Indoor Culturable Fungal Load and Associated Factors among Public Primary School Classrooms in Gondar City, Northwest Ethiopia, 2018: A Cross-sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Fungi are heavy threats to public health in indoor environments, particularly in residential buildings, offices, and schools where people spend a lot of time indoors. This study was conducted to investigate the load of culturable fungi and associated factors in a school indoor environment.METHODS: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted in eight public primary school classrooms in Gondar City from March to April 2018. Settle plate technique was used to determine the culturable fungal load. Log transformed linear regression analysis was employed. The beta-coefficient with a 95% confidence interval was used to determine the degree and direction of the association with a p-value less than 0.05.RESULTS: The highest and the lowest mean culturable fungal loads recorded were 1140.29 CFU/m3 and 211.25 CFU/m3, respectively. Aspergillus, Mucor, Penicillium, Candida, Microsporum, Trichophyton, Rhizopus, Alternaria and Fusarium species were isolated. Age of buildings (b= -0.122, 95%CI -0.238,-0.007), area of classroom (b= 0.639, 95% CI 0.285, 0.993), temperature (b= -0.189, 95% CI -0.325,-0.047), humidity (b= - 0.023, 95% CI -0.043, -0.002) and PM10 (b= -0.01, 95% CI -0.015,- 0.005) were associated with culturable fungal load.CONCLUSIONS: High culturable fungal load was found in school classrooms in Gondar City. Age of buildings, area of classrooms, temperature, humidity, and PM10 were predictors of the culturable fungal load. Therefore, proficient corrective methods are needed to combat the problem of indoor air quality in a school indoor environment by controlling factors contributing to growth of fungi.

Global, regional, and national burden of chronic kidney disease, 1990–2017 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

Background Health system planning requires careful assessment of chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemiology, but data for morbidity and mortality of this disease are scarce or non-existent in many countries. We estimated the global, regional, and national burden of CKD, as well as the burden of cardiovascular disease and gout attributable to impaired kidney function, for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017. We use the term CKD to refer to the morbidity and mortality that can be directly attributed to all stages of CKD, and we use the term impaired kidney function to refer to the additional risk of CKD from cardiovascular disease and gout. Methods The main data sources we used were published literature, vital registration systems, end-stage kidney disease registries, and household surveys. Estimates of CKD burden were produced using a Cause of Death Ensemble model and a Bayesian meta-regression analytical tool, and included incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, mortality, years of life lost, and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs). A comparative risk assessment approach was used to estimate the proportion of cardiovascular diseases and gout burden attributable to impaired kidney function. Findings Globally, in 2017, 1·2 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 1·2 to 1·3) people died from CKD. The global all-age mortality rate from CKD increased 41·5% (95% UI 35·2 to 46·5) between 1990 and 2017, although there was no significant change in the age-standardised mortality rate (2·8%, −1·5 to 6·3). In 2017, 697·5 million (95% UI 649·2 to 752·0) cases of all-stage CKD were recorded, for a global prevalence of 9·1% (8·5 to 9·8). The global all-age prevalence of CKD increased 29·3% (95% UI 26·4 to 32·6) since 1990, whereas the age-standardised prevalence remained stable (1·2%, −1·1 to 3·5). CKD resulted in 35·8 million (95% UI 33·7 to 38·0) DALYs in 2017, with diabetic nephropathy accounting for almost a third of DALYs. Most of the burden of CKD was concentrated in the three lowest quintiles of Socio-demographic Index (SDI). In several regions, particularly Oceania, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, the burden of CKD was much higher than expected for the level of development, whereas the disease burden in western, eastern, and central sub-Saharan Africa, east Asia, south Asia, central and eastern Europe, Australasia, and western Europe was lower than expected. 1·4 million (95% UI 1·2 to 1·6) cardiovascular disease-related deaths and 25·3 million (22·2 to 28·9) cardiovascular disease DALYs were attributable to impaired kidney function. Interpretation Kidney disease has a major effect on global health, both as a direct cause of global morbidity and mortality and as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. CKD is largely preventable and treatable and deserves greater attention in global health policy decision making, particularly in locations with low and middle SDI

Epidemiology of injuries from fire, heat and hot substances : global, regional and national morbidity and mortality estimates from the Global Burden of Disease 2017 study

Background Past research has shown how fires, heat and hot substances are important causes of health loss globally. Detailed estimates of the morbidity and mortality from these injuries could help drive preventative measures and improved access to care. Methods We used the Global Burden of Disease 2017 framework to produce three main results. First, we produced results on incidence, prevalence, years lived with disability, deaths, years of life lost and disability-adjusted life years from 1990 to 2017 for 195 countries and territories. Second, we analysed these results to measure mortality-to-incidence ratios by location. Third, we reported the measures above in terms of the cause of fire, heat and hot substances and the types of bodily injuries that result. Results Globally, there were 8 991 468 (7 481 218 to 10 740 897) new fire, heat and hot substance injuries in 2017 with 120 632 (101 630 to 129 383) deaths. At the global level, the age-standardised mortality caused by fire, heat and hot substances significantly declined from 1990 to 2017, but regionally there was variability in age-standardised incidence with some regions experiencing an increase (eg, Southern Latin America) and others experiencing a significant decrease (eg, High-income North America). Conclusions The incidence and mortality of injuries that result from fire, heat and hot substances affect every region of the world but are most concentrated in middle and lower income areas. More resources should be invested in measuring these injuries as well as in improving infrastructure, advancing safety measures and ensuring access to care.Peer reviewe

Self-Reported Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disturbance and Its Associated Factors among Medicine and Health Science Students at the University of Gondar

Introduction. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is characterized by dream-enacting behavior (shouting, punching, and falling out of bed) related to unpleasant dreams and loss of normal rapid eye movement (REM) sleep muscle atonia. Rapid eye movement sleep enhances learning and memory by regulating neuronal synapses, and if it is undesirable, it can lead to cognitive impairment and poor academic performance and may end up with death. To the best of our searching databases, there is no such study conducted in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study is aimed at determining self-reported symptoms of RBD and its associated factors among the University of Gondar medicine and health science students (2019). Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional study from June 1 to July 2019, among medicine and health science students at the University of Gondar using a simple random sampling technique. A self-reported RBD screening questionnaire was used to collect the data. We used Epi Info™ 7.0.8.3 and Stata 14 for data entry and statistical analyses, respectively. Descriptive statistics (frequency with percent and mean with standard deviation) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% uncertainty interval (UI) were computed. In a multivariable binary logistic regression, variables with a p<0.05 were declared as significant. Results. Three hundred and eighty-seven students took part in the study. The mean age of participants was 20.81 (±1.83) years. The prevalence of self-reported RBD was 46.25% [95% UI (41.26%-51.24)]. Physical exercise immediately before sleep (AOR=2.50, 95% UI (1.24-5.02)), using Facebook immediately before sleep (AOR=1.93, 95% UI (1.18-3.15)), having daytime sleepiness (AOR=1.92, 95% UI (1.16-3.19)), and self-reported depressive symptoms (AOR=2.40, 95% UI (1.45-3.99)) were significantly associated with self-reported RBD. Conclusion. The current study revealed a high prevalence of self-reported RBD. This remarkable problem suggested a need to design strategies to prevent RBD symptoms among university students through targeting screening of depression, daytime sleepiness, and adjusting bedtime routines such as physical exercise and internet use immediately before going to bed

Indoor bacterial load and its correlation to physical indoor air quality parameters in public primary schools

Abstract Background Poor indoor air quality is a great problem in schools due to a high number of students per classroom, insufficient outside air supply, poor construction and maintenance of school buildings. Bacteria in the indoor air environment pose a serious health problem. Determination of bacterial load in the indoor environment is necessary to estimate the health hazard and to create standards for indoor air quality control. This is especially important in such densely populated facilities like schools. Methods Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted among 51 randomly selected classrooms of eight public primary schools from March 29–April 26, 2018. To determine the bacterial load passive air sampling settle plate method was used by exposing a Petri dish of blood agar media for an hour. The Pearson correlation matrix was employed to assess the correlation between bacterial load and physical parameters. Results The grand total mean bacterial load was 2826.35 CFU/m3 in the morning and 4514.63 CFU/m3 in the afternoon. The lowest and highest mean bacterial load was recorded at school 3 (450.67 CFU/m3) and school 5 (7740.57 CFU/m3) in the morning and afternoon, respectively. In the morning relative humidity (r = − 0.7034), PM2.5 (r = 0.5723) and PM10 (r = 0.6856); in the afternoon temperature (r = 0.3838), relative humidity (r = − 0.4014) were correlated with indoor bacterial load. Staphylococcus aureus, Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species and Bacillus species were among isolated bacteria. Conclusions High bacterial load was found in public primary schools in the Gondar city as compared to different indoor air biological standards. Temperature, relative humidity and particulate matter concentration (PM2.5 and PM10) were associated with the indoor bacterial load. Staphylococcus aureus, Coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species and Bacillus species were among isolated bacterial species. Attention should be given to control those physical factors which favour the growth and multiplication of bacteria in the indoor environment of classrooms to safeguard the health of students and teachers in school

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of College Students, Ethiopia, 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background. Since the dawn of human history, foodborne diseases have been a problem for all societies, and it is an increasing public health issue worldwide. The objective of this study is to examine knowledge, practice, and attitude in food safety among college students in the city Gondar, northwest Ethiopia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 430 randomly selected college students in Gondar City, northwest Ethiopia, from October 8 to November 30, 2019. The data was gathered through a self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were checked for completeness, coded manually, and entered into Epi Info version 7, then exported to SPSS version 26 for more data checking, cleaning, and analysis. One-way ANOVA was done for examining sociodemographic variable association with KAP, and Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to measure the association among food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice scores. The p value 0.05). On the other hand, overall food safety practice differed in terms of sex, year of schooling, and knowledge of food safety (p value < 0.05) among participants. Training and knowledge score had significant correlation among respondents (p value < 0.05). Conclusion. This study revealed that the overall knowledge, practices, and attitude towards food safety among college students were very low. There was a significant association between knowledge and practice while food safety practices were independent with an attitude among the students. Such results indicated that there could be problems with foodborne diseases. Therefore, the findings of this study proposed that strength should be done to improve the existing food safety knowledge, practice, and attitude in college students in addition to their normal education

Magnitude and influencing factors of work-related low back pain among high school teachers in West Arsi zone, Southwest Ethiopia: evidenced from multicentred cross-sectional study

Objective This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of low back pain and its associated factors among high school teachers in the West Arsi zone, Southwest Ethiopia.Design A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2020. A self-administered structured Nordic Musculoskeletal questionnaire was used to assess low back pain during the past 12 months. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was carried out using Stata V.14. The degree of significance was obtained at a 95% CI and p&lt;0.05.Setting The study was conducted in the West Arsi zone, Ethiopia.Participants A total of 602 teachers participated in this study.Outcome measures The primary outcome is the prevalence of low back pain.Results The prevalence of low back pain during the last 12 months was found to be 63.73% (95% CI 59.77% to 67.70%). About 225 (39.61%) teachers experienced moderate pain, and (89.79%) of them had a minimal disability. Being unmarried (adjusted OR (AOR) 0.47, 95% CI 0.28 to 0.79), prolonged standing (AOR 2.31, 95% CI 1.16 to 4.60), sleeping disturbance (AOR 3.22, 95% CI 1.41 to 7.36), regular physical activity (AOR 0.52, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.84), current smoker (AOR 2.83, 95% CI 1.04 to 7.67), lifting heavy load (AOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.17 to 3.28), psychological job demand (AOR 2.86, 95% CI 1.69 to 4.84) and job satisfaction (AOR 0.46, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.79) were associated with low back pain.Conclusion The prevalence of low back pain was high in this study. Prolonged standing, sleep disruption, heavy load lifting, cigarette smoking and psychological job demand were risk factors for low back pain. Physical exercise and workplace satisfaction were effective interventions. Emphasis should now be put on ergonomics, regular physical activity and psychosocial factors to lessen the problem

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Pediculus Capitis Prevention and Control and Their Predictors among Schoolchildren in Woreta Town, Northwest Ethiopia, 2018: A School-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background. Pediculus capitis is a human head lice infestation, a major public health issue that is most prevalent in resource-limited countries globally. The current study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pediculus capitis prevention and control and their predictors among schoolchildren in North West Ethiopia. Methods. About 402 randomly selected schoolchildren from three schools in Woreta town participated in the study from April to June 2018. The outcomes of this study were knowledge, attitude, and self-reported practice of schoolchildren about pediculus capitis prevention and control. We used EPI Info 7.1 and SPSS 21 software for data entry and analysis, respectively. Binary logistic regression was employed to test the association of covariates with the outcome/response variables. Variables with a p value 12 years (AOR=3.84, 95% C.I (1.56, 9.46))], better practice (AOR=2.93, 95% C.I (1.39, 6.18)), and those who were not infested (AOR=2.25, 95% C.I (1.14, 4.44)) were predictors of knowledge regarding pediculus capitis prevention. Better practice (AOR=4.33, 95% C.I (1.69, 11.09)) and absence of infestation (AOR=2.97, 95% C.I (1.64, 5.36)) were predictors of attitude of schoolchildren about pediculus capitis prevention. Number of students in a class [51 to 56 students per classroom, AOR=4.61, 95% C.I (1.83, 11.67); 57 to 58 students per classroom, AOR=8.18, 95% C.I (2.73, 24.46)], less than five family size (AOR=2.37, 95% C.I (1.24, 4.54)), better knowledge (AOR=2.93, 95% C.I (1.32, 6.50)), desirable attitude (AOR=4.24, 95% C.I (1.60, 11.23)), and absence of infestation (AOR=3.52, 95% C.I (1.22, 10.15)) were predictors of self-reported pediculus capitis prevention practice. Conclusion. The knowledge, attitude, and practice of schoolchildren regarding pediculus capitis prevention and control were not satisfactory. To bring change, intensive efforts on factors associated with the knowledge, attitude, and practice should be encouraged

Psychological distress and associated factors among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Objectives The objective of the study was to assess psychological distress (depression, anxiety and stress) and associated factors among healthcare professionals working at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia.Design Institution-based cross-sectional study.Setting This study was conducted at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital.Participants Study participants were healthcare professionals from University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. They were selected for the study using a stratified sampling technique.Measurement Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale was used to assess the depression, anxiety and stress levels. Descriptive and analytical statistics were used to present the findings. To determine the predictor variables for depression, anxiety and stress, a binary logistic regression model was fitted. Finally, variables with p value &lt;0.05 in the final model were declared as significantly associated with psychological distress.Result Almost half (49.5) of the participants have psychological distress. The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic among healthcare workers was 167 (42.7%), 201 (51.4%) and 242 (61.9%), respectively. In multivariable analysis, respondents found in the ages between 35 and 44; unmarried marital status; educational status with specialty, subspecialty and PhD holders; anaesthesia professionals; and healthcare professionals with known medical illness were significantly associated with depression. Unmarried marital status, anaesthesia professional, laboratory technologist and living with family were significantly associated with anxiety. Unmarried marital status; educational status with specialty, subspecialty and PhD holders; and anaesthesia professional were also statistically significant with stress.Conclusion and recommendation The prevalence of depression, anxiety and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic among the Gondar University healthcare professionals was high. This could contribute to implementation of mitigation measures in a standardised and sustainable manner and emphasis should be given to this aspect of health even for future similar and unanticipated events

Households access to improved drinking water sources and toilet facilities in Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis based on 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey

Objective This study aimed to assess households access to improved drinking water sources and sanitation facilities and their associated factors in Ethiopia.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting Ethiopia.Participants Household heads.Primary outcomes Access to improved drinking water sources and toilet facilities.Methods We conducted an in-depth secondary data analysis of 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. Data from a total of 16 650 households and 645 clusters were included in the analysis. The households were selected using a stratified two-stage cluster sampling technique. Multilevel binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with access to an improved drinking water source and toilet facilities. Adjusted OR with a 95% CI was reported with p value &lt;0.05 was used to declare a significant association between the covariates and the outcome variables.Results The proportions of households’ access to improved sources of drinking water and toilet facilities were 69.94% (95% CI: 69.23% to 70.63%) and 25.36% (95% CI: 24.69% to 26.03%), respectively. Households headed by women and households with a better wealth index were positively associated with access to improved drinking water sources. Whereas rural households, ≥30 min round trip to obtain drinking water and region were factors negatively associated with households access to improved drinking water sources. A higher probability of having access to improved toilet facilities: households with heads who had attained higher education, households having better access to improved sources of drinking water and households with better wealth index. While the following households were less likely to have access to improved toilet facilities: households with heads were widowed, households with four to six members, rural households and region.Conclusion The study found that the proportions of households’ access to improved drinking water sources and toilet facilities in Ethiopia were relatively low, which demands the need to tailor strategies to increase the coverage of access to improved drinking water sources and toilet facilities