Abstract

Objective: To determine social and cultural construction of newborn care practices in district Rajanpur, Pakistan.
Methodology: Using purposive sampling, this research collected qualitative and ethnographic data from where multiple different themes for analysis and interpretation were obtained.
Results: Ethnomedical, religious, social, and cultural rationales exist among the local community that shape and make their child care practices. The local practices include spiritual etiologies of diseases, sacred-profane constructs, and hot-cold dichotomies which influence cultural practices that sometimes become harmful for the health and nutrition of mothers and newborn babies. Socio-economic factors, cultural capital, and religious beliefs play an important role in determining and shaping different care practices among locals owing to long-term underdevelopment in that area.
Conclusion: Along with structural corrections, increasing the social and cultural capital of illiterate mothers, husbands, grandmothers, and resource-poor communities and localities can improve their knowledge, attitudes, and practices to avoid serious immediate public health concerns.

Key words: Newborn, care practices, analytical models.