Challenges and Opportunities of Village Poultry Production in Arbegona Woreda, Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia

The study was conducted to identify the challenges and opportunities of village poultry production in Arbegona Woreda, Sidama Zone. Both primary data via structured questionnaire and secondary data from different relevant offices, published and unpublished sources were gathered using 120 statistically selected households. To enrich the data, field observations and group discussions were also made. The result of the study indicated that the dominant flock structure in the study area is laying hens (42.4%) followed by pullets (19.1%). Hatching egg naturally at home (50%) and purchasing from market (45%) are the main flock sources of poultry as responded by the households. The result also indicated that 95% of the breeds in the study area are local breeds indicating use of hybrid and exotic breeds is less common probably because of lack of awareness. The main purpose of keeping poultry and egg is for selling (50% & 40% respectively) followed by egg for incubation (31.7%) and birds for reproduction (30%). Majority of the farmers (78.3%) use traditional medicine to treat chickens using local herbs when the flock get diseased. Birds reach first egg laying at 7 month of age as 60% of the respondents reported. Majority of the respondents identified predator with an index value of 0.218 as their major constraint affecting poultry productivity followed by flock mortality, disease and low production with the index values of 0.178, 0.158 and 0.141 respectively. The major opportunities of village chicken production in the study area were market availability followed by feed access, credit service and extension according to their order of importance. Keywords: Arbegona Woreda, Challenges, Opportunities, Predator, Respondent

Dietary practices and xenophthalmia in under-fives in Jimma town, Southwest Ethiopia

Objectives: To assess parent’s knowledge about children’s need for plant sources of vitamin A; to determine the dietary practice with regard to vitamin A intake; to estimate the prevalence of xerophthalmia and; to forward appropriate recommendations.Design: A cross-sectional study.Setting: The study was conducted in Jimma town, southwest Ethiopia, with a total population of about 88,867 from February to April 1995.Participants: Eight hundred and thirty one randomly selected children between the ages of six and 59 months formed the study population.Main outcome measures: The dietary intake of cheap and easily available vitamin A rich foods is assessed and prevalence of xerophthalmlia determined.Results: Only eighty per cent of the children were getting green vegetables, fruits or carrots once weekly or more. The major reasons given for not including vegetables, fruits and carrots in the diet were “cannot afford” (39%), “not available” (33%), and “child too young” (16%). Out of 628 children examined, four (0.6%) were found to have xerophthalmia; three (0.48%) classified as XlB and one (0.16%) as X2.Conclusion: The dietary intake of plant sources of vitamin A in the studied community is far from adequate. Moreover, vitamin A deficiency is found to be a significant public health problem in young children in Jimma town. Periodic vitamin A supplementation, preferablycombined with immunisation, should be a priority action, and parents need to be educated about vitamin A deficiency and its prevention

Evaluation of Three Universal Extractants for the Determination of P, NO3- and K in Some Soils of Ethiopia

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness of selected universal soil extractants (0.01 M CaCl2.2H2O, 0.01 M BaCl2, 0.02 M SrCl2.6H2O) procedures on extraction efficiency of the extractants for the determination of P, NO3- and K. The study was conducted using completely randomized design method in three replications at Haramaya University Laboratory by collecting five (5) soil samples from Bako, Ambo, Awash, Metehara and Amaresa. From the results obtained, 0.02 M SrCl2.6H2O extraction procedure was found to be the most suitable method for the determination of P in acidic, basic and neutral soils. However, very close relationship was found between this extractant and conventional soil testing method for P with (p<0.01 and r = 0.997). The amount of nitrate determined by 0.02 M SrCl2.6H2O was higher than the other extractants used in this study and this extractant was found to be the most suitable extractant for the determination of nitrate in basic  soils and also very close relationship was found between this extractant and conventional soil testing method with (p < 0.01 and r = 0.991). On the other hand the amount of nitrate determined by  0.01 M BaCl2 was found to be the most suitable for acidic and neutral soils and also very close relationship was found between this extractant and conventional soil testing method with (p<0.01 and r =  0.989  ). The amount of K determined by conventional soil testing method was higher than unbuffered salt extractants used in this study. However, very close relationship was found between 0.01 M BaCl2 extractable K and 1M ammonium acetate extractable K with (p <0.01 r = 0.997). Although very close relationship was found between the amount of NO3-, P and K extracted by unbuffered salt solutions and conventional soil testing method, the t-test indicates that the two methods are significantly different (at p < 0.05). Thus, these unbuffered salt solutions could easily be adopted for the determination of P and NO3- in the soil. But for the determination of K in the soil, the unbuffered salt solution could not replace the conventional soil testing method. Key words: soils, universal extractants, P, NO3-, K, availabilit

Evaluation of heterosis, maternal and reciprocal effects on different traits of Fayoumi and White Leghorn crossbreeds

Several studies were conducted on evaluation of heterosis, maternal and reciprocal-effects for different chicken breeds. However, there is a limited information on the heterosis, maternal and reciprocal-effect for crossbreed of Fayoumi and White Leghorn. Therefore; this study was designed to evaluate the heterosis, maternal and reciprocal effects on different traits for crossbreed of Fayoumi and White Leghorn from day-old to age at first egg. A total of six hundred chicks were selected,150 from each genotype and evaluated  simultaneously under the same management. The specific and general heterosis, maternal, and reciprocal effects were estimated for all traits. The heterosis of body weight ranged from 3.06 to 21.31% for the main and 1.35 to 14.89% the reciprocal crossbred, which is within the recommended range (-6.5-26.2%). The heterosis of weight gain ranged from -0.07 to 33.03%. The F1 of Fayoumi cocks and White Leghorn hens exhibited a higher positive heterotic recorded for the body weight at first egg. The main and reciprocal crossbreds had negative heterotic for age at first egg and lies within the recommended range of (-25 and 11.5 %). The effect of maternity on body weight was found to be more favorable at brooder age for Fayoumi breed while it was at grower age for White leghorn. Negative estimates were observed for maternal and reciprocal effects on body weight at day-old, 20 weeks, and age at first egg; weight gain at 8-12 and 16- 20 weeks; feed intake at 0-4 and 12-20 weeks; feed conversion efficiency at 0-8 and 16-20 weeks; and egg weight at first egg. Generally, this study concluded that the crosses between WLH hen and Fayoumi cock produced progenies that are more feed efficient and produced heavier eggs than their main crossbred. Keywords: Crossbreed; Fayoumi; Heterosis; Maternal; Reciprocal; White Leghor

Perceived stigma and associated factors among people with epilepsy at Gondar University Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional institution based study

Background: Epilepsy is the world’s most common neurological disorder, affecting approximately 69 million people worldwide. Perceived stigma affects many domains of the lives of people with epilepsy. However, in Ethiopia there is dearth of study on perceived stigma specifically among people with epilepsy.Objective: To assess the prevalence of perceived stigma and associated factors among people with epilepsy (PWE) attending the outpatient department of the University of Gondar hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2014.Methods: Institution based quantitative cross - sectional study was employed among 408 individuals people with epilepsy. Single population proportion formula was used utilized to calculate sample size. The participants were selected using systematic random sampling technique. Perceived stigma was measured using by the modified Family Interview Schedule (FIS) tool. Binary logistic regression analysis and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval were used to identify the associated factors with perceived stigma..Results: Overall, the prevalence of perceived stigma was found to be 71.6%. Marital status [single (AOR = 0.23, CI: 0.25, 0.90), widowed ( AOR = 0.37, CI: 0.15, 0.90) duration of illness [2-5 years (AOR = 4.38, CI:1.98,9.62, 6-10 years (AOR =4.29, CI:1.90,9.64, ≥11 years (AOR = 4.31,CI:1.84,10.00) and seizure frequency of [1- 11per year (AOR=2.34, CI:2.21,3.56), ≥1per month (AOR = 5.63, CI:3.42,10.32)] were factors associated with perceived stigma.Conclusion: Overall, the prevalence of perceived stigma was found to be high. Marital status, long duration of illness and seizure frequency were factors associated with perceived stigma.Keywords: Northwest Ethiopia, epilepsy, perceived stigm

Alcohol use related injury in Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study

Alcohol-related violence resulting in injury is a global public health problem and Africa is no exception. In the country of Ethiopia, there is a lack of statistical evidence regarding this issue. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence prevalence of alcohol-related violence and injury and its associative factors. Hospital based crosssectional research method was employed from January to June 30, 2014. The source population and study population were all interpersonal violence injured patients in the emergency department of University of Gondar Hospital. Data were collected using injury surveillance guidelines developed by the World Health Organization. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify the presence and strength of association. Odds ratios with 95% confidence interval were computed to determine the level of significance. A total of 395 participants were involved in the study. The proportion of ARVI was found to be 119 (30.1%); gender, poor behavioral control and poor family functioning were found to be independently associated with alcohol-related interpersonal violence injury. The prevalence of alcohol-related violence and injury is high in Ethiopia. There is an urgent need to step up health advocacy with respect to reducing alcohol consumption in the country.Keywords: Alcohol, Emergency Department, injury, violenc

Prevalence and Associated Factors of Thyroid Incidentaloma among Adult People Attending Gondar University Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia Temesgen Tadesse1

BACKGROUND: Incidentally discovered thyroid lesions have become highly common in the development and more frequent utilization of highly sensitive imaging modalities, like ultrasound. However, little is known about its prevalence and associated factors in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of thyroid incidentalomas and associated factors through ultrasound (US) among adults attending Gondar University Hospital.METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out on 290 adults aged 15 years and above. Out of the adults who visited the hospital during the study, those who neither had history of thyroid disease, thyroid surgery, nor clinically palpable thyroid nodules were involved in the investigation. The participants were examined using a high frequency linear-array transducer (7MHz). For comparing men and women, the unpaired t-test wasused. Binary logistic analysis was used to identify the associated factors, and a P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.RESULT: The frequency of thyroid incidentaloma was found to be 33.4% (95% CI: 27.9, 38.9). Thyroid incidentaloma was detected in 42.4% of the females and 22.7% of the males (P<0.001). About 63% had single and 37% multiple thyroid nodules. About 25.8% had thyroid nodules greater than 1cm. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, increasing age (AOR=5.96; 2.34, 15.15) and female sex (AOR=3.01; 1.73, 5.26) were significantly associated with thyroid incidentalomas.CONCLUSION: The frequency of thyroid incidentaloma (TI) was found to be high in this study and much higher among older women. Solitary and small sized thyroid nodules were commonly seen in the study.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with shade trees and Coffea arabica L. in a coffee-based agroforestry system in Bonga, Southwestern Ethiopia

In a first step to understand the interactions between Coffea arabica L. trees and mycorrhizae in Ethiopia, an investigation of the current mycorrhizal colonization status of roots was undertaken. We sampled 14 shade tree species occurring in coffee populations in Bonga forest, Ethiopia. Milletia ferruginea, Scheffiera abyssinica, Croton macrostachyus, Ficus vasta, F. sur, Albizia gummifera, Olea capensis, Cordia africana, Ehretia abyssinica, Pouteria adolfi-friederici, Pavetta oliveriana, Prunus africana, Phoenix reclinata and Polyscias fulva. Coffee trees sampled under each shade tree were all shown to be colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi). Four genera and 9 different species of AM fungi were found in the soils. Glomus (Sp1, Sp2, & Sp3 & Sp4), Scutellospora (Sp1 & Sp2) and Gigaspora (Sp1 & Sp2) were found under all 14 shade tree species, whereas Acaulospora (Sp1) occurred only in slightly acidic soils, within a pH range of 4.93-5.75. Generally, roots of the coffee trees were colonized by arbuscules to a greater degree than those of their shade trees, the arbuscular colonization percentage (AC%) of the former being higher than the latter (signifIcant difference at 0.05 level). Though differences were not statistically signifIcant, the overall hyphal colonization percentage (HC%) and mycorrhizal hyphal colonization percentage (MHC%) were shown to be slightly higher under coffee trees than under their shade trees. However, the differences were statistically significant at 0.05 level in the case of HC% values of coffee trees under Pouteria adolf-friederici and MHC% under Cordia africana. Spore density and all types of proportional root colonization parameters (HC%, MHC%, AC% and vesicular colonization percentage, VC%) for both coffee and shade trees were negatively and significantly correlated with organic soil carbon, total N, available P, EC and Zn. Correlation between arbuscular colonization for coffee (AC%) and organic carbon was not significantly positive at a 0.05 level. Incidence of specific spore morphotypes was also correlated with physical and chemical soil properties. Results indicate that AM fungi could potentially be important in aforestation and help to promote coffee production activities in Ethiopia providing an alternative to expensive chemical fertilizer use, and would offer management methods that take advantage of natural systems dynamics that could potentially preserve and enhance coffee production. Key words: aforestation; agroforestry, coffee groves, ecology, integrated production systems, rhizosphere, sustainable agriculture, symbiosi

Investigating admitted patients' satisfaction with nursing care at Debre Berhan Referral Hospital in Ethiopia:a cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES: The aims of the study were (1) to assess the level of patient satisfaction with nursing care and (2) to identify factors influencing patient satisfaction. DESIGN: A hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted with 252 admitted patients in the medical, surgical and paediatric wards. SETTING: Debre Berhan Referral Hospital, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia, with a catchment population of 2.8 million. PARTICIPANTS: All patients admitted at least for 2 days and capable of independent communication were included. However, patients were excluded on any one of the following conditions: admitted for less than 2 days, cannot understand Amharic language, with critical illness or cognitive impairment that affects judgement, or inability to provide written informed consent. The mean age of the patients was 37.9 (SD=12.9) years, and half (50.4%) of them were male. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURE: Patient satisfaction with nursing care, measured by the Newcastle Satisfaction with Nursing Scale, was the outcome variable. Using a mean split approach, patient satisfaction scores were dichotomised into 'satisfied' and 'unsatisfied'. RESULTS: 49.2% of patients were satisfied with nursing care. Educational status and history of admission were significant factors influencing patient satisfaction with nursing care. Patients who had high educational status were 80% less satisfied compared with those who had no formal education (p=0.01, OR=0.2, 95% CI 0.1 to 0.7). Patients who had a history of admission were 2.2 times more satisfied compared with those who had no history of admission (p=0.02, OR=2.2, 95% CI 1.2 to 4.2). CONCLUSIONS: About half the admitted patients were satisfied with the nursing care. Satisfaction differed significantly by patients' educational attainment and history of admission. This study provided evidence on patient satisfaction with nursing care in Ethiopia. This information may be useful in comparative studies of patient satisfaction and in identifying characteristics that may explain or predict patient satisfaction