Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Corresponding author. Box , Baghdad, Iraq. Unsafe traditional practices are performed in different societies, especially in developing countries, owing to poverty and low levels of education.
Traditional practices are usually derived from the relationship between the environment and human attitudes toward nature. Some traditional practices originate from religious beliefs, cultures, or relatives advising new mothers. To identify the types of unsafe traditional practices, understand the factors influencing their prevalence, and explore the potential consequences of these practices on newborn health. This descriptive, correlational study included newborns whose mothers visited primary healthcare centers in Baghdad City.
This study was conducted between January and June Data were collected from mothers by answering a questionnaire during interviews. The questionnaire consisted of two main parts: sociodemographic characteristics of the mothers and their newborns and 26 questions about traditional practices used to treat health problems in newborns. Many Iraqi mothers prefer to use traditional practices such as herbs, oils, burning, and Sagwa to treat their newborns' health problems.
These practices can be harmful to newborns and threaten their lives. Keywords: Unsafe traditional practices, Newborn care, Primary health care centers, Nursing. Unsafe traditional practices are still used in some developing countries.
Some Iraqi mothers use unsafe traditional practices to treat newborns' problems. These practices can be burning, piercing, or using toxic substances. Unsafe traditional practices may lead to serious complications among newborns. Evidence-based practices should be preferred over traditional practices. Traditional practices usually derive from relationships with the environment and human attitudes toward nature. Unsafe traditional practices for newborns exist in different societies, especially in developing countries, and are related to poverty, low education levels, religion, culture, relatives, and grandmothers communicating with and advising new mothers [ [1] , [2] , [3] ].
