Predictors of neonatal mortality among neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Sidama regional state, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Despite promising efforts, substantial deaths occurred during the neonatal period. According to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO), Ethiopia is among the top 10 nations with the highest number of neonatal deaths in 2020 alone. This staggering amount makes it difficult to achieve the SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) target that calls for all nations to work hard to meet a neonatal mortality rate target of ≤ 12 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2030. We evaluated neonatal mortality and it's contributing factors among newborns admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital (HUCSH). METHODS: A hospital-based retrospective cross-sectional study on neonates admitted to the NICU from May 2021 to April 2022 was carried out at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. From the admitted 1044 cases over the study period, 225 babies were sampled using a systematic random sampling procedure. The relationship between variables was determined using bivariate and multivariable analyses, and statistically significant relations were indicated at p-values less than 0.05. RESULTS: The magnitude of neonatal death was 14.2% (95% CI: 0.099-0.195). The most common causes of neonatal death were prematurity 14 (43.8%), sepsis 9 (28.1%), Perinatal asphyxia 6 (18.8%), and congenital malformations 3 (9.4%). The overall neonatal mortality rate was 28 per 1000 neonate days. Neonates who had birth asphyxia were 7.28 times more probable (AOR = 7.28; 95% CI: 2.367, 9.02) to die. Newborns who encountered infection within the NICU were 8.17 times more likely (AOR = 8.17; 95% CI: 1.84, 36.23) to die. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of newborn death is excessively high. The most common causes of mortality identified were prematurity, sepsis, perinatal asphyxia and congenital anomalies. To avert these causes, we demand that antenatal care services be implemented appropriately, delivery care quality be improved, and appropriate neonatal care and treatment be made available.

Prevalence of Early Removal of Long-Acting Contraceptive Methods and Its Associated Factors in Sidama Regional State, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Long-acting reversible contraceptive methods, IUD and sub-dermal implant, offer women the most effective method to control fertility. Yet, reports on high early removal rates were emerged, prompting concern among service providers and highlighting the need to review removal rates and its reasons. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the prevalence of early removal rates of LARCs and its associated factors in Sidama Regional State, Southern Ethiopia. METHODS:  Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Sidama Regional State, Ethiopia from June 1 to June 30, 2019. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 21 administrative units in the first stage. Then, systematic sampling was used to select 475 women who have ever used implants or IUD 3 years preceding the data collection period. Data were entered into Epi Info version 3.4.3 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics, bivariate, and multivariate logistic regression were computed. P-value <0.05 was used to declare a significant association. RESULTS: The mean (±SD) of the participant's age was 29.81 (±5.69) years. The prevalence of early removal rate of LARCs was 10.3%, ie, 43 (10.8%) among Implanon/jadelle users and 6 (7.8%) among IUD users. Eleven (22.4%) discontinued within the first six months and 38 (77.6%) utilized for more than six months and discontinued before the 12th month. Women who were not advised about advantage [OR= 2.81 (95% CI: 1.23-6.40)] and effectiveness of contraceptive [OR= 2.70 (95% CI: 1.30-5.60)] and those who were satisfied with the family planning service [OR= 2.24 (95% CI: 1.10-4.57)] were identified as factors. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of early removal rate was considerably high among the study subjects. Providing appropriate counseling about the advantage and effectiveness of family planning and improving client satisfaction need to be considered to reduce the early removal rate.

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Diabetes Mellitus Among Adult Population in Hawassa Zuria Woreda, Sidama Region, Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the main health problems in unindustrialized countries. According to the International Diabetes Federation report, adults living with diabetes were growing from time to time globally. Worldwide, diabetes mellitus accounts for 8.8% (424.9 million) morbidity and 4 million deaths. Ethiopia is one of the countries frequently affected by the disease with about 2.567 million (5.2%) of its population affected with diabetes mellitus. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at determining the prevalence and associated factors of diabetes mellitus among adult population in Hawassa Zuria Woreda, Sidama Region, Ethiopia. METHODS: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1 to February 15, 2019 among 519 adult population. A study participant was selected using a multistage sampling technique. We had employed the World Health Organization (WHO) stepwise method for non-communicable disease surveillance to collect the data. Fasting glucose meter was used from venous blood to test for blood glucose level. EPI info was used to enter and clean the data and the data were transported to SPSS for analysis. To assess associated factors with diabetes mellitus adjusted odds ratio (aORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was employed and p.value <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: A total of 516 participants were included in the study. The diabetes mellitus prevalence was found to be 12.4% (95% CI: 9.5-15.2). Factors associated with diabetes mellitus were being obese [AOR=9.2, 95% CI:4.3, 19.8], hypertensive (AOR=3.8, 95% CI:1.75, 8.4), cigarette smoking (AOR=7.8, 95% CI: 3.45, 18.1) and high waist circumference (AOR=25, 95% CI:8.5, 79). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the prevalence of diabetes mellitus was found to be high, which was greater than the estimated national prevalence of diabetes mellitus. Obesity, hypertension, cigarette smoking and high waist circumference were determinant factors for diabetes mellitus. Appropriate actions such as creating community awareness on regular blood sugar testing and preventive measures are recommended.