Nutritional status of children in food insecure households in two districts of north Showa zone, Ethiopia

Malnutrition is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality of children in Ethiopia. However, little information is available on nutritional status of the lower socioeconomic segment of the community to devise targeted tackling solutions and overcome severe malnutrition. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess nutritional status of children and other related information in food insecure households. Two hundred food insecure households (HHs) were selected from two districts of North Showa zone of Amhara in 2007. The criteria for inclusion were being landless, oxen-less, and/ or female headed. Anthropometric and clinical data were collected from a total of 239 (151 < 5yrs and 88, 6-12yrs) children. Data on demographic, childcare, feeding practices and morbidity status of children were collected using an interview, community focus group discussion and secondary data from district offices. The overall prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting was 54.2%, 40.2% and 10.6 %, respectively. Prevalence of night blindness and Bitot's spot were 3.1% and 3.5%, respectively. The median level of urinary iodine excretion by 6-12 years children was 1.5μg/L. Seventeen percent of the children were found iron deficient. Exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 month was practiced by less than 20% of the households. About fifty six percent of the households have cropland less than half a hectare and 50.8% of the households are getting water from unprotected well or spring. The main type of toilet facility being used was open bush/field (84.5%). The main income of the households was agriculture. The majority (45-50%) of the household heads in both districts are in the age ranges of 20-30 years. Fifty percent of the household heads can read and write. Lack of enough arable land, unreliable rain fall, extension of desertification, lack of scientific agricultural knowledge, absence of irrigation schemes, and shortage of skill in land use and management are some of the problems reported to contribute to food insecurity. The households are under severe malnutrition, food insecurity and poor childcare. Therefore, improvement of household resources by initiation of income generating livelihood options and knowledge based agriculture is needed

Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) in Burie and Womberma Districts, West Gojjam, Ethiopia

Iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) affect millions of people in developing countries mainly due to dietary iodine deficiency and aggravating factors that affect the bioavailability of iodine in the body. Iodine deficiency disorder is one of the public health problems of Ethiopia. Recent findings show that both endemic and non-endemic areas have high goiter rates. Burie and Womberma districts are two of the endemic goiter areas in the country. The etiology of goiter in these areas is not fully studied so far. The objective of this cross-sectional community based study was to assess the magnitude and causes of goiter. The study was conducted in July 2010. The sample size was determined by assuming 50% prevalence of total goiter rate, 5% error, 95% confidence interval, design effect of 1(random) and 5% of non-response rate. A two-stagerandom sampling (sub-district and village) was used to select children aged 6-12 years and their  biological mothers from10 randomly selected villages in each of the districts. Overall, 403 households participated in the study. The  assessment was conducted using palpation of thyroid size, urinary iodine level determination, household level interview and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The study revealed a total goiter prevalence rate of 54% and 30.1% in children and their biological mothers, respectively. More than 64% of the children were severely iodine deficient. The major cause for goiter as revealed by urinary iodine level and concentration of iodized salt is dietary iodine deficiency. There are no goitrogenic foods such as cassava; however, goitrogenic chemicals such as Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) were widely used. The study areas are known for surplus produce of cereals, legumes and chilli. In order to reverse the problem, immediate and sustainable distribution of iodated salt/oil capsule, prohibition of direct application of pesticides on foods and awareness creation on adverse effects of IDD and benefits of iodine nutrition is highly recommended.Key words: Goiter, Goitrogenic factors, Pesticides, Gojja

Nutritional Status Of Children In Food Insecure Households In Two Districts Of North Showa Zone, Ethiopia

Malnutrition is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality of children in Ethiopia. However, little information is available on nutritional status of the lower socioeconomic segment of the community to devise targeted tackling solutions and overcome severe malnutrition. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess nutritional status of children and other related information in food insecure households. Two hundred food insecure households (HHs) were selected from two districts of North Showa zone of Amhara in 2007. The criteria for inclusion were being landless, oxen-less, and/ or female headed. Anthropometric and clinical data were collected from a total of 239 (151 < 5yrs and 88, 6-12yrs) children. Data on demographic, childcare, feeding practices and morbidity status of children were collected using an interview, community focus group discussion and secondary data from district offices. The overall prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting was 54.2%, 40.2% and 10.6 %, respectively. Prevalence of night blindness and Bitot&apos;s spot were 3.1% and 3.5%, respectively. The median level of urinary iodine excretion by 6-12 years children was 1.5μg/L. Seventeen percent of the children were found iron deficient. Exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 month was practiced by less than 20% of the households. About fifty six percent of the households have cropland less than half a hectare and 50.8% of the households are getting water from unprotected well or spring. The main type of toilet facility being used was open bush/field (84.5%). The main income of the households was agriculture. The majority (45-50%) of the household heads in both districts are in the age ranges of 20-30 years. Fifty percent of the household heads can read and write. Lack of enough arable land, unreliable rain fall, extension of desertification, lack of scientific agricultural knowledge, absence of irrigation schemes, and shortage of skill in land use and management are some of the problems reported to contribute to food insecurity. The households are under severe malnutrition, food insecurity and poor childcare. Therefore, improvement of household resources by initiation of income generating livelihood options and knowledge based agriculture is needed

Surgical site infection and its associated factors following cesarean section: A cross sectional study from a public hospital in Ethiopia

Background: A cesarean section is a surgical procedure in which incisions are made through a woman's abdomen and uterus to deliver her baby. Surgical site infections are a common surgical complication among patients delivered with cesarean section. Further it caused to increase maternal morbidity, stay of hospital and the cost of treatment. Methods: Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the magnitude of surgical site infection following cesarean Site Infections and its associated factors at Lemlem Karl hospital July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2016. Retrospective card review was done on 384 women who gave birth via cesarean section at Lemlem Karl hospital from July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2016. Systematic sampling technique was used to select patient medical cards. The data were entered by Epi info version 7.2 then analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences windows version 20. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was done to test association between predictors and dependent variables. P value of < 0.05 was considered to declare the presence of statistically significantly association. Results: Among 384 women who performed cesarean section, the magnitude of surgical site infection following cesarean section Infection was 6.8%. The identified independent risk factors for surgical site infections were the duration of labor AOR=3.48; 95%CI (1.25, 9.68), rupture of membrane prior to cesarean section AOR=3.678; 95%CI (1.13, 11.96) and the abdominal midline incision (AOR=5.733; 95%CI (2.05, 16.00). Conclusions: The magnitude of surgical site infection following cesarean section is low compare to other previous studies. The independent associated factors for surgical site infection after cesarean section in this study: Membranes rupture prior to cesarean section, duration of labor and sub umbilical abdominal incision. In addition to ensuring sterile environment and aseptic surgeries, use of WHO surgical safety checklist would appear to be a very important intervention to reduce surgical site infections