Land degradation in Ethiopia: What do stoves have to do with it?

Land degradation is a particularly vexing problem in developing countries; as forests are depleted, crop residues and dung are used for fuel, which degrades cropland. In Ethiopia, the government encourages tree planting and adoption of energy efficient stove technologies to mitigate land degradation. We use data from 200 households in Tigrai, Ethiopia to examine the adoption of new stove technologies. Adoption is an economic decision, related to savings in time spent collecting fuel and cooking, and cattle required for everyday purposes. Results indicate adopters of efficient stoves reduce respective wood and dung use by 68 and 316 kg per month.land degradation, technology adoption, Africa, Ethiopia

Land Degradation in Ethiopia: What Do Stoves Have To Do With It?

In Ethiopia deforestation is a major problem and many peasants have switched from fuelwood to dung for cooking and heating purposes, thereby damaging the agricultural productivity of cropland. The Ethiopian government has embarked on a two-pronged policy in an effort to stem deforestation and the degradation of agricultural lands: (i) tree planting or afforestation; (ii) dissemination of more efficient stove technologies. The motivation in here is, therefore, to examine the potential of the strategy of disseminating improved stoves in the rehabilitation of agricultural and forests lands. For empirical analysis we used a dataset on cross-section of 200 farm households from the highlands of Tigrai, northern Ethiopia. We used a two-step procedure reminiscent of hedonic pricing. Results in this paper indicate that farm households in Tigrai/ Ethiopia are willing to adopt new/improved stove innovations if these result in economic savings. Moreover, results suggest a significant positive impact in slowing the degradation of agricultural and forested lands. On a per household basis, we found that adopters will collect 68.3 kg less wood each month, while more dung in the form of manure becomes available as 19.899 kg less dung is collected each month. In terms of wood alone, assuming an average of 79 t of biomass per ha, we found the potential reduction in deforestation amounts to some 1,794 ha per year, not an inconsequential savings.land degradation, technology adoption, fuel-savings efficiency, stoves, Ethiopia, Land Economics/Use, Q12, Q16, Q24,

Nutritional Status of Adolescent Girls from Rural Communities of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Background: Addressing the nutritional needs of adolescents could be an important step towards breaking the vicious cycle of intergenerational malnutrition. Objective: Assess nutritional status of rural adolescent girls. Design: Cross-sectional. Methods: Anthropometric and socio-demographic information from 211 adolescent girls representing 650 randomly selected households from thirteen communities in Tigray was used in data analysis. Height-for-age and BMI-for-age were compared to the 2007 WHO growth reference. Data were analyzed using SAS, Version 9.1. Results: None of the households reported access to adolescent micronutrient supplementation. The girls were shorter and thinner than the 2007 WHO reference population. The cross-sectional prevalence of stunting and thinness were 26.5% and 58.3%, respectively. Lack of latrine facilities was significantly associated with stunting (p = 0.0033) and thinness (p <0.0001). Age was strong predictor of stunting (r(2) = 0.8838, p <0.0001) and thinness (r(2) = 0.3324, p <0.0001). Conclusion: Undernutrition was prevalent among the girls. Strategies to improve the nutritional status of girls need to go beyond the conventional maternal and child health care programs to reach girls before conception to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition. Further, carefully designed longitudinal studies are needed to identify the reasons for poor growth throughout the period of adolescence in this population. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2009; 23(1):5-11

Single versus multiple objective(s) decision making: an application to subsistence farms in Northern Ethiopia

Single objective approach is most widely used whereas consideration of multiple objectives is the rule rather than an exception in many real life decision-making circumstances. This paper, therefore, investigates whether or not single and multiple criteria/objective approaches necessarily lead to differing conclusions. The central questions are could the single objective approach be a reasonable approximation for subsistence farm settings or does the multiple objectives approach has anything to add? Does the pattern of resource allocation change when priorities attached to the different objectives/ goals change? The study employs linear and goal programming techniques on a dataset from a stratified sample of 200 farm households drawn from Tigrai regional state, Northern Ethiopia, for 2001 and 2002 production years. Findings reveal that the two approaches might not necessarily lead to differing conclusions.Keywords: Single versus Multiple Criteria/Objectives; Linear Programming, Goal Programming; Subsistence Farms; Northern Ethiopi

Electroencephalographic patterns in Ethiopian patients with epilepsy: A retrospective review

Background: Epilepsy is a common problem throughout sub-Saharan Africa, including Ethiopia. Electroencephalography (EEG) is useful for the diagnosis and proper treatment of this condition. However, the literature is scanty of reports describing EEG patterns in Ethiopian patients with epilepsy. This study attempts to bridge that gap and provide a baseline for further research into the etiological basis of specific epileptiform abnormalities.Objective: To review EEG patterns in Ethiopian patients with epilepsy.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed EEG records of patients with epilepsy presenting to a specialized referral hospital (Addis Ababa University Tikur Anbessa Teaching Hospital) and a private clinic (Yehuleshet Higher Clinic) between September 2008 and August 2010.Results: Two hundred and fifty one patients with mean age of 26 years (SD 14.8) and 1.2:1 male: female ratio was included in the study. One hundred and forty nine patients (59.4%) harbored EEG abnormalities. The majority of these abnormalities 61.1% were epileptiform discharges; the remainder 38.9% being nonspecific patterns. The most common epileptiform discharges were focal, with or without secondary generalization in 63.7%. These focal discharges originated from the left cerebral hemisphere in 43.1% cases and the right in 39.7%; 17.2% were bilateral. Multifocal cerebral and temporal lobe discharges accounted for 43.1% and 39.7% of all focal discharges, respectively.Conclusion: The most common EEG abnormalities in Ethiopian patients with epilepsy are focal interictal epileptiform discharges, typically originating from multifocal cerebral loci and the temporal lobe, without hemispheric lateralization. It provides a foundation for prospective studies to address the etiological basis of focal abnormalities

Khat use in persons with mental illness in Southwest Ethiopia: a cross- sectional study

Yosef Zenebe, Garumma Tolu Feyissa and Wolfgang Krah

Alcohol use disorders and its associated factors among psychiatric Outpatients in Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Southwest Ethiopia

Background: Worldwide, alcohol consumption caused 3.8 percent of all deaths and 4.5 percent of the total burden of disease in 2004. Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) are also a burden for individuals and society in Ethiopia. It is important to identify problematic alcohol use at an early stage, as this provides professionals with the opportunity to take preventive measures and, hence, reduce the problems caused by this consumption. The high prevalence of substance abuse problems among persons with psychiatric disorders calls for more effective alcohol and drug use assessment in psychiatric settings. Objectives: To assess prevalence of alcohol use disorders and its associated factors among psychiatric outpatients in Jimma University specialized hospital (JUSH) Methods: A university hospital based cross-sectional study of 365 psychiatric outpatients was conducted from 1st to 15th August 2013 in Jimma zone, south-west Ethiopia. The data were collected by interviewing all psychiatric outpatients coming for treatment at JUSH by using structured questionnaire. An alcohol use disorder was assessed using Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). All variables associated with AUDs with a p value ≤ 0.25 were included in the final multivariable model. Results: The estimated prevalence rate of AUD was 38.9%, with 23.3% hazardous drinking, 5.8% alcohol abuse and 9.8% alcohol dependence. In the final multiple logistic regression model AUD was significantly associated with Gender, Religion, Frequency of going to worship places and Cigarette smoking. Being female gender was less likely to develop AUD. Those who were orthodox religion followers, those who never went to the worship places and those who smoke cigarettes were more likely to have AUD. Conclusions: The high prevalence of AUDs detected in our facility-based survey of psychiatric outpatients in Ethiopia implies the need to design effective screening tools and feasible interventions for AUDs.Zenebe Y, Negash A, Feyissa GT and Krahl

Micro water harvesting for climate change mitigation: Trade-offs between health and poverty reduction in Northern Ethiopia

Water harvesting is an important tool for mitigating the adverse effects of climate change. This report investigates the trade-offs between health and poverty reduction by considering the impacts of water harvesting on health in Tigray region, northern Ethiopia. In particular, we assess the prevalence of malaria in association with ponds and wells. Moreover, the determinants of malaria incidence are explored with multivariate analysis. Additionally, we investigate people¿s willingness to pay (WTP) for improved malaria control using a contingent valuation method (CVM). In particular, we applied a double-bounded dichotomous choice CV surveys to elicit households¿ WTP for improved health services to control malaria. With interval regression, the WTP was explained as a function of household characteristics, health and health service conditions, and village level factors. The malaria prevalence rate is very high, more than 30 percent in low land communities, although rates are higher after rainy season. This suggests that ponds and wells are important factors in determining the prevalence of malaria. Better conditions of housing and toilet type, availability of bed nets reduce incidence. Pond and well ownership affects the WTP for improved malaria control in a negative and positive way respectively indicating differences in their economic attractiveness. WTP decreases with altitude and thus malaria incidence. Education and household asset holding generally increases WTP for improved health services. The results suggest that valuation results on household¿s WTP in poor economies may be underestimated because of cash constraint. Consequently, alternative payment vehicles in eliciting households¿ WTP have to be considered. Similarly, the estimated mean WTP for the external health cost of wells and ponds may be underestimated. In our case, ponds and wells are not fully exploited, as our results suggest that they do not contribute to household income or welfare. In that case, the presence of ponds and wells pose high external costs to the econom

How Can the Health System Retain Women in HIV Treatment for a Lifetime? A Discrete Choice Experiment in Ethiopia and Mozambique

Introduction: Option B+, an approach that involves provision of antiretroviral therapy (ART) to all HIV-infected pregnant women for life, is the preferred strategy for prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV. Lifelong retention in care is essential to its success. We conducted a discrete choice experiment in Ethiopia and Mozambique to identify health system characteristics preferred by HIV-infected women to promote continuity of care. Methods: Women living with HIV and receiving care at hospitals in Oromia Region, Ethiopia and Zambézia Province, Mozambique were shown nine choice cards and asked to select one of two hypothetical health facilities, each with six varying characteristics related to the delivery of HIV services for long term treatment. Mixed logit models were used to estimate the influence of six health service attributes on choice of clinics. Results: 2,033 women participated in the study (response rate 97.8% in Ethiopia and 94.7% in Mozambique). Among the various attributes of structure and content of lifelong ART services, the most important attributes identified in both countries were respectful provider attitude and ability to obtain non-HIV health services during HIV-related visits. Availability of counseling support services was also a driver of choice. Facility type, i.e., hospital versus health center, was substantially less important. Conclusions: Efforts to enhance retention in HIV care and treatment for pregnant women should focus on promoting respectful care by providers and integrating access to non-HIV health services in the same visit, as well as continuing to strengthen counseling