabetes mellitus have an increased risk of developing hypoglycemia. Hence, Health care providers who are working on delivery and neonatal care should focus on early identification and management of these identified factors.

The authors have declared no competing interest.

The author(s) received no specific funding for this work.

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The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:

Name: Hawassa University College of Medicine and Health science institutional review board Approval number: Ref.No: IRB/313/15

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