Cervical cancer screening utilization and its predictors among women in bench Sheko Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: using health belief model.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the fourth most frequently diagnosed and found to be the leading cause of cancer death in women, especially in low and middle-income countries. Even though cervical cancer is a preventable disease, its preventive measures have not been equitably implemented across and within different countries; especially in low and middle-income countries, due to different contributing factors. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess cervical cancer screening utilization and its' predictors among Women in Bench Sheko Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. METHOD: A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed in Bench Sheko Zone from February 2021 to April 2021. Using a multi-stage stratified sampling method, a total of 690 women in the age range of 30-49 years were included in the study. The logistic regression analysis was used considering a 95% confidence interval and a P-value of < 0.05. RESULTS: Ninety-six (14.2%) of the participants have utilized cervical cancer screening. Predictors like; age between 40-49 years (AOR = 5.35, 95% CI = [2.89, 9.90]), partner educational status of certificate and above (AOR = 4.36, 95% CI = [1.65, 11.51]), first sexual intercourse before eighteen years (AOR = 4.85, 95% CI = [2.29, 10.26]), ever used of alcohol (AOR = 3.99, 95% CI = [1.23, 12.89]), good knowledge (AOR = 8.98, 95% CI = [4.06, 19.89]), favorable attitude (AOR = 3.56, 95% CI = [1.78, 7.09]), and high perceived benefit (AOR = 2.94, 95% CI = [1.48, 5.84]) were strongly associated with cervical cancer screening utilization. CONCLUSION: In this study, cervical cancer screening utilization was relatively low. Therefore, promotion of the perception of women towards cervical cancer screening, and provision of health-related information towards different behavioral-related factors should have to be addressed at each level of health care.

Knowledge and practices of pregnant women about iodized salt and its availability in their households in Hawassa city. Community-based cross-sectional study.

Objectives: This study was aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of pregnant women about iodized salt and its availability in their households in Hawassa city, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among pregnant women with a total sample size (N) = 553 in Hawassa city. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed. First, four sub-cities of Hawassa city (out of eight sub-cities) were selected using the lottery method. Households of pregnant women in each selected sub-city were identified and screened. Finally, representative samples were drawn using systematic random sampling technique. Results: A total of 537 pregnant women was included, a response rate of 97.1%. This was due to incomplete data for nine and participation refusal for seven participants. The mean age of the participants was 26.98 ± 4.75 years. About 52.51% and 52.33% of the respondents had good knowledge and good salt handling practices, respectively. Regarding availability of iodized salt, 65.55% of pregnant women (31.66% salt with iodine level ⩾15 parts per million (ppm) and 33.89% salt with iodine level <15 ppm) had iodized salt and the remaining 34.45% non-iodized salt (0 ppm) respectively. Conclusion: Availability of iodized salt in households of pregnant women was 65.55% (>0 ppm). More than one-third of pregnant women in Hawassa city are utilized non-iodized salt (0 ppm). Nearly half of the pregnant women in Hawassa city had poor knowledge and poor practice about iodized salt. Hawassa city Health Department along with concerned stakeholders should invest more effort to increase awareness about iodized salt and how to handle it safely in households.

The role of traditional birth attendants and problem of integration with health facilities in remote rural community of West Omo Zone 2021: exploratory qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Mothers in rural Ethiopian communities prefer giving birth at home. In developing countries, traditional birth attendants play an important role in reducing the maternal mortality rate. In Ethiopia, however, their role during pregnancy, childbirth, the postnatal period, and their integration with health professionals is not clearly defined. This study aimed to explore the role of traditional birth attendants in feto-maternal care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period, and integration with health professionals in the West Omo Zone, southern Ethiopia. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design was used with triangulation of methods and data sources. We conducted in-depth interviews with traditional birth attendants, key informant interviews with health care professionals and community or religious leaders, and two focus group discussions with multiparous pregnant women. Each interview and focus group discussion was tape-recorded and the data obtained were transcribed and translated into English for analysis. The analysis was done based on thematic analysis framework. RESULTS: Traditional birth attendants stated that they used herbal remedies to treat nausea and vomiting, decrease pain during labor, and increase pregnant women's desire to push. The absence of incentives for their work, shortage of logistics, and lack of training was mentioned as challenges to the continuity of their roles. All study participants explained the importance of training traditional birth attendants on maternal and child health in rural communities. However, health care professionals reported that few traditional birth attendants advised mothers about traditional practices such as milk tooth extraction and uvulectomy. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Traditional birth attendants continued their roles despite the existing challenges. There was no integration between TBA and the formal health care system. The need for training traditional birth attendants has been emphasized by all study participants and its impact on reducing feto-maternal death was recognized by health care professionals. Therefore, the federal ministry of health should works better for the development of TBAs to scale up their skills across all regions in the country.

Time to detection of anaemia and its predictors among women of reproductive-age living with HIV/AIDS initiating ART at public hospitals, Southwest Ethiopia: a multicentre retrospective follow-up study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the time to development of anaemia and its predictors among women of reproductive-age receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in public hospitals, Southwest Ethiopia. DESIGN: Hospital-based retrospective follow-up study SETTING: Mizan-Tepi University Teaching Hospital, and Gebretsadik Shawo General Hospital Southwest Ethiopia. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 389 records of women living with HIV/AIDS at public hospitals were reviewed using a systematic sampling method. The data were entered using Epi-Data Manager V.4.2 and exported to STATA V.14 for data analysis. A Cox-regression model was used and variables with a p-value of <0.05% and 95% confidence level in multivariable analysis were declared as statistically significant predictors for anaemia. PRIMARY OUTCOME: Time to development of anaemia and its predictors among women of reproductive-age on ART in public hospitals. RESULTS: Of 370 records of women of reproductive-age, 203 (54.86%, 95% CI (49.77% to 59.96%)) were anaemic with an incidence rate of 12.07 per 100 person months of observation, and the overall median survival time of 60 months. The total of 2.97%, and 80.26% of women were developed anaemia within the first 6 months and the last 6 months period of follow-up, respectively. Moreover, non-employed women, women with advanced WHO stage, women with baseline opportunistic infections and women who were on ART for long-duration were significantly associated with anaemia among women living with HIV/AIDS. CONCLUSION: In this study, the incidence rate of anaemia was significantly high. The development of anaemia among women on ART was also increased with increased follow-up time. The risk of anaemia is increased in women living with HIV/AIDS due to advanced baseline WHO staging, presence of OIs at baseline, an increased duration on ART and low occupational status. Therefore, early identification and treatment of opportunistic infections and other coinfections are required to decrease the incidence of anaemia among women living with HIV/AIDS.

Emotional Intelligence and Clinical Performance of Undergraduate Nursing Students During Obstetrics and Gynecology Nursing Practice; Mizan-Tepi University, South West Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Today, one of the most challenging duties of nursing school is achieving clinical practice proficiency. Emotional intelligence correlates with students' clinical practice performance. Such data are scarce in Southwest Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical performance of undergraduate nursing students during obstetrics and gynecology nursing practice. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was employed. All registered 186 fourth-year undergraduate nursing students of Mizan-Tepi University were included in the study. The data were collected using the self-administered structured questionnaires after briefly explaining the objective of the study. The Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) was used to collect the data associated with emotional intelligence. Independent t-test, Pearson correlation, linear regression, and ANOVA were computed as appropriate after checking all necessary assumptions and statistical significance was declared at p<0.05. RESULTS: Emotional intelligence was strongly correlated with clinical practice performance [r (186) =0.767, p<0.0001]. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean clinical practice performance by sex, where males were performed better [t(186)=3.27, p<0.0001]. Linear regression analysis showed that emotional intelligence was the only predictor of clinical practice performance (ß=0.219, p<0.0001). In one way ANOVA, the Welch test [FW (3,182) = 218.18, p <0.0001] and the Brown-Forsythe test [FBF (3,182) = 150.73, p <0.0001)] revealed that there were statistically significant differences in the mean clinical practice performance among levels of emotional intelligence. CONCLUSION: This study confirmed that the emotional intelligence of nursing students had significantly affected their clinical performance. This finding poses important questions for the educators responsible for nursing education in both academic and clinical settings. Further investigation is required to assess the factors that increase or decrease EI in nursing students is warranted.

Impact of Coronavirus Diseases-2019 (COVID-19) on Utilization and Outcome of Reproductive, Maternal, and Newborn Health Services at Governmental Health Facilities in South West Ethiopia, 2020: Comparative Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: In low-and middle-income countries, it is challenging to provide basic health-care services even before the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the early indirect impact of COVID-19 on the utilization of reproductive, maternal, and newborn health services at government health facilities in South West Ethiopia, and its consequences. METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional study was employed. The collected data were entered into Microsoft excel 2010 and then exported to SPSS 25 and R3.5.0 software for analysis. Independent sample t-test and two-sample test of proportion were computed, and the results were presented in text, tables, and graphs. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: This study showed that there was a significant reduction in mean utilization of antenatal care (943.25 visits vs 694.75 visits), health facility birth (808.75 births vs 619 births), family planning (4744.5 visits vs 3991.25 visits), and newborn immunization (739.5 given vs 528.5 given) between March-June 2019 and March-June 2020. However, there were significant increases in proportion of teenage pregnancy (7.5% vs 13.1%), teenage abortion care user (21.3% vs 28.5%), institutional stillbirth (14% vs 21.8%) and neonatal death (33.1% vs 46.2%) during the same period. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: This study showed that utilization of reproductive, maternal, and newborn health-care services was affected by the pandemic with deterioration of maternal and perinatal outcomes. An increase in the proportion of teenage pregnancy who seeks abortion care and the rising cesarean section rate with no improvement in perinatal outcome is a great concern that needs further investigation. Further research is also needed to explore the main reason for an increase in teenage pregnancy, abortion care users, stillbirth, and neonatal death during COVID-19.