CONFINEMENT PRACTICES AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG MALAY POSTPARTUM MOTHERS IN MALAYSIA

There are several confinement practices among the Malay community. It was noted that some of them can be scientifically proven beneficial to the body while some of them have unclear purposes of action and can be potentially harm. Thus, this study is aimed to identify the confinement practices and their associated factors among Malay mothers during the postpartum period. A cross-sectional study (n = 306) was conducted among Malay mothers and the respondents recruited through a validated self-administered questionnaire. The participants were recruited through convenience sampling. The survey was conducted online, in which the advertisement was disseminated through social media and online messenger (WhatsApp). Overall, majority of the Malay mothers adhered to confinement practices (100%). Mothers who undergo spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD) were associated with doing postpartum massage (AOR 5.31, 95%CI 2.72-10.39), consuming traditional herbs (AOR 2.022, 95%CI 1.11-3.70), and showering every day (AOR 3.46, 95%CI 1.08-11.07). Meanwhile, mothers with better household incomes tend to have meals prepared for confinement (AOR 1.99, 95%CI 1.19-3.32) and postpartum massage (AOR 2.75, 95%CI 1.18-6.41). Malay mothers with SVD and better income tend to adhere to confinement practices. However, the results of this study are not generalized to other ethnicities in Malaysia (Chinese, Indian, and others).