Decomposition Analysis of Antenatal Care Utilization Inequities in Kembata Tembaro Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

Background: Health equity has emerged as a global issue in the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, and Ethiopia is no exception. Despite positive improvements, inequities in maternal health service utilization among demographic groups continue to be one of Ethiopia's significant challenges in decreasing maternal mortality. This study focuses on antenatal care service discrimination among a local poor group known as the "golden hands" community in Ethiopia's Kembata Tembaro zone. The subgroup community consists of outcast artesian groups known as "golden hands," formerly known as "Fuga," who face discrimination in all aspects of life owing to their living conditions and ethnic background. Methods: A community-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Ethiopia's Kembata Tembaro, zone in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR), from January to February 2022. The study focused on two groups, "golden hands" and "non-golden hands," consisting of women aged 15-49 years. Using stratified and multistage cluster sampling, 1,210 participants were selected, with 440 from golden hand communities and 770 from non-golden hand communities. Data was collected through translated questionnaires, and data quality was rigorously monitored. The concentration curve and index, as well as logistic-based decomposition analysis, were used to examine inequality. The statistical significance threshold was set at p < 0.05 with a 95% confidence interval. Result: This study comprised 1,210 eligible participants, 440 of whom were golden hand community members. Discrimination accounted for 60.23% of the decreased antenatal care (ANC) service use by the golden hand community. Age, urban residence, and wealth index were the most important independent factors with statistically significant contributions to changes owing to differences in effects (discriminated difference). Conclusion: Since ANC service discrimination is prevalent, the government and nongovernmental organizations should take steps to ensure that marginalized groups in society, such as golden hand women, the poor, the uneducated, and rural people, have equal access to service utilization opportunities.

Exclusive breastfeeding and associated factors among HIV positive mothers in Northern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: It is estimated that sub-optimal feeding, especially non-exclusive breastfeeding in the first 6months of life, results in 1.4million deaths and 10% of disease burden in children younger than five years. Worldwide, it is estimated that only 34.8% of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first 6months of life, the majority receiving some other food or fluid in the early months. Besides, the Ethiopian demographic and health survey (2016) stated that the median duration of exclusive breastfeeding in Tigray region was 3.8 months which is shorter than the recommended duration. The main purpose of this study was to determine the magnitude of exclusive breastfeeding practice and associated factors among HIV positive mothers in public hospitals of Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia. METHODS: A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 9 to October 11, 2016, in public hospitals of Tigray region. Data was collected by using structured questionnaire using face-to-face interview among 304 eligible women through a systematic sampling technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Binary and multiple variable logistic regressions ("odds ratio") analyses were calculated with 95% CI and p value ≤ 0.05 as significance were used. RESULT: Two hundred seventy (88.8%) of mothers practiced exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Infant feeding counseling during antenatal care of last pregnancy [AOR = 6.9, 95% CI; 2.63, 17.99], knowledge on exclusive breastfeeding (AOR = 5.5, 95% CI; (2.12, 14.02] and attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding [AOR = 7.9; 95% CI; 2.96, 21.21] had significant association with exclusive breastfeeding practice. CONCLUSIONS: A high proportion of mothers practiced exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Infant feeding counseling, knowledge and attitude towards exclusive breastfeeding practice were the predictors of exclusive breastfeeding among HIV positive mothers. Strengthening infant feeding counseling during antenatal care and improving mothers' knowledge and attitude on exclusive breastfeeding is essential.

Lifestyle modification practice and associated factors among diagnosed hypertensive patients in selected hospitals, South Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is one of the leading causes of disability and death in both developed and developing countries that need urgent strategies to implement interventions that control it. Appropriate lifestyle changes often called non-pharmacological approaches that often overlooked are the corner stone of the prevention and control of hypertension. The aim of this study is to assess the practice of lifestyle modifications and associated factors among diagnosed hypertensive patients in Durame and Nigist Elleni Mohamed Memorial General Hospitals in southern Ethiopia. METHODS: Facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 205 hypertensive patients in Durame and Nigist Elleni Mohamed Memorial General Hospitals in Sothern Nation and Nationality People Representative (SNNPR), from March 1-30 2016. Simple random sampling was used to select study subjects. Data were entered to Epidata 3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 for analysis. A binary Logistic regression model was fitted to determine independent predictors of lifestyle modifications among hypertensive patients. Adjusted odds ratio at 95%CI was used to declaring the independent effect of each variable on the outcome variable. RESULT: The study revealed that only 56(27.3%) of the patients practiced recommended lifestyle modifications. The study found that age (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 0.27, 95% Confidence Interval [CI]:0.13-0.61), educational status (AOR = 2.00,95% CI:1.33-6.75), monthly income (AOR = 2.46, 95% CI:1.32-4.63), years since diagnosis (AOR = 2.48, 95%CI: 1.32-4.69), and co-morbidity (AOR = 0.28,95% CI: 0.13-0.61) were factors significantly associated with lifestyle modification practice (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Generally, lifestyle modification practices among hypertensive patients were low in this study. Therefore, Patients should be educated on the recommended lifestyle modifications that may help patients to control f their blood pressure.