Assessment of vitamin A supplementation coverage and its association with childhood illness in Boloso Sore Woreda, Welayta Zone, SNNP Region, Ethiopia

Background: Vitamin A plays vital role in the physiology of vision and immunity. Globally quarters of a billion children are Vitamin A deficient. Vitamin A supplementation of children and mothers during postpartum period is a key strategy to avert the deficiency. However the effect of Vitamin A supplementation on incidence of childhood illnesses is controversial. Objective: To assess the effect of Vitamin A supplementation on the reduction of common childhood illnesses, and to measure the coverage of vitamin A supplementation among children aged 6-59 months and mothers during postpartum period. Methods: A retrospective cohort study which involves comparison between Vitamin A supplemented and nonsupplemented children was conducted in Feb 2008 in Boloso Sore Woreda, Wolayta Zone, SNNPR. A total of 1601 children aged 6-59 months were selected using Probability Proportional to Size (PPS) sampling technique. Results: Vitamin A supplementation coverage among children (6-59 months) was 83.1% and among women (in postpartum period) who had given birth in the preceding 12 months of the survey was 13.2%. In comparison with the corresponding level in 2005, the coverage in the area has increased significantly (

Consumption of vitamin a rich foods and dark adaptation threshold of pregnant women at Damot Sore District, Wolayita, southern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: More than 7.2 million pregnant women in developing countries suffer from vitamin A deficiency. The objective of this study was to assess dark adaptation threshold of pregnant women and related socio-demographic factors in Damot Sore District, Wolayita Zone, Southern Ethiopia.METHODS: A cross-sectional study design was employed to collect data from 104 pregnant women selected by a two stage cluster sampling. A Dietary Diversity Score was calculated by counting the number of food groups consumed by the women in 24 hour period prior to the study. Scotopic Sensitivity Tester-1 was used to test participant’s pupillary response to graded amounts of light in a dark tent. RESULTS: Half of the pregnant women in this study had dietary diversity score less than three. The majority of participants (87.5%) had consumed either animal or plant source vitamin A rich foods less than three times a week. For a unit increase in individual dietary diversity score, there was a decrease in dark adaptation measurement by 0.29 log cd/m2 (p=0.001). For a unit increase in gestational week of pregnancy, there was an increase in dark adaptation measurement by 0.19 log cd/m2 (P=0.027). CONCLUSIONS: Results from this study indicated that the pregnant women had low consumption of vitamin A rich foods, and their dark adaptation threshold increases with gestational age indicating that their vitamin A status is getting worse. There is a need to design appropriate intervention and target this group of population.KEYWORDS: Vitamin A deficiency, pregnant women, dark adaptation threshold, Southern Ethiopi

Performance evaluation of commercial sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) cultivars for yield and yield related traits in Wolaita, Southern Ethiopia

Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) is cultivated in Ethiopia as a cash crop, export commodity, and raw material for sesame oil industries. It has surged up as a silver line regarding its contribution to the export earnings for Ethiopians. Sesame cultivation was not widely known in Wolaita area although the area could be a potential cultivation location for wider production of sesame in the country. Therefore, to evaluate performance in terms of yield and yield related traits for selection of the best performing cultivars to enhance productivity and larger production, ten sesame cultivars were laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications at two districts (Humbo and Kindo-Koysha) for two years (2017-2018). Analysis of variance showed that cultivars Mehado-80 (154 cm), Adi (153 cm), and Tate (149 cm) have grown to significantly higher heights over the rest of the cultivars. Mehado-80 and Tate had a significantly higher number of primary branches (mean values across locations 9.3, 8.7 and 8.6, respectively). The cultivar Tate had the highest number of capsules (97.9) per plant, which had also the highest genotypic variation (428.54). The highest genotypic coefficient of variance (45.58%) was recorded for seed yield. Days to 50% flowering and 90% maturity exhibited the lowest phenotypic coefficient of variation, 7.16%, and 3.69%, respectively. Heritability in a broad sense (h2b) ranged from 13.32% for plant height to 32.43% for thousand seed weight. The interaction effects had showed no significant difference (P>0.05) for most of the studied traits. Cultivars Tate (1200 kg/ha), Serkamo (917 kg/ha) and Kelafo-74 (875 kg/ha) scored significantly higher seed yield at Kindo-Koysha site whereas Tate (1208 kg/ha, S (1042 kg/ha) and Mehado-80 (1021 kg/ha) scored significantly higher seed yield at Humbo site. Hence these cultivars could, respectively, be used as a potential cultivar for Kindo-Koysha and Humbo districts of Wolaita zone, while cultivar Tate exhibited the highest seed yield at both locations and hence recommended for Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia

Iodine deficiency in primary school children and knowledge of iodine deficiency and iodized salt among caretakers in Hawassa Town: Southern Ethiopia

Background: More than two billion individuals worldwide have inadequate iodine intake and the adverse consequences of iodine deficiency are widely observed.Objective: To assess the iodine status of primary school children and the knowledge of iodine deficiency disorders among their caretakers.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Hawassa Town, Southern Ethiopia. The study participants were school children (n=116) aged 7-9 years. A two-stage sampling method was used to select participants. Goiter and urinary iodine concentration were measured in the children to evaluate their iodine status. Socioeconomic characteristics, dietary patterns and caretaker knowledge of iodine deficiency were assessed by using questionnaires. Household salt iodine concentration was also measured.Results: Total goiter rate was 13.6% and was significantly associated with age [AOR=13.4 (3.2-55.7)]. Eighty two percent of the children had urinary iodine concentration below 50 ìg/L, indicating the presence of moderate iodine deficiency. None of the households were using adequately iodized salt. More than half of the respondents did notknow about the importance of iodized salt. Conclusion: The observed degree of iodine deficiency in children and the limited knowledge about iodine in an urban area such as Hawassa stress the urgent need for implementing interventions to combat iodine deficiency. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 2012;26(1):30-35

Factors influencing the ownership and utilization of long-lasting insecticidal nets for malaria prevention in Ethiopia

Background Utilization of long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) is regarded as key malaria prevention and control strategy. However, studies have reported a large gap in terms of both ownership and utilization particularly in the sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). With continual efforts to improve the use of LLIN and to progress malaria elimination, examining the factors influencing the ownership and usage of LLIN is of high importance. Therefore, the current study was conducted to examine the level of ownership and use of LLIN along with identification of associated factors at household level. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in Mirab Abaya District, Southern Ethiopia in June and July 2014. A total of 540 households, with an estimated 2690 members, were selected in four kebeles of the district known to have high incidence of malaria. Trained data collectors interviewed household heads to collect information on the knowledge, ownership and utilization of LLINs, which was complemented by direct observation on the conditions and use of the nets through house-to-house visit. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors associated to LLIN use. Results Of 540 households intended to be included in the survey, 507 responded to the study (94.24% response rate), covering the homes of 2759 people. More than 58% of the households had family size >5 (the regional average), and 60.2% of them had at least one child below the age of 5 years. The ownership of at least one LLIN among households surveyed was 89.9%, and using at least one LLIN during the night prior to the survey among net owners was 85.1% (n = 456). Only 36.7% (186) mentioned at least as the mean of correct scores of all participants for 14 possible malaria symptoms and 32.7% (166) knew at least as the mean of correct scores of all participants for possible preventive methods. Over 30% of nets owned by the households were out of use. After controlling for confounding factors, having two or more sleeping places (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.58, 95% CI 1.17, 5.73), knowledge that LLIN prevents malaria (aOR = 2.51, 95% CI 1.17, 5.37), the presence of hanging bed nets (aOR = 19.24, 95% CI 9.24, 40.07) and walls of the house plastered or painted >12 months ago (aOR = 0.09, 95% CI 0.01, 0.71) were important predictors of LLIN utilization. Conclusions This study found a higher proportion of LLIN ownership and utilization by households than had previously been found in similar studies in Ethiopia, and in many studies in SSA. However, poor knowledge of the transmission mechanisms and the symptoms of malaria, and vector control measures to prevent malaria were evident. Moderate proportions of nets were found to be out of use or in poor repair. Efforts should be in place to maintain the current rate of utilization of LLIN in the district and improve on the identified gaps in order to support the elimination of malaria