Teachers’ Awareness, Attitude and Practice of Teaching Primary School Science Curriculum Vis-A-Vis Constructivist Approach

The purpose of this study was to investigate teachers’ awareness, attitude and practice of teaching primary school science curriculum towards constructivist approach. The study was to see how teachers teach the primary science curriculum at classroom level vis-à-vis constructivist approach, as well as, to identify teachers’ awareness and attitude toward constructivist view of teaching and learning in science education. The sources of the data were selected purposefully from science teachers, who teach from grade one to grade six, of one purposefully selected primary school. Qualitative research paradigm and case study research design were used as the methods of the study. The data was analyzed qualitatively. The result revealed that: 1) Teachers were using the traditional approach, lecture as pivotal tool in their classroom episodes; 2) Teachers did not have the understanding of constructivist approach in-depth. Teachers perceived as their direct teaching/purveying of scientific findings could develop the understanding of scientific concepts and skills; 3) Teachers’ attitude towards students’ motivation and capabilities in their learning with respect to constructivist view of learning reflected more of pessimistic views. This attitude is the result of the deep rooted thoughts of positivist/objectivist view and lack of awareness towards constructivist view of learning. Finally, the following solutions were recommended for the identified problems as:1) The Regional Education Bureau, the Zonal Education Office and the Town administration Education Office ought to provide workshops, short term trainings on constructivist approach as referent thinking in science education. 2) The Schools’ Administrators also need to arrange experience sharing among science teachers on content pedagogy in line to constructive view of learning. 3) Teachers educators ought to develop the understanding of the would-be teachers towards constructivist approach. Keywords: Constructivist approach, Awareness, Attitude and Practice DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-13-06 Publication date:May 31st 202

Livelihood Strategies and Food Security of Rural Households in Wolaita Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Despite the continuing economic dominance of agriculture in Wolaita, farm households widely engage in and pursue diverse livelihood activities to generate income and achieve food security. The major objectives of this study are to analyze households’ food security status as an outcome of livelihood strategies and identify factors affecting food security of rural farm households. For the purpose of this study primary data were collected from randomly selected 300 households in four woredas of the zone. The main tools of analysis for this study include descriptive statistics and logistic regression model. The finding of the survey result indicates that rural households in the study area practice diversified livelihood strategies, in that large part of the respondents (57.7%) combine agriculture with other activities (non/off-farm). Food security status of the households was analyzed based on nationally recommended calorie requirement (2200kcal) of the households. Based on this, about 57% of the sample households found to be food insecure. The relationship b/n rural households’ livelihood strategies and food security status depicted that majority of food secured households (62%) rely on farming alone as one of most important livelihood strategies. On the contrary, non-farming and off-farming activities were the common livelihood means which specifically practiced by food insecure households. Binary logit model results reveal that out of 25 explanatory variables included in the logistic model, 12 were found to be significant at less than 10% probability level. According to this, education, family size in AE, cultivated land size, frequency of extension visit, access for credit, access to farm plus off-farm activities, access to farm plus non-farm and off-farm activities, safety net aid, use of chemical fertilizer, cooperative membership and agro-ecological zone were found to be the most important determinants affecting the state of food security positively. On the other hand, family size in AE was found negatively and significantly affected food security status of the household. The finding of the study considers government and other concerned bodies to design appropriate development policies and strategies in relation to significant variables to bring sustainable livelihood improvement in attaining household food security goals. Keywords: Livelihood strategies, determinants of food security, rural households, binary logit model, Woliata, Ethiopi

Postharvest Ripening and Shelf Life of Mango (Mangifera indica L.) Fruit as Influenced by 1-Methylcyclopropene and Polyethylene Packaging

The mango (Mangifera indica L.) is a climacteric and highly perishable fruit that requires specialized postharvest handling to extend its storage life. The study was undertaken at Melkassa Agricultural Research Center (MARC) to evaluate the influence of 1-Methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) and polyethylene packaging (PP) on postharvest storage of mango. Fruits of two mango cultivars namely ‘Apple’ and ‘Kent’ were harvested at green-mature stage and were treated with gaseous 1-MCP (100 or 500 nLL-1) in closed plastic containers for 18 hours and then individual fruits were either packaged with perforated polyethylene bags or kept without packaging. They were stored up to 21 days under ambient condition at temperature of 25.7 ±2.6oC and relative humidify of 66.1±11.8%. Treatments were laid out in factorial arrangement in RCBD with three replications. The physiological weight loss (PWL), peel color change, firmness, juice content, total soluble solids (TSS) and titratable acidity (TA) were significantly (

Prevalence and associated factors of diabetic foot ulcers among type 2 diabetic patients attending chronic follow-up clinics at governmental hospitals of Harari Region, Eastern Ethiopia: A 5-year (2013-2017) retrospective study.

INTRODUCTION: Diabetic foot disease is a growing major public health problem and the leading cause of prolonged hospital admission, health-related costs, and reduced quality of life for diabetes patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) and its associated factors among type 2 diabetes patients in Harari Region, East Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based retrospective study was conducted from 28 March to 30 April 2018, among type 2 diabetes patients diagnosed between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2017, at three government hospitals of Harari Region. Data were collected using a standard checklist format. Data were entered into Epi Info Version 7 and analyzed using SPSS 24. Binary and multiple logistic regression models were used to determine the associated factors. Odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals was used to determine level of association. RESULT: A document of 502 type 2 diabetes patients was reviewed and included in the final analysis in this study. The prevalence of DFU among type 2 diabetes patients was 21.1%. Being currently married decreased the odds of DFU by 60% (adjusted odds ratio = 0.40; 95% confidence interval: 0.17-0.96). Factors associated with increased diabetes ulcers chance were physical inactivity 2.29 (adjusted odds ratio = 2.29; 95% confidence interval: 1.17-4.48), starting treatment with insulin 4.43 times (adjusted odds ratio = 4.43; 95% confidence interval: 1.84-10.67), obesity 27.76 (adjusted odds ratio = 27.76; 95% confidence interval: 13.96-55.23), delay to start follow-up 2.22 (adjusted odds ratio = 2.22; 95% confidence interval: 1.03-4.82), history of infection 3.50 (adjusted odds ratio= 3.50; 95% confidence interval: 1.83-6.69), and hypertension 3.99 (adjusted odds ratio = 3.99; 95% confidence interval: 2.08-7.65). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of DFU among type 2 diabetes is substantially high as more than one in five patients have this complication. Moreover, marital status, physical activity, baseline medication, obesity, delay for follow-up, infection history, and hypertension were significantly associated with the development of DFU

Prevalence of Cardiovascular Disease and Associated Factors Among Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Selected Hospitals of Harari Region, Eastern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most prevalent complication and the leading cause of death among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients have a 2- to 4-fold increased risk of CVD. There is a scarcity of data about the magnitude of CVD among patients with diabetes in Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of CVD among T2DM patients at selected hospitals of Harari regional state of Ethiopia. METHODS: This hospital-based retrospective data review was conducted among T2DM patients on follow-up in the diabetes clinics of selected hospitals of Harari regional state. The records of T2DM patients who have been diagnosed between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2017, were reviewed from March to April 2018. Data were collected by using structured checklists from all necessary documents of T2DM patients. Statistical analysis was done using STATA 14.1. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with CVD. RESULT: The records of 454 T2DM patients were extracted from three government hospitals in Harari regional state. Their age was ranging from 15 to 86 years with a mean age (±SD) of 45.39 (14.76). The overall prevalence of CVD among T2DM patients was 42.51%, composed of hypertensive heart diseases (38.99%), heart failure (6.83%), and stroke (2.20%). The final multivariate logistic regression model revealed that age older than 60 years [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.22; 95% CI: 1.71-6.09], being physically inactive (AOR = 1.45; 95 CI: 1.06-2.38), drinking alcohol (AOR = 2.39; 95% CI: 1.17-6.06), hypertension (AOR = 2.41; 95% CI: 1.52-3.83), body mass index >24.9 kg/m2 (AOR = 1.81; 95% CI: 1.07-3.07), and experiencing microvascular diabetic complications (AOR = 3.62; 95% CI: 2.01-6.53) were significantly associated with the odds of having CVD. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of CVD was high and associated with advanced age, physical inactivity, drinking alcohol, higher body mass index, hypertension, and having microvascular complications. Health care workers should educate T2DM patients about healthy lifestyles like physical activity, weight reduction, blood pressure control, and alcohol secession, which can reduce the risk of CVD

Evaluation of Banana (Musa spp.) Cultivars for Growth, Yield, and Fruit Quality

አህፅሮት ይህ ጥናት የተካሄደው ዘጠኝ (አራት ከውጪ የገቡ እና  አምስት ከሀገር ውስጥ የተሰበሰቡ) የሙዝ ዝርያዎችና አንድ በመመረት ላይ የሚገኝ የማወዳደሪያ ዝርያ በአራት የተለያዩ የሀገሪቱ አካባቢዎች ለሁለት የምርት ዓመታት ያላቸውን የዕድገት፣ ምርት እና ጥራት ሁኔታ ለመገምገም ነበር፡፡ በእያንዳንዱ የሙከራ ቦታ እያንዳንዱ ዝርያ ሶስት ጊዜ በተለያየ ረድፍ ተተክሎ አስፈላጊው እንክብካቤ እየተደረገላቸው ተገምግመዋል፡፡ የተገኘው መረጃ እንደሚያመለክተው በተክል ቁመት፣ ተተክሎ ማበብ እስከሚጀምር እና ተተክሎ ምርት እስከሚደርስ በሚወስደው ጊዜ፣ በአምባዛ (ዘለላ) ክብደት፣ በፍሬ ውፍረት፣ በፍሬ ርዝመት፣ በፍሬ ክብደት፣ በምርት መጠን፣ በልጣጭ ውፍረት፣ የሚበላው ክፍል ከልጣጩ ጋር ባለው ጥምርታ፣ በሚሟሙ ጠጣሮች መጠን፣ በአሲድ መጠን፣ በፒኤች፣ በፍሬ እርጥበት እና በፍሬ የአመድ ይዘት መጠን በዝርያዎች መካከል ከፍተኛ ልዩነት ተመዝግቧል፡ እንደአጠቃላይ ዝርያዎቹ አጭርና ወፍራም ተክል (ግንድ) ነበራቸው፡፡ ዝርያዎቹ ተተክለው እስኪያብቡ ከ243.8 እስከ 316.8 ቀናት እንዲሁም ተተክለው ምርታቸው እስኪሰበሰብ ከ374.4 እስከ 446.7 ቀናት ወስዶባቸዋል፡፡ የሁሉም የሙከራ አካባቢዎች አማካይ የምርት መጠን ከ43.67 እስከ 52.46 ቶን በሄክታር ሆኖ ተመዝግቧል፡፡ አምስት ዝርያዎች ከማወዳደሪያው ዝርያ አኳያ ተወዳዳሪ (ተመሳሳይ) የሆነ ምርት አስመዝግበዋል፡፡ በስሜት ህዋሳት አማካኝነት በተካሄደ የትንተና መረጃ መሰረት ሁሉም ዝርያዎች በቀማሾች ዘንድ ተመራጭ ሆነዋል፡፡ ከማወዳደሪያ ዝርያው አኳያ እጩ ዝርያዎች ከፍተኛ የሚሟሙ ጠጣሮች መጠን፣ ፎስፎረስ እና ፖታሲየም እንዲሁም አነስተኛ የአሲድ መጠን አስመዝግበዋል፡፡ የፍሬ እርጥበትና የአመድ ይዘት መጠን እንደቅደምተከተላቸው ከ71.53 እስከ 76.56 በመቶ እና ከ2.5 እስከ 3.36 በመቶ ሆኖ ተመዝግቧል፡፡ የዕድገት፣ የምርትና የጥራት መረጃዎችን መሰረት በማድረግ ‘ሌዲ ፊንገር’ እና ‘ድንኬ-1’ የተባሉት ዝርያዎች በዋና ዋና የሙዝ አምራች አካባቢዎች ወደምርት እንዲገቡ ምክር ተሰጥቷል፡፡   Abstract A study was conducted to evaluate four introduced and five local banana cultivars with a check variety for growth, yield and quality performances at four locations for two crop cycles. The experiment was laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The results revealed significant varietal differences in plant height, days to shooting, time from planting to harvest, bunch weight, finger diameter, length and weight, yield, peel thickness, pulp-to-peel ratio, soluble solids, titratable acidity, pH, moisture and ash contents. The cultivars had generally short and thick plants. Cultivars took from 243.8 to 316.8 days to flowering while from 374.4 to 446.7 days to first harvest. The yield ranged from 43.67 to 52.46 t ha-1. Five cultivars had comparable yields to the check. The sensory results indicated that all the cultivars were generally preferred. The candidate cultivars recorded higher soluble solids, phosphorus and potassium, but lower titratable acidity than the check. The moisture and ash contents ranged from 71.53 to 76.56% and 2.50 to 3.36%, respectively. Considering the growth and yield performances as well as fruit physicochemical and sensory characteristics, ‘Lady Finger’ and ‘Dinke-1’ are recommended for production in the major banana growing areas of Ethiopia

Khat and alcohol use and risky sex behaviour among in-school and out-of-school youth in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Khat (an evergreen plant with amphetamine-like properties) and alcohol are widely consumed among the youth of Ethiopia. However, their relationship to risky sexual behaviour is not well described. This study was conducted to describe the magnitude of risky sexual behaviour (unprotected sex and early initiation of sexual activity) and its association with Khat and alcohol consumption in Ethiopian youths. METHODS: A probabilistic national sample of 20,434 in-school and out-of-school youths aged between 15 and 24 years of age was selected and interviewed regarding their sexual behavior and substance use. RESULTS: Over 20% of out-of-school youth had unprotected sex during the 12-month period prior to interview compared to 1.4% of in-school youth. Daily Khat intake was also associated with unprotected sex: adjusted OR (95% CI) = 2.26 (1.92, 2.67). There was a significant and linear association between alcohol intake and unprotected sex, with those using alcohol daily having a three fold increased odds compared to those not using it: adj. OR (95% CI) = 3.05 (2.38, 3.91). Use of substances other than Khat was not associated with unprotected sex, but was associated with initiation of sexual activity: adj. OR (95% CI) = 2.54 (1.84, 3.51). CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of out-of-school youth engage in risky sex. The use of Khat and alcohol and other substances is significantly and independently associated with risky sexual behaviour among Ethiopian youths

Antenatal care utilization and nutrition counseling are strongly associated with infant and young child feeding knowledge among rural/semi-urban women in Harari region, Eastern Ethiopia

There is a gap in evidence linking antenatal care (ANC) utilization, nutrition counseling, and knowledge of pregnant women about infant and young child feeding (IYCF), particularly in low-income settings. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the association between ANC follow-up and nutrition counseling with IYCF knowledge. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 390 pregnant women in the rural kebeles of the Harari region from January to June 2019. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews on tablet computers. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression were employed. An adjusted odds ratio (with 95% CI) was used to determine the strength of association between IYCF knowledge with ANC follow-up and nutrition counseling by adjusting for educational status, occupation, gravida, and distance to the nearest health center. Overall, 54.4% [95% CI 49.2, 59.2] of currently pregnant women were knowledgeable about IYCF of which only 20% started ANC follow-up and 24.4% received nutrition counseling. Out of 288 multigravida women, only 51.4% had ANC follow-up during their last pregnancy. In the adjusted model, ANC follow-up during the current pregnancy (AOR 1.85, 95% CI 1.07–3.22), those who received nutrition counseling (AOR 1.92, 95% CI 1.09–3.38), literate in education (AOR 1.71, 95% CI 1.07–2.73), multigravida (AOR 1.96, 95% CI 1.12–3.43), and far from the nearest health center (AOR 0.95, 95% CI 0.93–0.97) were significantly associated with the mothers IYCF knowledge. Thus, health care providers should encourage mothers to attend ANC during pregnancy and provide nutrition counseling about the IYCF

Risk factors of visceral leishmaniasis: a case control study in north-western Ethiopia

Background Visceral leishmaniasis (VL, also called “kala-azar”), is a life threatening neglected tropical infectious disease which mainly affects the poorest of the poor. VL is prevalent in Ethiopia particularly in the northwest of the country. Understanding the risk factors of VL infection helps in its prevention and control. The aim of the present study was to identify the factors associated with VL. Methods A case–control study was carried out during the period of January-July 2013 in northwest Ethiopia. Cases and controls were diagnosed using clinical presentation, the rk39 rapid diagnostic test and Direct Agglutination Test (DAT). A total of 283 (84.8% males versus 15.2% females) participants were interviewed. 90 cases and 193 controls were involved, matched by age, sex and geographical location with a ratio of 1:2 (case: controls). Univariate and backward multivariate conditional logistic regression were used to identify risk factors of VL. Results Elevated odds of VL was associated with goat ownership (OR = 6.4; 95%: confidence interval [Cl]: 1.5-28.4), living in houses with cracked wall (OR = 6.4; 95% Cl: 1.6-25.6), increased family size (OR = 1.3; 95% Cl: 1.0-1.8) and the number of days spent in the farm field (OR = 1.1; 95% Cl: 1.0-1.2). However, daily individual activities around the home and farm fields, mainly sleeping on a bed (OR = 0.2; 95%: Cl 0.03-0.9), sleeping outside the house under a bed net (OR = 0.1; 95% Cl: 0.02-0.36)] and smoking plant parts in the house during the night time (OR = 0.1; 95% Cl: 0.01-0.6) were associated with decreased odds of being VL case. Conclusion Our findings showed that use of bed net and smoke could be helpful for the prevention of VL in the area particularly among individuals who spend most of their time in the farm. VL control effort could be focused on improving housing conditions, such as sealing cracks and crevices inside and outside houses. Further research is warranted to elucidate the role of goats in the transmission of L. donovani, assess the impact of bed nets and the role of the traditional practice of smoking plants