Prevalence and factors associated with undernutrition among exclusively breastfeeding women in Arba Minch Zuria District, Southern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional community-based study

BACKGROUND: In developing countries, women are generally vulnerable to undernutrition especially during lactation because of inadequate nutrient intake. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of underweight, associated factors and mean dietary intake of selected nutrients among lactating women in Arba Minch Zuriya districts, Gamo Gofa, Ethiopia. METHODS: Multistage cluster sampling technique was used to select 478 exclusively breastfeeding women. Data was collected by using structured questionnaire, and weight and height measurements. Mean intake of calories, calcium, iron, zinc and vitamin A was assessed by using 24-hour recall method on subsample of 73 subjects and compared against the Ethiopian and African food composition tables. Logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between various independent variables and maternal underweight. RESULTS: The prevalence of underweight was 17.4%. Maternal underweight significantly associated with short birth to pregnancy interval, high workload burden, household food insecurity, less access to nutrition information and low level of women educational status. CONCLUSIONS: A significant proportion of women suffered from undernutrition and the mean intake of calories, calcium and zinc were below the recommended level for lactating women. Hence, to improve nutritional status of lactating women, strategies should focus on nutrition counseling, improvement in women's access to labour saving technologies and effective household food security interventions

Assessment of the protective effect of male circumcision from HIV infection and sexually transmitted diseases: evidence from 18 demographic and health surveys in Sub-Saharan Africa

A cross-sectional study based on the secondary data of 18 Demographic Health Surveys carried out in Sub-Saharan Africa was conducted to assess the protective effect of male circumcision from HIV infection and STDs. Information on 70,554 males aged 15-59 years was extracted. The association between circumcision and HIV infection and STD symptoms (Genital discharge or ulcer/sore) was assessed using logistic regression. Un-circumcision was significantly associated with risk of HIV with odds ratio of 4.12 (95%CI: 3.85-4.42). The association was even more significant, 4.95 (95%CI: 4.57-5.36), after adjustment was made for number lifetime sexual partners and socio-demographic variables. The risk associated with un-circumcision is significantly lower among younger men aged 15-29 years than older age categories. However, circumcision found to have no association with the symptoms of STDs. The study concluded that male circumcision can be considered as a way of reducing the spread of HIV infection (Afr. J. Reprod. Health 2010; 14[2]: 105-113)