Blood donation practice and its predictors among undergraduate college students in Harari Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to assess blood donation practice and its associated factors among undergraduate college students in Harari Region, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was employed among 518 college students selected by using a simple random sampling technique. Data was collected using pretested structured self-administered questionnaire. The collected data was entered into Epi-data 3.41 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science version 22 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regressions were utilized to identify factors associated with blood donation practice. p-Values of 0.05 or less was used to declare statistical significance. Results: In this study, the overall blood donation practice was 35.7% (95% confidence interval: 31.6, 39.8). Students studying health sciences were more likely than non-health sciences students (53.5%) to donate blood. Having positive knowledge about blood donation (adjusted odds ratio = 4.17; 95% confidence interval: 2.50, 6.92), being male (adjusted odds ratio = 0.57; 95% confidence interval: 0.38, 0.87), being student of midwifery department (adjusted odds ratio = 2.16; 95% confidence interval: 1.07, 4.36) and nursing department (adjusted odds ratio = 2.42; 95% confidence interval: 1.18, 4.98) were significantly associated with blood donation practice. Conclusion: Practice of blood donation among college students in the study is relatively low. Knowledge about blood donation, male sex and being a nursing and midwifery student were independently associated with blood donation practice. Therefore, the Regional Health Bureau and Blood Bank in collaboration with college administrators should design and implement appropriate strategies to improve blood donation practice.

Perinatal outcomes in anemic pregnant women in public hospitals of eastern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is a worldwide problem with serious effects for mothers and their babies. Although efforts have been made to lessen the burden of anemia, it has remained a problem. Moreover, there is a paucity of information regarding the perinatal outcomes of anemia in the study area. Thus this study aimed to assess the perinatal outcomes in anemic pregnant women in eastern Ethiopia. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 407 systematically selected pregnant women. Data were collected by interview and entered into EpiData version 3.1 and then exported into SPSS for Windows version 20 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed to determine the association between independent variables and the outcome variable. RESULTS: Among pregnant women, 61.9% had an adverse perinatal outcome. The most common reported adverse perinatal outcomes were preterm birth, congenital anomalies and stillbirths. Furthermore, variables such as educational status (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 2.11 [95% confidence interval {CI} 1.245 to 3.58]), antenatal care follow-up (AOR 2.75 [95% CI 1.47 to 5.18]) and hemoglobin level (AOR 4.1 [95% CI 2.609 to 6.405]) were significantly associated with perinatal outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Nearly three-fourths of anemic pregnant women experienced adverse perinatal outcomes. In general, this study identified that educational status, antenatal follow-up and hemoglobin level were associated with perinatal outcomes among anemic pregnant women. To prevent adverse perinatal outcomes, efforts must be made to ensure that all pregnant women receive antenatal care and have adequate maternal nutritional status.

Patients' perceptions of nurses' communication in public hospitals of Harari Regional State, Eastern Ethiopia.

Introduction: The quality of nursing care has been evaluated using patient perception. Patients' participation in nursing care and decision-making is regarded as a prerequisite for effective clinical practice; however, poor communication can lead to incorrect diagnosis and delayed, or ineffective medical treatment. Objectives: This study sought to assess admitted adult patients' perceptions of, and factors influencing, nurse communication at public hospitals in Harar, eastern Ethiopia. Methods: Facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 377 admitted adult patients in Harar Town public Hospitals from 15 April to 30 May 2020. A proportionate stratified sampling technique was used to select the study participants. A pretested and structured questionnaire was used to collect data through a face-to-face interview and which were entered into EpiData and analyzed using SPSS. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted, odds ratio and confidence intervals were calculated and statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05. Results: This study outlined that the overall prevalence of good perception toward nurses' communication was 41.9% (95% confidence interval = 37.1%, 46.9%). Patients whose age group were 26-35 years (adjusted odds ratio = 0.46 (95% confidence interval: 0.24, 0.86), Being female patients (adjusted odds ratio = 1.89; 95% confidence interval: 1.20, 2.98), admitted in private room (adjusted odds ratio = 3.25; 95% confidence interval: 1.91, 5.51), patients who have family support (adjusted odds ratio = 2.56; 95% confidence interval: 1.16, 3.64), urban residence (adjusted odds ratio = 0.65; 95% confidence interval: 0.02, 0.66) and language difference (adjusted odds ratio = 0.61; 95% confidence interval: 0.40, 0.94) were statistically significant. Conclusion: This study pointed out that less than half of the study participants had good perceptions toward nurses' communication. As a result, increasing the number of health care providers who speak the same language as the patients and communication and behavioral change training must be prioritized.

Inadequate Hand Washing, Lack of Clean Drinking Water and Latrines as Major Determinants of Cholera Outbreak in Somali Region, Ethiopia in 2019.

Introduction: Cholera remains a serious public health problem characterized by a large disease burden, frequent outbreaks, persistent endemicity, and high mortality, particularly in tropical and subtropical low-income countries including Ethiopia. The recent cholera outbreak in the Somali region began on 4 September to 1 November 2019. Cholera may spread rapidly through a population so that an early detection and reporting of the cases is mandatory. This study aimed to identify determinants of cholera infection among >5 years of age population in Somali region, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based unmatched case-control study was conducted among 228 (76 cases and 152 controls, 1:2 ratio) systematically selected population. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered by an interviewer and a record review. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the determinants of the risk factors of cholera infection with a 95% confidence interval and statistical significance was declared a tap-value < 0.05. Results: A total of 228 participants (33.3% cases and 66.7% controls) were enrolled in this study. The majority of the cases were in the range of 20-49 years of age (69.7%). The odds of acquiring cholera infection increased significantly by drinking unsafe pipe water (AOR 4.3, 95% CI 1.65-11.2), not having a household level toilet/latrine (AOR 3.25, 95% CI 1.57-6.76), hand washing only sometimes after the toilet (AOR 3.04, 95% CI 1.58-5.86) and not using water purification methods (AOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.13-4.54). Conclusion: Major risk factors for cholera infection were related to drinking water and latrine hygiene. Improvement in awareness creation about cholera prevention and control methods, including water treatment, hygiene and sanitation were crucial in combating this cholera outbreak. Primary public health actions are ensuring clean drinking water, delivery of water purification tablets, soap and hand sanitizers and provision of health care and outbreak response. Long term goals in cholera affected areas include comprehensive water and sanitation strategies. Overall, the strategic role of a multi-sectoral approach in the design and implementation of public health interventions aimed at preventing and controlling cholera are essential to avert cholera outbreaks. Preparedness should be highlighted in cholera prone areas like Somali region especially after drought periods.

Health status of street children and reasons for being forced to live on the streets in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia. Using mixed methods.

INTRODUCTION: In Ethiopia, more than four million children are anticipated to live under particularly difficult circumstances. Street children are subject to violence, a lack of health care, and a lack of education. Which denies them the right to live in a secure environment and exposes them to different health problems. Currently, little is known about the prevalence of Streetism, including health conditions. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess the health status of street children and determinants of Streetism. METHODS: Mixed methods (sequential) were employed from February 1 to 28, 2021. Quantitative cross-sectional study design and phenomenological qualitative designs were applied. Overall, 220 street children were involved in the study. The most common reason that forced the children to resort to a street way of life is to look for a job and quarreled with parents. The data were collected using interviews methods. Chi-square test and multiple binary logistic regression were applied to examine the variations among variables with the health status of street children. Qualitative data were analyzed using the thematic analysis technique. RESULTS: The study included a total of 220 street children. As to the quantitative study, the majority of study participants (92.73%) drank alcohol regularly. Depression (39.22%) and peer pressure (43.14%) were the most common initiation causes of drinking alcohol. According to a qualitative study report, "Street children are mostly affected by the communicable disease" and… They are addicted to substances like benzene" which had a profound effect on their health." Furthermore, the study discovered a statistically significant association between respondents' health status and sociodemographic characteristics (age and educational status), job presence, and drug use. CONCLUSION: This study identified the factors that drove street children to live on the streets, such as the inability to find work and disagreements with their parents. The majority of the street children were affected by preventable and treatable diseases. Unfortunately, almost all street children reported drinking alcohol, which exposed them to a variety of health problems. In general, the study discovered that street children require immediate attention. Decision-makers and academicians should collaborate to develop a plan for these children's health and social interventions.

Postabortion Contraceptive Acceptance Rate and Its Determinants among Women Receiving Abortion Service before Discharge from the Health Facilities in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Annually, around 121 million unintended pregnancies occur in the world and more than 73 million encountered abortion. Ethiopia is also losing 19.6% of mothers due to unsafe abortion. Despite that postabortion contraceptive service is a climactic entry point for the prevention of unwanted pregnancy and associated deaths, the service magnitude and determinants immediately before discharge are not characterized well in Ethiopia. Hence, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of postabortion contraceptive utilization and associated factors among women receiving abortion care service before being discharged from health facilities in Harar, Eastern Ethiopia. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 390 women receiving abortion care services. At discharge, data about contraceptive acceptance and related maternal characteristics were collected. A binary logistic regression model was used to assess the association between independent and dependent variables (postabortion contraceptive utilization). Analysis was done with SPSS 22. Statistical significance was considered at P < 0.05. RESULT: The overall prevalence of postabortion contraceptive utilization was 81.5% (95% CI: 77.9, 85.4). Being unmarried (AOR, 0.05; 95% CI (0.02, 0.16)), having no history of previous abortion (AOR, 0.11; 95% CI (0.04, 0.34)), being multigravida (AOR 8.1; 95% CI (2.20, 13.40), lacking desire to have an additional child (AOR, 6.3; 95% CI (2.65, 15.34), and history of family planning use (AOR, 17.20; 95% CI (6.5, 38.60)) were determinants of postabortion contraceptive utilization before being discharged from the health facilities. CONCLUSION: Postabortion contraceptive utilization in Harar health facilities still needs improvement as per the WHO and national recommendations. Therefore, the family planning provision strategies should be convincing and friendly, especially for unmarried mothers, and those who had no history of abortion should be counseled in friendly and systematically convincing schemes for enabling them to take the service before discharge from the health facility.

Community risk perception and health-seeking behavior in the era of COVID-19 among adult residents of Harari regional state, eastern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 brought significant challenges to public health. It changed the view of global health and safety, trust in the healthcare system, and clients' willingness to seek healthcare. To contain the course of the COVID-19 pandemic and its detrimental effects, understanding peoples' health behavior, especially healthcare-seeking, and determining the community risk perception is very important. Thus, this study aimed to determine the health-seeking behavior, community's risk perception to COVID-19 pandemics, and factors influencing the community risk perception in Harari regional state, Ethiopia. METHODS: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 5 to 30 February 2021. A total of 1320 adult (>18 years) participants were selected using systematic random sampling. The data were collected using an online kobo collect toolbox and analyzed using descriptive statistical tests. Chi-square test and multiple binary logistic regression were applied to examine the difference between variables. A p-value < 0.05 was considered to be of statistical significance. RESULTS: The study included 1296 respondents >18 years old. The overall prevalence of willingness to seek healthcare in the study area was 35.6% (95% CI: 33%-38.3.0%). The mean cumulative score of risk perception was 30.5 (SD ± 7.25) with the minimum and maximum score of 13 and 63, respectively. A total of 656 (50.6%) of the participants had low-risk perceptions concerning COVID-19. The study found a statistically significant association between risk perception and sociodemographic characteristics (age, educational status, and income), and knowledge of the respondents. CONCLUSION: The overall prevalence of willingness to seek healthcare was 35.6%. Healthcare intervention aimed to contain the COVID-19 pandemic should consider the factors associated with the study area. Similarly, the study found a low-risk perception among the community that needs critical action to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the community as a whole. Thus, it is necessary to improve community risk perception through health education.

Predictors of Service Satisfaction Among Clients Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy Services at Public Hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The issue of service satisfaction with antiretroviral therapy services needs more attention as it indicates the outcome of quality health services. Although different studies have been conducted on client satisfaction in different countries, there is limited evidence on the major predictors of client satisfaction with ART services in Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: To assess the predictors of service satisfaction among clients receiving antiretroviral therapy services at a public hospital in Harar Town, Eastern Ethiopia. METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was employed among 413 antiretroviral therapy clients from February to March 2018. The data were cleaned and entered into EpiData version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 21 for analysis. A five-point Likert scale was used to assess client satisfaction with the ART services. Clients who scored ≥75% of the items were categorized as "satisfied" and those who scored <75% of the items were categorized as "dissatisfied". Independent variables with a p-value of ≤0.25 in the binary regression analysis were included in the multivariate logistic regression analysis to control confounding factors. Statistical significance was set at a p-value less than 0.05. RESULTS: The overall client satisfaction with ART services was 76.9% (95% CI: 72.6, 80.6). Regarding the predictors, clients who were not attending formal education [(AOR=3.7, 95% CI: 1.75,8.12)] and primary education [(AOR=3.9, 95% CI: 1.66,9.32)], low wealth index [(AOR=2.8, 95% CI: 1.27, 6.28)], longer duration of treatment [(AOR=2.7, 95% CI: 1.46, 5.5.20)], shorter waiting time [(AOR=5.4, 95% CI: 2.52, 11.57)], disclosure of serostatus of HIV [(AOR=3.7, 95% CI: 1.59, 8.49)], seen by the same health care providers repeatedly [(AOR=2.0, 95% CI: 1.06, 3.82)], loss of medical records [(AOR=0.26, 95% CI: 0.13,0.50)] and social supports [(AOR=2.3, 95% CI: 1.12,4.63)] were significantly associated with service satisfaction on antiretroviral therapy services. CONCLUSION: Overall client satisfaction with ART services was relatively low in the study area. However, not attending formal and primary education, low wealth index, longer duration of treatment, shorter waiting time, disclosure of serostatus, seen by the same health care providers, loss of medical records, and social support were independent predictors of client satisfaction.

Neonatal mortality among neonates admitted to NICU of Hiwot Fana specialized university hospital, eastern Ethiopia, 2020: a cross-sectional study design.

BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, neonatal mortality is unacceptably high. Despite many efforts made by the government and other partners to reduce neonatal mortality; it has been increasing since 2014. Factors associated with neonatal mortality were explained by different researchers indifferently. There is no clear evidence to identify the magnitude of neonatal mortality and associated factors in the study area. The study aimed to assess the magnitude and factors associated with neonatal mortality. METHODS: Facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 834 randomly selected neonates. The study was conducted from February 20 to March 21, 2020. Data were extracted from medical records using a checklist adapted from the World Health Organization, and neonatal registration book. The data were inserted into Epi-data version 3.1 and then exported into SPSS window version 20 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed to identify the association between independent variables and the outcome variable. RESULTS: Magnitude of neonatal mortality was 14.4% (95% CI:11.9,16.7). Being neonates of mothers whose pregnancy was complicated with antepartum hemorrhage [AOR = 4.13, 95%CI: (1.92,8.85)], born from mothers with current pregnancy complicated with pregnancy-induced hypertension [AOR = 4.41, 95%CI: (1.97,9.86)], neonates of mothers with multiple pregnancy [AOR = 2.87, 95% CI (1.08,7.61)], neonates delivered at the health center [AOR = 5.05, 95%CI: (1.72,14.79)], low birth weight [AOR = 4.01, 95%CI (1.30,12.33)], having perinatal asphyxia [AOR =3.85, 95%CI: (1.83,8.10)], and having early-onset neonatal sepsis [AOR = 3.93, 95%CI: (1.84,8.41)] were factors significantly associated with neonatal mortality. CONCLUSION: The proportion of neonatal mortality was relatively in line with other studies but still needs attention. Antepartum hemorrhage, Pregnancy-induced hypertension, place of delivery, low birth weight, having perinatal asphyxia, and having neonatal sepsis were independent factors. The hospital, and health care workers should give attention to neonates admitted to intensive care units by strengthening the quality of care given at neonatal intensive care unit like infection prevention and strengthening early detection and treatment of health problems during Antenatal care visit.