Determinants of neonatal mortality among neonates admitted to neonatal intensive care unit of Dessie comprehensive and specialized hospital, Northeast Ethiopia; An unmatched case-control study.

Background: According to the World health organization, neonatal mortality is defined as the death of babies within the first 28 days of their lives. The newborn period is the most vulnerable period for a child's survival, with the bulk of neonatal deaths occurring on the first day and week. According to a recent study, about a third of all newborn deaths occur within the first day of life, and nearly three-quarters occur within the first week. This study aimed to assess the determinants of neonatal mortality among neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit in Dessie comprehensive and specialized hospital, northeast Ethiopia. Methodology: Health institution-based unmatched case-control study was conducted among neonates admitted to Dessie comprehensive and specialized hospital, Ethiopia from February 01 up to March 30, 2020. After keeping cases and controls in separate frames, study participants were chosen using a simple random sampling procedure until the sample size was met. Epi data version 7.0 and SPSS version 25 were used for data entry and analysis respectively. P ≤ 0.05 was used as a cut point of statistical significance in multivariable binary logistic regression. Results: A total of 698 (233 cases and 465 controls) participated in the study. Pregnancy induced hypertension (AOR = 3.02; 95% CI; 1.47-6.17), public hospital delivery (AOR = 3.44; 95% CI; 1.84-6.42), prematurity (AOR = 2.06; 95% CI; 1.43-2.96), being referred (AOR = 4.71; 95% CI; 3.01-7.39), and hypothermia (AOR = 2.44; 95% CI; 1.56-3.82) were determinant factors of neonatal mortality. Conclusion: Pregnancy-induced hypertension, public hospital delivery, prematurity, referral, and hypothermia were found to be the determinant factors of neonatal mortality. It would be important to give due attention to neonates delivered from mothers with a history of hypertensive disorder. Besides better to give due attention to neonates delivered in public health institutions, prematurely delivered, referred, and hypothermic neonates. Lastly, further research should be conducted to investigate the additional determinants of neonatal mortality.

Prevalence of antenatal depression and associated factors among pregnant women during COVID-19 pandemic in North Shewa zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia.

Background: Antenatal depression is a form of depression that occurs during pregnancy. This problem may worsen during the COVID-19 epidemic and may result in serious consequences for pregnant women, including depression and other multiple psychosocial problems. However, the prevalence of depression during the COVID-19 pandemic in pregnant women and its associated factors has not been studied in the study area, even in Ethiopia. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 pregnant women who were attending antenatal care in public health institutions in the North Shewa Zone, Ethiopia. The data were collected from May 1- June 30, 2021. A logistic regression model with adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and P-value < 0.05 at the 95% confidence interval was used to determine significantly associated factors. Results: The prevalence of antenatal depression among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic was 34.1% (95% CI: 29.6-38.9). Divorced marital status (AOR = 7.52, CI: 2.707-20.911), husband's educational status "cannot read and write" (AOR = 4.05, CI: 1.834-8.962) and "can read and write without formal education" (AOR = 2.39, CI: 1.107-5.154) are statistically significant variables associated with depression among pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: In this study, the prevalence of antenatal depression in pregnant women during the novel coronavirus pandemic was high. To reduce the level of depression in pregnant women, strategies have to be designed for the early detection of divorced pregnant women with inadequate social support and address enough information for pregnant women and their husbands about depression and COVID-19 during the pandemic.