Understanding perceptions and practices of mothers toward infant and young child feeding in Toke Kutaye districts: Community-based qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Complementary feeding is a process starting at 6 months of age when breastfeeding alone cannot provide the nutrients infants require. Foods and liquids are started along with breastfeeding up to 24 months, while complementary foods are available either from a garden or local market appropriate to complement breast milk at 6 months to satisfy the nutritional needs of the infant. Infancy is from birth to 12 months of age, and the term young child is used when referring to infants and children from 12 months to 2 years of age. Infants and young children require a sufficient diet that includes all nutrients that support overall growth and development. Appropriate feeding practices are crucial during infancy and early childhood. In addition to breastfeeding, complementary feeding should be started on time, administered safely and appropriately, and in sufficient amounts with regularity, consistency, and a variety of foods to meet nutritional needs. OBJECTIVES: This work was designed to understand the perceptions and practices of infant and young child feeding among mothers with children under 2 years in the West Shewa Zone Toke Kutaye districts. METHODS: The study was conducted from December 05 to December 30, 2023. Twenty-seven mothers with children under 2 years old participated. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive qualitative study that employed focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to gather perceptions, opinions, practices, beliefs, and experiences about infant and young child feeding. Before coding, texts were double-checked against audio files to ensure accuracy and consistency. Afan Oromo conducted verbatim transcriptions of the focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, transcribed into Microsoft Word 2010. RESULTS: The study revealed that most infants were not initiated early into breastfeeding and were not exclusively breastfed because most mothers gave cow milk, especially after 2 months, when mothers returned to working on other activities. Most mothers begin complementary feeding at the age of 4 months. CONCLUSIONS: The responses of mothers from all age strata regarding factors that hinder appropriate infant and young child feeding show a lack of awareness about initiating early breastfeeding. Extreme work overload prevented the feeding of breast milk and preparation of a complementary diet as per protocol, low utilization of family planning, and a perceived shortage of food items to prepare a balanced diet for complementary feeding were factors that hindered appropriate infant and young child feeding. Concerned stakeholders should work to alleviate the extreme workload among mothers with children under 2 years old and reduce their lack of awareness by designing appropriate infant and young child feeding education; cooking demonstrations are strongly recommended.

Quality of antenatal care and associated factors among pregnant women attending government hospitals in Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Good-quality antenatal care improves maternal health in the least developed countries. This study was aimed at assessing the quality of antenatal care and associated factors among pregnant women attending hospitals in the Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia. METHOD: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 February to 30 April 2020 among 372 pregnant women. A two-stage sampling technique-the first stage, selection of health facilities; the second stage, selection of respondents-was used. Trained data collectors administered exit interviews. Data were entered into EPI Info 7 and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25. Quality of care was assessed using a validated questionnaire containing 68 attributes of quality. Good quality of care was determined by the proportion of respondents who scored ⩾80% of 68 variables. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions were used in the analysis. The outputs were presented using an adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals. RESULTS: This study revealed that 41.2% (95% confidence interval: 36.2%-46.2%) of pregnant women had received good-quality antenatal care. Increased odds of the utilization of quality antenatal care were observed among women who lived in urban areas (adjusted odds ratio = 4.32, 95% confidence interval: 2.58-7.21), attained primary education and more (adjusted odds ratio = 2.68, 95% confidence interval: 1.60-4.48), earned a monthly income >3000 Ethiopia Birr (US$93.3) (adjusted odds ratio = 3.86, 95% confidence interval: 2.28-6.51), and visited hospitals for antenatal care ⩾4 times (adjusted odds ratio = 3.68, 95% confidence interval: 2.21-6.10). CONCLUSIONS: The proportion of women who received good-quality antenatal care was low. Good quality care was associated with residence, education status, income level, and frequency of antenatal care visits. Training care providers, strengthening counseling, and promoting women's economic empowerment to improve the utilization of quality antenatal care are recommended.

Job Satisfaction Level and Associated Factors Among Rural Health Extension Workers of Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Rural health extension workers (HEWs) are essential for the implementation of the promotion and prevention-based health care policy of Ethiopia. Job satisfaction is believed to be one of the key factors that influence their performance. Information regarding job satisfaction and associated factors are limited in the study area. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing job satisfaction level and associated factors among rural Health Extension Workers of Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia. METHOD: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 341 rural HEWs from 1 March to 30 April 2021. Data was collected using trained data collectors using pre-tested and self-administered questionnaires. SPSS version-25 was used for data analysis. Bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regressions were used to observe the association between the outcome variable and associated factors. The outputs are presented using an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULT: This study revealed that 36.6% (95% CI: 31.6%-41.6%) of the rural HEWs were satisfied with their job. Increased odds of satisfaction were observed among rural HEWs who got training opportunities (AOR: 3.74, 95% CI: 2.01, 6.98), education opportunities (AOR: 3.06, 95% CI: 1.56, 7.46), management support (AOR: 4.59, 95% CI: 2.44, 8.67), supervisor support (AOR: 7.40, 95% CI: 3.84, 14.26), and a better salary/payment (AOR: 4.18, 95% CI: 2.19, 7.88) compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The job satisfaction level among rural HEWs in the study area was low. Strategies to stimulate and strengthen recognition of management, supportive supervision, performance-based regular salary increment, and career developments are recommended.