Food Taboo and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at Bahir Dar City, North West Ethiopia, 2021: cross-sectional study

Abstract Food taboo is any unacceptable food items in the society that arise mainly based on religious, cultural, historical and social principles. Developing countries faced the triple burden of malnutrition of under nutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and overeating. Food taboos have great effect on pregnant women through prohibited essential food and/or drinks. There is a paucity of study conducted in food taboo practice among pregnant women in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of food taboo practice and associated factors among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) at Bahir Dar city, 2020. Institutional based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 421 pregnant women attending antenatal care clinics. Stratified sampling technique was used to approach the study participants, and interviewer administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors. The prevalence of food taboo practices among pregnant women was 27.5% (95% CI 23.2–31.8%) at the Bahir Dar city. Most food items avoided during pregnancy were meat, honey, milk, fruit and cereals. Reasons for avoidance of these food items were plastered on the fetal head, and making fatty baby which is difficult for deliver. Maternal age 20–30 years (AOR = 8.39, 95% CI 3.49–20.14), more than 30 years [AOR = 10.56, 95% CI (2.00, 51.74)], more than 2 parity [AOR = 9.83 95% CI (2.79, 34.70)], no previous experience of the ANC visit [AOR = 2.68, 95% CI (1.26, 5.73)], and no information about nutrition [AOR = 4.55, 95% CI (1.77, 11.70)] were significantly associated with practice of food taboo. This study revealed that prevalence of food taboo is high during pregnancy. The implications of this study that needs strengthening nutrition counseling components of ANC follow-up and health professionals needs to design and implement strategic health communication intended to reorient misconceptions and myths for the pregnant women regarding the food taboo

Time to development of surgical site infection and its predictors among general surgery patients admitted at specialized hospitals in Amhara region, northwest Ethiopia: a prospective follow-up study

Abstract Background Surgical site infection is an infection occurring within 30 days after surgery. It is recently reported that evidence-based information on the specific time when the majority of surgical site infections would develop is a key to early detect the infection as well as to preventing and early intervene against their pressing and fatal complications. Therefore, the current study aimed to determine the incidence, predictors, and time to development of surgical site infection among general surgery patients at specialized hospitals in the Amhara region. Method An institution-based prospective follow-up study was conducted. The two-stage cluster sampling procedure was used. A systematic sampling technique with a K interval of 2 was applied to prospectively recruit 454 surgical patients. Patients were followed up for 30 days. Data were collected using Epicollect5 v 3.0.5 software. Post-discharge follow-up and diagnosis were done by telephone call follow-up. Data were analyzed using STATA™ version 14.0. Kaplan–Meier curve was used to estimate survival time. Cox proportional regression model was used to determine significant predictors. Variables with a P-value less than 0.05 in the multiple Cox regression models were independent predictors. Result The incidence density was 17.59 per 1000 person-day-observation. The incidence of post-discharge Surgical site infection was 70.3%. The majority of surgical site infections were discovered after discharge between postoperative days 9 to 16. Being male (AHR: 1.98, 95% CI: 1.201 – 3.277, diabetes Mellitus (AHR: 1.819, 95% CI: 1.097 – 3.016), surgical history (AHR: 2.078, 95% CI: 1.345, 3.211), early antimicrobial prophylaxis (AHR: 2.60, 95% CI: 1.676, 4.039), American Society of Anesthesiologists score ≥ III AHR: 6.710, 95% CI: 4.108, 10.960), duration of the surgery (AHR: 1.035 95% CI: 1.001, 1.070), Age (AHR: 1.022 95% CI: 1.000, 1.043), and the number of professionals in the Operation Room (AHR: 1.085 95% CI: 1.037, 1.134) were found to be the predictors of time to development of Surgical site infection. Conclusion The incidence of surgical site infection was higher than the acceptable international range. The majority of infections were detected after hospital discharge between 9 to 16 postoperative days. The main predictors of Surgical site infection were Age, Sex, Diabetes Mellitus, previous surgical history, the timing of Antimicrobial prophylaxis, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, pre-operative hospital stay, duration of surgery, and the number of professionals in the operation room. Hence, hospitals should give great emphasis on pre-operative preparation, post-discharge surveillance, modifiable predictors, and high-risk patients, as they found in this study

Knowledge, Attitude, and Prevention Practices Toward Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

ABSTRACT: Background: Coronavirus disease is a major global public health problem. The contagious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), was declared a pandemic following the outbreak of cases of respiratory illness during 2019. Although studies assessed COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and practice in Ethiopia the findings were highly variable and inconsistent. Objectives: This study assessed the pooled status of knowledge, attitude, and prevention practices regarding COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Methods: International and national electronic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and Google, were systematically searched. All observational studies on COVID-19 knowledge, attitude, and prevention practices in Ethiopia were included. We assessed heterogeneity among the included studies using the Cochrane Q test statistics and I2 test. Lastly, a random-effects meta-analysis model was fitted to estimate the pooled proportion of knowledge, attitude, and prevention practices toward COVID-19 in Ethiopia. Results: Our search identified 206 studies, 13 of which were included in the final analysis. Adequate knowledge, good attitude, and good prevention practice toward COVID-19 in Ethiopia were observed in 70.25% (95% CI, 61.82%–78.02%), 69.08% (95% CI, 55.42%–81.24%), and 41.62% (95% CI, 27.77%–56.17%) of total participants across studies, respectively. Conclusions: The results of this study revealed low proportions of adequate knowledge, attitudes, and preventive practices toward COVID-19 in Ethiopia. The lowest pooled proportion was observed in the Amhara region. These findings indicate the need to revise plans and policies to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and prevention practices of people toward COVID-19 in Ethiopia, especially in the Amhara region. (Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2021; 82:XXX–XXX) © 2021 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc

Time to Recovery from COVID-19 and Its Predictors in Patients Hospitalized at Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital Care and Treatment Center, A Retrospective Follow-Up Study, North West Ethiopia

Background. Since the end of 2019, the world has been facing a new coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), which is considered a global pandemic. COVID-19 is considered a major public health burden due to the uncontrolled morbidity and mortality of the global community. The World Health Organization estimates the recovery time as 2 weeks for patients with mild infection and 3 to 6 weeks for those with serious illnesses. The recovery time and its predictors are not well studied in Ethiopia yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate time to recovery from COVID-19 and its predictors among COVID-19 patients admitted to Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital care and treatment center, North West Ethiopia. Methods. An institution-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted among 452 COVID-19 patients admitted to Tibebe Ghion Specialized Hospital from March 2020 to September 2021. Simple random sampling using a table of random number generators was used to select study units. Data entry and analysis were performed using EpiData 3.1 and Stata version 14, respectively. Bivariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazard analyses were used to identify predictors of recovery time. An AHR at a 5% level of significance was used to identify significant predictors. Results: Among 452 COVID-19 patients, 437 (88%) were recovered, with a median recovery time of 9 days. Recovery time was significantly related to age (AHR = 0.98; 95% CI = 0.97, 0.99), oxygen saturation (AHR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.31, 0.56), shortness of breath (AHR = 0.65; 95% CI = 0.47, 0.85), disease severity (moderate (AHR = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.47, 0.85) and severe (AHR = 0.32; 95% CI = 0.22, 0.47)), and comorbidities (AHR = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.53, 0.84). Conclusions and recommendations: The overall median recovery time was 9 days. Older age, low oxygen saturation, shortness of breath, disease severity (moderate and severe), history of comorbidities, and high-level of WBC were predictors of delayed recovery time. On the other hand, corticosteroid use significantly shortens the median recovery time of COVID-19 patients. Thus, patients presented with older age, low oxygen saturation, shortness of breath, moderate and severe COVID-19 disease, comorbidities, and increased WBC need to be closely monitoring and followed up by healthcare providers. In addition, there should be special attention during the administration of corticosteroid

Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants in Machakel district North-West Ethiopia, 2022.

Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants in Machakel district North-West Ethiopia, 2022.</p

Factors associated with podoconiosis in Machakel district North-West Ethiopia, 2022.

Factors associated with podoconiosis in Machakel district North-West Ethiopia, 2022.</p

Behavioural related factors of podoconiosis in Machakel district North-West Ethiopia, 2022.

Behavioural related factors of podoconiosis in Machakel district North-West Ethiopia, 2022.</p

Traditional bone setting service users and associated factors among people with trauma in Mecha district, Ethiopia

Abstract World Health Organization stated that traditional medicine is an important part of health care and countries need to consider integrating it into their primary health care system. Traditional bone setting has a long history in Ethiopia and it enjoys enormous acceptance in the community. However, these methods are raw, there is no standardized training and at the same time, complications are common. Therefore, this research aimed to assess the prevalence of traditional bone setting service utilization and associated factors among people with trauma in Mecha district. Methods A Community- based cross-sectional study design was employed from January 15 to February 15, 2021. A total of 836 participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Binary and multiple logistic regressions were employed to assess the association between the independent variables with traditional bone setting service utilization. Results The prevalence of traditional bone setting service utilization was 46.05%. Factors significantly associated with TBS utilization were: Age ≥ 60 years (AOR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.03- 0.43), rural residence (AOR = 3.63, 95% CI: 1.76 -7.50), occupation (merchant (AOR = 0.21, 95% CI: 0.07 -0.61), and housewife (AOR = 4.12, 95% CI: 1.33 -12.70), type of trauma: dislocation (AOR = 6.40, 95% CI: 3.69–11.10), and strain (AOR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.05- 4.14)), site of trauma: extremity (AOR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.37), trunk (AOR = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.03–0.22), and shoulder (AOR = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.11–0.37), cause of trauma: fall down and natural deformity (AOR = 9.87, 95% CI: 5.93–16.42) and household annual income greater than > 36,500 (AOR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.29–4.22). Conclusion The prevalence of traditional bone setting practice is high in the study area, despite recent advancements in the practice of orthopedics and trauma in Ethiopia. Since TBS services are more accepted in society, the integration of TBS into the health care delivery system is recommended

Less than one in four mothers get quality intrapartum health care services in Ethiopia

Abstract Intrapartum care is a platform of comprehensive healthcare for pregnant women that is designed to improve birth outcomes for mother and child. However, complications during the intrapartum period continued to be the leading cause of death for women of reproductive age and newborns. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of quality of intrapartum care and its associated factors among mothers in Ethiopia. A community based cross sectional study was conducted among 4469 mothers who gave birth in the last 2 years. Quality of intrapartum care was analyzed based on the assessment of health facility delivery, skilled birth attendants and early initiations of breast-feeding. Stata version 14 software was used for data cleaning and analysis. A mixed effect multilevel logistic regression was conducted to determine factors associated with quality of intrapartum care. An adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and a P value of less than or equal to 0.05 was used for the identification of both individual and community level factors. Overall, the prevalence of quality intrapartum care in Ethiopia was 23.8% (95% CI 22.6, 25.13). Primary education (AOR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.14, 1.88), rich household class (AOR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.10, 1.98), history of ANC (AOR = 2.91, 95% CI = 2.18, 3.86), perceived distance to the health facility as not a big issue (AOR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.30, 2.05), urban residence (AOR = 2.97, 95% CI = 1.93, 5.09), Tigray region (AOR = 5.01, 95% CI = 1.25, 20.59), community level poverty (AOR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.41, 0.97), and having 2–4 children (AOR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.56, 0.97) were significantly associated with quality of intrapartum care. The finding conclude that less than one in four mothers received good quality intrapartum care. In order to optimize the quality of intrapartum care, the government should empower women through extensive education. It is also recommended for the Ministry of Health to evaluate the health facilities and community health workers to increase coverage of ANC and provide financial assistance to rural residents and the poor household class