Spatial exploration of non-resilience to food insecurity, its association with COVID-19 and household coping strategies in East Gojjam districts, Northwest Ethiopia, 2020.

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has posed a significant multifaceted threat to the global community. Ethiopia, as a Sub-Saharan African country, is suffering from chronic food insecurity, and the emergence of such a pandemic will exacerbate the situation. As a result, this study investigated the spatial variation of non-resilience to food insecurity, its relationship with COVID-19, and household coping strategies to become resilient in the long run among households in the East Gojjam Zone of Northwest Ethiopia. From September 22 to December 24, 2020, an agro-ecological-based cross-sectional study of 3532 households was conducted to assess the spatial distribution and associated factors of non-resilience to household food insecurity. The enumeration areas (EAs) and households were chosen using a multistage sampling technique. Data were gathered using a semi-structured questionnaire and checklist using an Android device loaded with an Open Data Kit (ODK) template. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the specific factors associated with household non-resilience to food insecurity. A thematic analysis was conducted to investigate the opportunities and challenges of resilience for household food insecurity. Nearly two-thirds (62.5%) of the households were farmers, 67.9% lived in rural areas, and nearly three-quarters (73.8%) earned less than or equal to ETB 2100 per month. Males headed more than four-fifths of the households (81.7%). We found that nearly two-thirds of the households (60.02%), 95% CI 58.40, 61.64) were food insecure. After bivariate logistic regression, we found that households who were divorced (AOR = 2.54 (1.65, 3.87)), daily laborers (AOR = 2.37 (1.15, 4.87)), government employees (AOR = 2.06 (1.05, 4.05)), residents of highland and hot areas (AOR = 11.5 (5.37, 16.77)) and lowland areas (AOR = 1.35 (1.02, 3.15)) were frustrated by COVID-19 (AOR = 1.23 (1.02, 1.50)) and price inflation (1.89 (AOR = 1.42, 2.56))) were at higher odds of being non-resilient to household food insecurity at a 95% confidence level. Geospatial hot spot analysis revealed that Kurar kebele (the lowest government administrative unit) in Dejen District and Debre Markos town were the red-hotspot areas of household non-resilience to food insecurity. Less than a quarter of the households attempted to cope with food insecurity by adjusting their food consumption, while more than 60% of the households chose none of the coping strategies tested. According to the thematic analysis, the degree of poverty (lack of asset ownership), the COVID-19 pandemic, farm decreased variety, and low crop productivity were identified as challenges to coping with the hardship of resilience to food insecurity. During the COVID-19 pandemic and public emergency, the proportion of households that were unprepared for food insecurity reached its peak. It was recognized that a segment of the population with low economic capacity was more vulnerable to food insecurity and less resilient. Tough developmental gains will be undermined in this case. As a result, each responsible body and stakeholder should develop and implement solid corrective plans for the local context.

Willingness to Receive COVID-19 Vaccination Among Adult Diabetes Patients in Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, North Ethiopia; A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: According to recently published data, individuals infected with COVID-19 having concomitant diabetes may experience disease worsening or even death. The purpose of this study was to determine diabetes patients' willingness to get the COVID-19 vaccine as well as its magnitude and determinants. Methods: Three hundred eighty six diabetes patients who visited Woldia Comprehensive Specialized Hospital during February and March 2022 participated in this institution-based cross-sectional study. Descriptive statistics were used to demonstrate frequencies and percentages, while logistic regression was used to identify the relevant determinants of vaccination readiness. Age, gender, income, place of residence, COVID-19 exposure, length of diabetes, awareness of and attitudes toward the COVID-19 immunization were all evaluated as associated factors. Results: Out of 386 study participants, 268 (69.43%) were male and 146 (37.82) completed their secondary schooling. From 386 study participants 82.6% (95% CI; 78.5-86.3%) were willing to get vaccinated. The uptake of the COVID-19 vaccination among diabetes patients was independently influenced by sex (Adjusted Odd Ratio [AOR] = 6.84 (2.98, 15.68)), exposure to the illness (AOR 8.98 (3.22, 25.04)), attitude (AOR = 2.63 (1.2, 5.77)), and length of the disease (AOR = 0.62 (0.51, 0.76)). Conclusion: Most of the study participants were willing to get the COVID-19 immunization. The relevant agency should make the immunization available in order to enhance disease control and reduce infection-related complications with special consideration of diabetes patients.