Utilization of Institutional Delivery Service in a Predominantly Pastoralist Community of Northeast Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality is high in sub-Saharan Africa, and most deaths occur around childbirth. In Ethiopia, most births happen at home without skilled delivery attendants, and particularly, the least utilization of skilled delivery is recorded in Afar Region. The factors that influence this utilization are not well documented in the region where utilization has been low. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of utilization of institutional delivery and associated factors.METHODS: A cross-section study with pretested structural questionnaire was conducted from August 5 to September 27, 2015, among women who gave birth within 24 months preceding the survey. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was done to identify factors associated with utilization of institutional delivery.RESULTS: Out of the total 1842 women, only 339(18.4%) of mothers reported having delivered their youngest child at a health facility. Home delivery was preferred due to cultural norms, lowrisk perception, and distance from a health facility. The odds of delivering in a health facility were higher for mothers who attended at least four antenatal visits during the index pregnancy (AOR=3.08,95%CI=1.91-4.96), those whose husbands were educated to secondary school (AOR= 1.86, 95% CI=1.34-2.60), and those that had at least secondary school level education themselves (AOR=1.52, 95% CI=1.03-2.23).CONCLUSION: Utilization of institution delivery among Afar communities is very low, and less educated mothers are lagging behind. Women’s education and full attendance to antenatal care can help increase utilization of skilled delivery services. Qualitativestudies to identify socio-cultural barriers are also essential

Investigation of University Students’ Writing Problems: Two Public Universities in South West Ethiopia in Focus

Communication through writing demands various skills and sub-skills. However, it appears that university students in the Ethiopian context do not have various major writing skills and sub-skills as it is required. As a result, they face different problems when they write in English. Thus, the main objective of this study was to assess the writing problems of university students who learned at Jimma and Mizan-Tepi universities in 2015/16 academic year. The participants of the study were first year students who learned at the two universities. The necessary data for the study were gathered through writing tests at sentence and paragraph levels. The collected data were analyzed using textual analysis. The study showed that the students could not identify the basic elements of a sentence like the verb, complement and object. The majority of them could not identify and correct various sentence errors as well. The study also showed that nearly no student could pinpoint his/her writing problems and suggest possible solutions to his/her writing problems. Finally, recommendations have been suggested based on the major findings of the study

Superovulation Response and In vivo Embryo

 አህፅሮት የጥናቱ ዋና ዓሊማ ንፁህ የቦረና ሊሞችና የቦረና ዲቃሊ ሊሞች ተጨማሪ ዕንቁሊል የማኮረትና ፅንስ የመስጠት አቅማቸውን ሇማጥናት የተሰራነው፡፡ ሊሞች በሦስት ቡድን ተከፍሇው 300፣ 250 እና 200 አይ.ዩ. ኤፍ.ኤስ.ኤች. ሆርሞን ተሰጣቸው፤ ከዚያም የኮርማ ፍሊጎት እስከሚያሳዩበት የወሰደባቸው ጊዜ፣ የኮርማ ፍሊጎት እያሳዩ የሚቆዩት ጊዜ እና ጠቅሊሊ አኮርተው የሇቀቁት ዕንቁሊል ቁጥር በማየት ሇሆርሞኑ የነበራቸው ምሊሽ ተጠንቷል፡፡ ተጨማሪ ዕንቁሊል እንዲያኮርቱ ሇማድረግ ሆርሞን በተሰጣቸው በ16-17 ቀን ሊይ ፅንሶችን በመሰብሰብ የዕድገታቸው ሁኔታና ጥራት ግምገማ ተደርጓል፡፡ በመጨረሻው ጊዜ ሆርሞን ከተሰጠበት የኮርማ ፍሊጎት እስከሚያሳዩበት ጊዜ በአማካይ 20.4 ሰዓታ የወሰደባቸው ሲሆን በቦረና እና በዲቃሎቻቸው መካከል የጎሊ የሰዓታት ልዩነት አልታየም፡፡ ይሁን እንጂ ከተሰጣቸው ሦስት የተሇያየ የሆርሞን መጠን 250 አይ.ዩ የወሰዱት ቀደም ብሇው በ10 ሰዓታ ውስጥ የኮርማ ፍሊጎት አሳይተዋል፡፡ የተኮረቱት ዕንቁሊል ቁጥር ሲታይ ቦረናዎች (10.1 ዕንቁሊል) ከዲቃሎቻቸው የተሸሇ በዛ ያለ አዘጋጅተዋል፡፡ የፅንስ ብዛትም ሲታይ ቦረናዎች 4 ሲሰጡ ዲቃሎቻቸው 2.67 ሰጥተዋል፡፡ ከፅንስ ዕድገትና ጥራት ግምገማ ውጤት ቦረናዎች ሉተሊሇፉ የሚችለ ፅንስ 3.8 ሲሆን የዲቃሎቻቸው 2.67 ነበር፡፡ በመሆኑም በታዩት መስፈርቶች ቦረና ሊሞች ከዲቃሎቻቸው የተሸሇ ዕንቁሊ ማኮረት እንደሚችለና የተሻሇ የዕድገት ደረጃና ጥራት ያሇው ፅንስ መስጠት የሚችል አቅም እንዳሇቸው ታይቷል፡፡ AbstractBoran (n=25) and Boran*Holstein (n=11) cows were superovullatedFSH with three doses level (300, 250 and 200IU) divided in to morning and afternoon decreasing doses over 4 daysto study the superovulatory response and embryo production potential. Time to estrus, duration of estrus, and CL count were used to determine superovulatory response. Embryos were flushed on Day 16/17 by non-surgical gravitational method and evaluated for development stage, and quality grade. The mean (±SEM) time interval from CIDR withdrawal to onset of estrus was 20.4±1.8 hours, and breed difference was not significant.However, the interval from CIDR removal to onset of estrus was shorter (p=0.01) in cows treated with 250 IU FSH (10.75±3.3 hours) than in cows received 200 or 300 IU. The total CL count was significantly higher (p=0.01) in Boran (10.1CL/cow/cycle) than Boran x Holstein cows (7.2CL/cow/cycle). A mean number of 4.1 and 2.67embryos’/cow were flushed from Boran and Boran*Holstein, respectively. The average transferable embryos/cow were 3.8±0.57 and 2.67±0.99 in Boran and Boran*Holstein, respectively. And hence, Boran cows’ response to superovulation and yield of better quality and number of embryo than their Boran*Holstein counterparts showed the high potential of the breed for in-vivo and in-vitro embyo production

Individual and community-level factors associated with khat (Catha edulis) use among women of reproductive age in Halaba zone, South Ethiopia: a multilevel mixed effect analysis

IntroductionThere is a paucity of data on factors associated with khat chewing among women of reproductive age using multilevel analysis. Furthermore, the effects of some potential factors like stressful life events, knowledge about and attitude toward the effects of khat have been given little attention and are not well understood. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the prevalence and multilevel factors associated with khat use among women of reproductive age in Halaba zone, South Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross sectional study was conducted in Halaba zone from February to July, 2023. Systematic random sampling technique was used to include 1573 study participants. The dependent variable was current khat use, which is operationalized as using khat within 30 days preceding the study. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used for the data collection.ResultsThe prevalence of current khat use among women of reproductive age was 65.9% [95%CI (63.5-68.2%)]. Factors significantly associated with khat use were; ages of women 35 and above years [Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 6.35, 95% CI: (3.62, 11.13)], ever married [AOR = 2.41, 95% CI: (1.10, 5.31)], secondary and above education [AOR = 0.28, 95% CI: (0.15, 0.49)], belong to richer household [AOR = 1.75, 95% CI: (1.12, 2.75)], mass media use [AOR = 3.12, 95% CI: (1.85, 4.81)], low knowledge about khat effects [AOR = 3.12, 95% CI: (1.85, 5.24)], positive attitude towards khat use [AOR = 11.55, 95% CI: (6.76, 19.71)], and strong social support [AOR = 0.43, 95% CI: (0.28, 0.64)] and non-user friend [AOR = 0.31, 95% CI: (0.20, 0.48)]. From the community level variables: rural residence [AOR = 5.06, 95% CI: (1.82, 14.09)] was significantly associated with khat use.ConclusionKhat use among women of reproductive age was found to be very high. From individual-level factors: advanced ages of women, secondary and above education, live in the richer wealth quintile, mass media exposure, low knowledge on khat effects, positive attitude towards khat use, strong social support, and from community-level variables: residing in rural area were significantly associated with khat use. Khat use screening for all women of childbearing age, as well as referral to substance use disorder centers for those women identified as having khat use disorder, should become a standard of care in all health facilities

Almost all working adults have at least one risk factor for non-communicable diseases: Survey of working adults in Eastern Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION: The disease burden and mortality related to Non-communicable Diseases (NCD) increased in the last couple of decades in Ethiopia. As a result, an estimated 300,000 deaths per annum were due to NCD. According to a World Health Organization report, 39% of the total deaths in Ethiopia were attributable to NCD. Rapid urbanization characterized by unhealthy lifestyles such as tobacco and/or alcohol use, physical inactivity, low fruits and vegetable consumption, and overweight drive the rising burden of NCD. However, studies on risk factors for NCD and associated variables are limited among working adults in Eastern Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the magnitude of the risk factors of NCD and associated factors among working adults in Eastern Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 1,200 working adults in Eastern Ethiopia that were selected using a simple random sampling technique from December 2018 to February 2019. Data were collected following the World Health Organization Stepwise Approach to NCD Risk Factor Surveillance (WHO STEP) instruments translated into the local language. A total of five risk factors were included in the study. The Negative Binomial Regression Model was used to determine the association between NCD risk factor scores and other independent variables. Adjusted incidence rate ratio (AIRR) with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was used to report the findings while the association was declared significant at a p-value of less than 0.05. STATA version 16.1 was used for data clearing, validating and statistical analysis. RESULTS: Totally, 1,164 (97% response rate) participants were employed for analysis. Overall, 95.8% (95% CI: 94.4-96.7%) of the participants had at least one of the five risk factors of NCD. Furthermore, the proportion of participants that had all NCD risk factors was 0.3%. Among the participants, 47.5% were alcohol drinkers, 5.1% were current smokers, 35.5% were overweight, 49.1% exercise low physical activity, and 95% had less than five portions of fruits and vegetables intake per day. Higher risk factor scores were associated with those of advanced age (AIRR = 1.24; 95% CI: 1.01-1.53 in 35-44 age group and AIRR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.01-1.62 in 45-54 age group), and the ones who are higher educational level (AIRR = 1.23; 95% CI: 1.07-1.43 for those who have completed secondary school and AIRR = 1.29; 95% CI: 1.11-1.50 for those who have completed college education). CONCLUSION: The overwhelming majority (95.8%) of the participants had at least one risk factor for non-communicable diseases. The risk score of non-communicable diseases was higher among those with advanced age and who completed secondary and above levels of education. In a nutshell, the finding shows the need for lifestyle modification and comprehensive non-communicable diseases prevention programs for working adults in Eastern Ethiopia

Determinants of patient delay in diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis in somali pastoralist setting of Ethiopia : a matched case-control study

Background; : Healthcare-seeking behavior is the basis to ensure early diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in settings where most cases are diagnosed upon self-presentation to health facilities. Yet, many patients seek delayed healthcare. Thus, we aimed to identify the determinants of patient delay in diagnosis of pulmonary TB in Somali pastoralist area, Ethiopia.; Methods; : A matched case-control study was conducted between December 2017 and October 2018. Cases were self-presented and newly diagnosed pulmonary TB patients aged ≥ 15 years who delayed > 30 days without healthcare provider consultation, and controls were patients with similar inclusion criteria but who consulted a healthcare provider within 30 days of illness; 216 cases sex-matched with 226 controls were interviewed using a pre-tested questionnaire. Hierarchical analysis was done using conditional logistic regression.; Results; : After multilevel analysis, pastoralism, rural residence, poor knowledge of TB symptoms and expectation of self-healing were individual-related determinants. Mild-disease and manifesting a single symptom were disease-related, and >1 h walking distance to nearest facility and care-seeking from traditional/religious healers were health system-related determinants of patient delay > 30 days [; p; < 0.05].; Conclusion; : Expansion of TB services, mobile screening services, and arming community figures to identify and link presumptive cases can be effective strategies to improve case detection in pastoral settings

Delay in diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis increases the risk of pulmonary cavitation in pastoralist setting of Ethiopia

Delay in diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) leads to severe disease, adverse outcomes and increased transmission. Assessing the extent of delay and its effect on disease progression in TB affected settings has clinical and programmatic importance. Hence, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible effect of delay on infectiousness (cavitation and smear positivity) of patients at diagnosis in Somali pastoralist area, Ethiopia.; A cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2017 and October 2018, and 434 newly coming and confirmed PTB patients aged ≥15 years were recruited in five facilities. Data were collected using interview, record-review, anthropometry, Acid-fast bacilli and chest radiography techniques. Log-binomial regression models were used to reveal the association of delay and other factors associated with cavitation and smear positivity, and ROC Curve was used to determine discriminative ability and threshold delays.; Median age of patients was 30 years. Of all, 62.9% were males, and 46.5% were pastoralists. Median diagnosis delay was 49 days (IQR = 33-70). Cavitation was significantly associated with diagnosis delay [P < 0.001]; 22.2% among patients diagnosed within 30 days of illness and 51.7% if delay was over 30 days. The threshold delay that optimizes cavitation was 43 days [AUC (95% CI) = 0.67(0.62-0.72)]. Smear positivity was significantly increased in patients delayed over 49 days [p = 0.02]. Other factors associated with cavitation were age ≤ 35 years [APR (95% CI) =1.3(1.01-1.6)], chronic diseases [APR (95% CI) = 1.8(1.2-2.6)] and low MUAC*; female; [APR (95% CI) = 1.8(1.2-2.8)]. Smear positivity was also associated with age ≤ 35 years [APR (95% CI) =1.4(1.1-1.8)], low BMI [APR (95% CI) =1.3(1.01-1.7)] and low MUAC [APR (95% CI) =1.5(1.2-1.9)].; This study highlights delay in diagnosis of pulmonary TB remained high and increased infectiousness of patients in pastoral settings of Ethiopia. Hence, delay should be targeted to improve patient outcomes and reduce transmission in such settings

Co-occurrence of hypertension and type 2 diabetes: prevalence and associated factors among Haramaya University employees in Eastern Ethiopia

BackgroundBoth hypertension (HTN) and diabetes are public health concerns in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries. The co-occurrence of HTN and diabetes is associated with an increased risk of mortality, morbidity, and reduced productivity in the working force. In Ethiopia, there is limited evidence on the co-occurrence of HTN and type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the co-occurrence of HTN and T2DM and their associated factors among Haramaya University employees in Eastern Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,200 employees at Haramaya University using a simple random sampling technique from December 2018 to February 2019. Demographic and behavioral factors were collected on a semi-structured questionnaire, followed by measurement of anthropometry and blood pressure. Blood glucose and lipid profile measurements were performed by collecting 6 ml of venous blood samples after 8 h of overnight fasting. Data were entered into EpiData 3.1 version and analyzed using Stata 16 software. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions were applied to observe the association between independent variables with co-occurrence of HPN and T2DM using odds ratio, 95% confidence interval (CI), and p-values of ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.ResultsThe prevalence of HTN and T2DM was 27.3 and 7.4%, respectively. The co-occurrence of HTN and T2DM was 3.8%. The study found that being older (AOR = 3.97; 95 % CI: 1.80–8.74), khat chewing (AOR = 2.76; 95 % CI: 1.23–6.18), body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2 (AOR = 5.11; 95 % CI: 2.06–12.66), and sedentary behavior ≥8 h per day (AOR = 6.44; 95 % CI: 2.89–14.34) were statistically associated with co-occurrence of HTN and T2DM. On the other hand, consuming fruits and vegetables (AOR = 0.10; 95 % CI: 0.04–0.22) and a higher level of education (AOR = 0.39; 95% CI: 0.17–0.89) were negatively statistically associated with the co-occurrence of HTN and T2DM.ConclusionThe co-occurrence of HTN and T2DM was prevalent among the study participants. This may create a substantial load on the healthcare system as an end result of increased demand for healthcare services. Therefore, rigorous efforts are needed to develop strategies for screening employees to tackle the alarming increase in HTN and T2DM in university employees

Organic–inorganic hybrid salt and mixed ligand Cr(III) complexes containing the natural flavonoid chrysin: Synthesis, characterization, computational, and biological studies

Organic–inorganic hybrid salt and mixed ligand Cr(III) complexes (Cr1 and Cr2) containing the natural flavonoid chrysin were synthesized. The metal complexes were characterized using UV-Vis, Fourier-transform infrared, MS, SEM-EDX, XRD, and molar conductance measurements. Based on experimental and DFT/TD-DFT calculations, octahedral geometries for the synthesized complexes were suggested. The powder XRD analysis confirms that the synthesized complexes were polycrystalline, with orthorhombic and monoclinic crystal systems having average crystallite sizes of 21.453 and 19.600 nm, percent crystallinities of 51% and 31.37%, and dislocation densities of 2.324 × 10−3 and 2.603 × 10−3 nm-2 for Cr1 and Cr2, respectively. The complexes were subjected to cytotoxicity, antibacterial, and antioxidant studies. The in vitro biological studies were supported with quantum chemical and molecular docking computational studies. Cr1 showed significant cytotoxicity to the MCF-7 cell line, with an IC50 value of 8.08 μM compared to 30.85 μM for Cr2 and 18.62 μM for cisplatin. Cr2 showed better antibacterial activity than Cr1. The higher EHOMO (−5.959 eV) and dipole moment (10.838 Debye) values of Cr2 obtained from the quantum chemical calculations support the observed in vitro antibacterial activities. The overall results indicated that Cr1 is a promising cytotoxic drug candidate

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life of Children Born With Orofacial Clefts in Ethiopia and Their Parents

Objective: To assess the oral health–related quality of life (OH-RQoL) using a translated standardized measure in an understudied population of Ethiopian children born with orofacial clefts (OFCs) and their parents. Methods: Using a descriptive study design, we assessed the OH-RQoL of 41 patients with OFCs between the ages of 8 and 17 years and their parents. Participants received multidisciplinary cleft care from 2008 to 2016. They completed an Amharic translation of the Child Oral Health Impact Profile (COHIP). Results: There was strong internal reliability with the translated COHIP for parents and patients. Parents’ COHIP scores ranged from 67 to 186, and patients’ scores were 78 to 190. The mean for patients and parents was 155, indicating good OH-RQoL. Conclusion: The Amharic translation of the COHIP appears appropriate for use with families in Ethiopia. Both parents and patients reported OH-RQoL at similar levels as other international populations. </jats:sec