Adherence to anti-asthma medications among adult asthmatic patients in Eastern Ethiopia: A multi-center cross-sectional study

Introduction Adherence to anti-asthmatic medications plays a vital role in enhancing an asthma patient’s quality of life and prognosis. However, in Ethiopia, the level of adherence and contributing factors were rarely studied. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the level of adherence to anti-asthma medications and associated factors among adult asthmatic patients in Eastern Ethiopia. Method Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted at six governmental hospitals found in Eastern Ethiopia. A total of 320 asthma patients aged 18 years and above and using asthma medicines for at least 12 months were involved. An interviewer based structured questionnaires were used to collect the data. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were carried out using IBM SPSS version 22 (SPSS, Chicago, IL). The Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used to determine the strength of association between independent variables and outcome variable. Variables with a p-value of ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Result Of the 320 asthma patients that participated in the study, 109(34.1%:28.8–39.1%) of them had good adherence to anti-asthmatic medications. Being a housewife (AOR = 4.265, 95%CI: 1.333, 13.653), having good knowledge about asthma (AOR = 2.921, 95%CI (1.472, 5.795), positive attitude towards asthma (AOR = 3.129, 95%CI: 1.555, 6.293), and use of oral corticosteroid drugs (AOR = 1.967, 95%CI: 1.008, 3.841) were factors positively associated with good adherence to anti-asthmatic medications. Participants on treatment for 2–3 years (AOR = .295, 95%CI: 0.099, 0.873), and those on medication for ≥ 4 years (AOR = 0.229, 95%CI: 0.079, 0.664) were 70.5% and 77.1% times less likely to adhere to anti-asthmatic medications respectively. Conclusion The current study signified a low level of adherence to anti-asthmatic medications. Participant’s characteristics and medication related factors were significantly associated with good adherence to anti-asthmatic medications. Health education and advice during follow-up for asthma patients is crucial for better adherence

Triggering factors of asthma among study participants.

Note; Others: perfume, aspirin, certain food, work related trigger (working in industry), and beta-blockers.</p

Patient related characteristics of study participants.

Patient related characteristics of study participants.</p

S1 Data -

(SAV)</p

Disease related factors among study participants.

Disease related factors among study participants.</p

Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants.

Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants.</p

Factors associated with adherence to anti-asthmatic medications among study participants.

Factors associated with adherence to anti-asthmatic medications among study participants.</p

Type of medications used by study participants.

Note; SABA: Short Acting Beta2 Agonist, ICS; Inhaled Corticosteroid, OCS; Oral Corticosteroid, LABA; long acting Beta2 Agonist.</p

Diabetes knowledge and foot care practices among type 2 diabetes patients attending the chronic ambulatory care unit of a public health hospital in eastern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Objective To assess diabetes knowledge and foot care practices among type 2 diabetes patients.Design An institution-based cross-sectional study was undertaken from 1 January to 31 January 2021.Setting Eastern Ethiopia.Participants Randomly selected type 2 diabetes patients who were available during the data collection period were included.Outcomes Patients’ diabetes knowledge was assessed with the revised diabetes knowledge test questionnaire. Five items were used to evaluate foot self-care practices.Results The study population comprised of 549 patients. About 52.5% of the patients had adequate diabetes knowledge (95% CI: 48.2% to 56.7%). Patients with an educational level of secondary school and above (adjusted OR (AOR): 2.04, 95% CI: 1.13 to 3.71), (AOR: 5.28, 95% CI: 2.28 to 12.22), and those with medium and above wealth status (AOR: 3.81, 95% CI: 2.24 to 6.47), (AOR: 3.46, 95% CI: 1.98 to 6.04), were found to have better odds of having adequate diabetes knowledge. However, those aged &gt;55 years (AOR: 0.47, 95% CI: 0.22 to 0.99) were found to have lower odds of adequate diabetes knowledge.Of the total included patients, 20.2% (95% CI: 16.9% to 23.8%) had good foot care practices. Knowledge of the target fasting plasma glucose (AOR: 3.18, 95% CI: 1.94 to 5.22) and adequate diabetes knowledge (AOR: 3.40, 95% CI: 1.95 to 5.91) were significantly associated with good foot care practices.Conclusion According to this study, about half of individuals with type 2 diabetes have adequate levels of knowledge about the disease. In addition, only one out of every five patients has good foot care habits. Diabetes education should emphasise the significance of rigorous adherence to daily foot care practices