Time to recovery and its predictors among under five children in outpatient therapeutic feeding programme in Borena zone, Southern Ethiopia: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the time to recovery and its predictors among 6-59 months aged children treated at an outpatient therapeutic feeding programme in Borena zone. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Facility based; 23 treatment sites included in this study. PARTICIPANTS: Among the cohorts of 601 children aged 6-59 months enrolled from July 2019 to June 2021, records of 590 children were selected using systematic random sampling. Transfers and incomplete records were excluded. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Time to recovery was a main outcome while its predictors were secondary outcomes. RESULTS: The median recovery time was 49 days (95% CI=49 to 52) with a recovery rate of 79.8% (95% CI=76.4 to 83.0). Absence of comorbidity (adjusted HR, AHR=1.72, 95% CI=1.08 to 2.73), referral way by trained mothers on screening (AHR=1.91, 95% CI=1.25 to 2.91), new admission (AHR=1.59, 95% CI=1.05 to 2.41) and adequate Plumpy'Nut provision (AHR=2.10, 95% CI=1.72 to 2.56) were significantly associated with time to recovery. It is also found that being from a distance ≥30 min to treatment site lowers a chance of recovery by 27% (AHR=0.73, 95% CI=0.60 to 0.89). CONCLUSIONS: The findings showed that a time to recovery was within an acceptable range. Incidence of recovery is enhanced with early case detection, proper management, nearby service, new admissions, provision of adequate Plumpy'Nut and enabling mothers to screen their own children for acute malnutrition. However, we did not observe a statistically significant association among breastfeeding status, type of health facility, wasting type, vaccination and routine medications. Service providers should improve adherence to treatment protocols, defaulter tracing, community outreach and timely case identification.

Tooth brushing practice in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Oral hygiene refers to taking care and maintaining the cleanness of gum and teeth; a good oral hygiene practice promotes better oral health in general. Oral hygiene is the top public health concern of the population. Tooth brushing is a technique to keep oral hygiene from related complications. Therefore, this study provides the pooled prevalence of tooth brushing practice in Ethiopia. Databases searched for articles systematically across PubMed, Google Scholar, Hinari, EMBASE, and African Journals Online. Two reviewers independently conducted the selection, screening, reviewing, and data extraction using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet and used the Joanna Briggs Institute prevalence critical appraisal tools to assess the quality of evidence. All studies conducted in Ethiopia from 2010 to 2020, reporting tooth-brushing practices extracted for and imported into the Comprehensive meta-analysis version 3.0 for further analysis. Beggs and Eggers's tests evaluated for publication bias with Higgins's method evaluated for heterogeneity. A random-effects meta-analysis model with a 95% confidence interval was computed to estimate the pooled effect size (prevalence). Furthermore, the authors employed subgroup analysis based on the study area and sample size. After reviewing 36, 10 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of tooth brushing practice was 12.2% (95% CI 7.6-19.2%). The review reported a lower level of tooth-brushing practice in Ethiopia. We recommended that special attention should be given to the oral hygiene of the Ethiopian people.

Does quality of antenatal care influence antepartum stillbirth in Hossana City, South Ethiopia?

BACKGROUND: Antepartum stillbirth is a public health problem in a low-income country like Ethiopia. Quality antenatal care (ANC) is supposed to reduce the risk of many bad outcomes. Thus the main objective of this study was to identify the effect of quality antenatal care on antepartum stillbirth in Public health facilities of Hossana town Hadiya zone south Ethiopia. METHOD: About 1123 mothers with a gestational age of less than 16 weeks were identified and followed using an observational longitudinal study to determine whether the quality of ANC influences antepartum stillbirth or not. Standardized and pretested observation checklists and participants' interview questionnaires were employed to obtain the necessary information after getting both written and verbal consent from the concerned bodies and study participants. In this study, quality was measured by the process attributes of quality to measure the acceptable standard of quality of antenatal care. Women who received ≥75% of essential ANC services (from 1st-4th visit) were categorized under received good quality antenatal care. General estimating equation analysis was done to determine the effect of quality antenatal care on antepartum stillbirth. RESULT: A total of 121 (12.3%) 95% CI (10.3%, 14.5%) mothers who were observed during delivery had encountered antepartum stillbirth. In this study, the overall quality of antenatal care service that was provided in the whole visit (1st -4th) was 1230 (31.38%). Higher quality ANC decreases the odds of antepartum stillbirth by almost 81%, after controlling other factors (0.19 (AOR 0.19 at 95% CI; 0.088 to 0.435). There is a change in the odds of developing antepartum stillbirth as the level of education of mothers increases. Moreover, mothers with a history of preexisting hypertension were more like to have antepartum stillbirth AOR = 3.1, 95%CI (1.44, 6.77)]. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Therefore, having a good quality of ANC significantly reduces antepartum stillbirth. Strategies need to be developed on the problems identified to improve the quality of ANC and reduce antepartum stillbirth significantly.

Level of self-care practices and associated factors among hypertensive patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVES: The study assessed the level of self-care practice and its predictors among hypertensive patients in the health centers of Bole Sub-city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: A multi-Center-based cross-sectional study that employed 370 hypertensive participants at the conveniently selected Health Centers in Bole Sub-City; from August 01-30, 2020. The researchers selected the participants based on a simple random sampling method after applying for a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire and secured for informed consent. All the statistical analyses were SPSS 22.0 software based. The authors used binary logistics regression to identify the presence and strength of association; with its respective 95%CI and p-value less than five percent as a significant level. RESULTS: The overall level of good self-care practice among hypertensive patients was 53.0% (95% CI: 47.2-58.8%) whereas 61.4%, 63.8%, 92.7%, 82.7%, and 18% of the study participants were adherent to medication, good weight management, non-smokers, alcohol abstainers and physical activity consecutively. Being illiterate had 2.347 and 2.084 times higher odds of having had good self-care practice compared to secondary school and a diploma or above consecutively. Being a merchant, civil, and retired were associated with good self-care practice than being unemployed. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The study reported a lower level of self-care practice in the study settings. Educational level and occupation were factors identified for self-care practice. The authors recommended policymakers, healthcare workers, and researchers work on the identified factors of self-care practice of hypertensive participants in the study settings.

Dietary Diversity and Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the dietary diversity and its associated factors among pregnant women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021. Methods: An institution-based Cross-sectional was conducted among 320 participants from four health facilities in Addis Ababa selected based on a simple random sampling method from 01 September to 30 December 2021. An Interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used, following informed consent. Binary (Bivariate and multivariate) logistics regression was applied for the identification factors associated with dietary diversity with their respective 95% confidence interval and less than 5% p-value. Results: The prevalence of inadequate dietary diversity during pregnancy was 51.6% (95% CI: 46.1%-57.0%). Being illiterate (AOR: 0.591; 95% CI: 1.88-1.901; p < 0.05) and primary education (AOR: 0.347; 95% CI: 0.166-0.728; p < 0.05), having poor knowledge (AOR: 0.437; 95% CI: 0.252-0.757; p < 0.05) and lower monthly income (AOR: 0.395; 95% CI: 0.184-0.845; p < 0.05) were factors associated with inadequate dietary diversity. Conclusion: A higher level of inadequate dietary diversity was reported. Being illiterate, having primary education, having poor knowledge, and having lower monthly income were associated with inadequate dietary diversity during pregnancy. Concerned bodies were suggested to work on the identified factors.

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance Level in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has had a devastating impact on the everyday lives of the world's population and to this end, the development of curative vaccines was upheld as a welcome panacea. Despite the undeniable negative impact of the disease on human beings, lower than expected proportions of people have taken up the vaccines, particularly in the developing non-Western world. Ethiopia represents an interesting case example, of a nation where COVID-19 vaccine acceptance levels have not been well investigated and a need exists to assess the overall level of vaccine acceptance. Methods: A systematic multidatabase search for relevant articles was carried out across Google Scholar, Web of Science, Science Direct, Hinari, EMBASE, Boolean operator, and PubMed. Two reviewers independently selected, reviewed, screened, and extracted data by using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. The Joanna Briggs Institute prevalence critical appraisal tools and the modified NewcastleOttawa Scale (NOS) were used to assess the quality of evidence. All studies conducted in Ethiopia, reporting vaccine acceptance rates were incorporated. The extracted data were imported into the comprehensive meta-analysis version 3.0 for further analysis. Heterogeneity was confirmed using Higgins's method, and publication bias was checked by using Beggs and Eggers tests. A random-effects meta-analysis model with a 95% confidence interval was computed to estimate the pooled prevalence. Furthermore, subgroup analysis based on the study area and sample size was done. Results and Conclusion. After reviewing 67 sources, 18 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Ethiopia was 57.8% (95% CI: 47.2%-67.8%). The level of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance in Ethiopia was at a lower rate than necessary to achieve herd immunity. The highest level of vaccine acceptance rate was reported via online or telephone surveys followed by the southern region of Ethiopia. The lowest vaccine acceptance patterns were reported in Addis Ababa.

COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance and its Predictors among College Students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease pandemic disrupted the normal social and economic activities of the people resulting in over 3 million deaths worldwide. Piece of literature depicted that predictors of vaccine acceptance are complex, multiple, and vary depending on the type of vaccine involved. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed at assessing the COVID-19 acceptance and its predictors among college students in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2021. METHODS: A multi-center-institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 407 participants from three institutions in Addis Ababa selected based on a simple random sampling method from May 01 to July 30, 2021. A self-administered structured questionnaire was used for the collection of data, after which informed consent was obtained from all the included study participants. Descriptive statistics was used for the summarization of the data. Binary (bivariate and multivariate) logistic regression was applied for the identification predictors of vaccine acceptance with their respective 95% confidence interval and less than 5% p-value for the ascertainment of presence of association. RESULTS: The level of vaccine acceptance was 39.8% (95% CI: 35.0-44.7%). Being male (AOR: 0.463, 95% CI: 0.284-0.755, P < 0.001), living with children under the age of five (AOR: 2.295; 95% CI: 1.416-3.721, P < 0.05), living with an elderly (AOR: 1.609, 95% CI: 1.016-2.548, P < 0.05) and having had poor knowledge (AOR: 2.187, 95% CI: 1.391-3.438, P < 0.001) were predictors significantly associated with an increased level of vaccine acceptance. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The level of vaccine acceptance among college students in Ethiopia was lower than necessary to achieve herd immunity. Sex, living with under-five children, and elderly, and knowledge were predictors of COVID-19 acceptance. Concerned bodies were suggested to work over the identified predictors of vaccine acceptance in the study settings.

Depressive symptoms in primary health care attendees in Sebeta Town, Ethiopia: Prevalence, associated factors, and detection by health workers.

Depression often goes unrecognized in the primary health care setting. When depression occurs in clinical settings, it increases the risk of mortality from co-morbid medical conditions. Besides, 70% of patients with depression have somatic complaints, resulting in unnecessary investigations and mismanagement. This study was intended to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of depressive symptoms in primary health care centers and the detection rate in Sebeta Town, Ethiopia. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 384 visitors of adult outpatient department of four primary health centers in Sebeta Town, Ethiopia from October 1 to November 3, 2020. Depressive symptoms were assessed using PHQ-9 at cut-off score of 5. Data were entered using EPI data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for data analysis. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analysis were conducted. The prevalence of depressive symptoms was 27.9% (95% CI: 23.4-32.6). Detection rate of depressive symptoms by PHC providers was 0.93% (95% CI: 0.0-5.1). The factors positively associated with depressive symptoms were being unmarried (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 3.40, 95% CI: 1.56-7.40, p < 0.01), perceived worsening of illness (AOR: 3.67, 95% CI: 1.73-7.77, p < 0.01), having family history of depression (AOR: 3.78, 95% CI: 1.40-10.23, p < 0.01), current alcohol consumption (AOR: 2.73, 95% CI: 1.22-6.10, p < 0.05), and current khat consumption (AOR: 5.43, 95% CI: 2.55-11.56, p < 0.01). Moderate social support (AOR: 0.16, 95% CI: 0.06-0.41, p < 0.01) and strong social support (AOR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.09-0.63, p < 0.01) compared to poor social support, and the age group 25-31 (AOR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.14-0.92, p < 0.05), compared to the age group 18-24, were negatively associated. Prevalence of depressive symptoms was found to be high, while the detection rate was very low. Provision of depression care services integrated into routine health care at PHC level was recommended.

Body Mass Index and Associated Factors of School Absenteeism by School Feeding Program at Selected Primary Schools in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: Quality of education plays a crucial role in the social, economic, and political development of a nation. Primary school is a vital stage in developing the personality and consciousness of school children. OBJECTIVE: The study assessed the Body Mass Index and factors associated with School Absenteeism at selected primary schools in Addis Ababa, 2018. METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was undertaken on 324 (162 each group) from selected primary schools of Addis Ababa from May 02 to July 30, 2018. All participants and their families provided written informed consent and assent. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select participants, where the list of students was once identified from the selected schools. An independent t-test was undertaken at p value <0.05 as the statistically significant level. And, binary logistics regression was used for the identification of factors statistically associated with school absenteeism, with its respective 95% confidence interval (CI) and p value of <0.05 significant level. Findings. There was a statistically significant difference between feeding and nonfeeding participants on average weight, school absenteeism, and BMI for age, at p < 0.05. Participants who enrolled in the school feeding program had a higher average weight than nonfeeding participants (p < 0.05). Participants from the feeding group had lower average school absenteeism than their counter participants (p < 0.05). The average BMI for age was significantly higher among feeding participants than nonfeeding participants (p < 0.05). The odds of having school absenteeism were 1.796 times higher among feeding participants than among nonfeeding participants (AOR: 1.796; 95CI:1.061-3.042, p < 0.05). The odds of sustaining absenteeism from the school were 2.257 times higher among feeding participants than among nonfeeding participants (AOR: 2.257; 95%CI: 1.291-3.948; p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A higher number of school absenteeism, average weight, and BMI for age were observed in participants enrolled in the school feeding program than those who did not get enrolled in the feeding program. Large-scale studies were recommended to testify the impacts of school feeding on absenteeism.

Underweight and Its Predictors Among Patients on Anti Retroviral Therapy at Selected Health Facilities of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2020.

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed at assessing the prevalence of underweight and its predictors in patients on ART, in health facilities of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2020. METHODS: A multi-center-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 319 patients on ART selected on the basis of stratified sampling method in Addis Ababa from July 01 to August 30, 2020. An interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used for collection of the data, after which informed consent was obtained from all the included participants. Descriptive statistics for the summarization of the data was used. Binary (Bivariate and multivariate) logistics regression was applied for the identification of predictors of underweight and its strength of association with their respective 95% confidence intervals and less than 5% p-values as statistically significant association. FINDINGS: The prevalence of underweight among patients on ART was 19.1% (95% CI: 15.0-23.9%), while more than one-tenth (14.4%) of the participants were overweight (95% CI: 10.8-18.8%). A higher level of Educational level, being married, widowed, divorced, a lower family size and poor ART drug adherence level were statistically significantly associated with an increased risk of underweight among patients on ART in the study settings (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Educational level, marital status, family size, and adherence status of the participants were identified predictors of underweight among patients on ART. The lower the educational level, lower family size, being either married, divorced, or widowed, having had of poor ART drug adherence level of the participants, the higher their risk of sustaining underweight. Concerned bodies were suggested to work over the identified determinants of underweight among patients on ART in the study settings.

Magnitude of Induced Abortion and Associated Factors among Female Students of Hawassa University, Southern Region, Ethiopia, 2019.

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed at assessing the magnitude of induced abortion and associated factors among students in Hawassa University, southern region, Ethiopia, 2019. METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among a total of 422 students selected on the bases of a probability simple random sampling method. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Analysis was made with SPSS 20. Descriptive summary and inferential statistics (binary logistic regression) were used with a 95% CI and P value of less than 5% as a level of significance. Findings were presented in tables, figure, and texts. Confidentiality of information was also secured. RESULTS: The prevalence of induced abortion in the study setting was 68.7% (95% CI: 64.15%-73.2%). Participants who used emergency contraceptives had 12 times higher odds of undergoing abortion than those who did not use emergency contraceptives at AOR: 11.95, 95% CI: 5.615-25.326, P < 001. CONCLUSIONS: A higher prevalence of induced abortion was observed in the study setting. Contraceptive use was the predictor of induced abortion identified. Concerned bodies were recommended to work on the identified determinant of induced abortion in the study setting.

Oral Health Screening Status of Diabetes Patients in Selected Hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2018.

OBJECTIVE: The study assessed the oral health screening status of diabetes patients and its associated factors in selected public hospitals of Addis Ababa, 2018. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 388 diabetes patients selected on the bases of a systematic random sampling method from March to May 2018 at two selected public hospitals in Addis Ababa. Data were collected with a pre-tested, structured, and translated questionnaire. Bi-variable and multivariable logistics regression were undertaken to identify predictors of oral health screening among diabetes with their respective 95% CI and a p-value of less than 5% level of significance. RESULTS: The oral health screening status among diabetes patients in this study was 21.1%. The odds of having had an oral health screening was 82.4% higher in those with an educational status of college and above than those who cannot read and write and it was ten and five folds higher in participants with a monthly income of less than 750 birr than those with above 2,000 birr and those who brushed their tooth twice or more times a day than occasionally, respectively. The odds of having had an oral health screening was 17, four, and five folds higher among participants with perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, and benefit, respectively, whilst it was 8.8% lower in participants with a perceived barrier and it was as high as 19.782 times among participants with malocclusion. CONCLUSION: A lower level of oral health screening was observed. A higher educational level, a lower monthly income, a higher frequency of tooth brushing per day, positive perceptions of susceptibility, severity, and benefits, and presence of malocclusions were statistically associated with a higher frequency of oral health screening. Concerned bodies were recommended to work on the identified predictors and improve the oral health screening of diabetes patients.

Prevalence of Diabetes Mellitus and Associated Factors in Addis Ababa Public Health Facilities, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2016.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetes mellitus is one of the most public health challenges of the twenty-first century. Globally, 382 million people had diabetes by the year 2013. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of diabetes mellitus and identify its associated factors at public health institutions in Addis Ababa. PATIENTS AND METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was carried out from June to July 2016. A total of 758 participants were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected with a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire; a WHO STEPwise approach of NCDs risk factors identification, and the collected data were checked for completeness immediately following data collection and the filled questionnaires were entered into Epi-Info 3.5.1, and then exported to SPSS 23 for further analysis. Descriptive statistics such as mean, percentages, standard deviation, and ranges were determined. To identify factors associated with diabetes mellitus, binary logistics regression was used. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of diabetes mellitus was 14.8%, with a sex-specific prevalence of 18.35% and 16.62% for males and females, respectively. Older age participants had higher risks of developing diabetes mellitus than younger age individuals. Alcohol drinkers had more risks of developing diabetes mellitus than non-alcohol drinkers. Participants with plasma HDL-C ≥40mg/dl were more likely to develop diabetes mellitus than those with <40mg/dl. Participants with a higher level of plasma triglyceride ≥130mg/dl were found to be more exposed to the risks of developing diabetes mellitus than study participants with a low level of triglycerides. CONCLUSION: A higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus was observed in Addis Ababa public health institutions. Factors such as age, alcohol drinking, HDL, triglycerides, and vagarious physical activity were associated with diabetes mellitus. Concerned bodies need to work over the ever-increasing diabetes mellitus in Addis Ababa.