Prevalence of Self Reported Computer Vision Syndrome and Associated Factors among Secretaries and Data Processors Who are Working in University of Gondar, Ethiopia

Computers have become an indispensible part of modern life, being used in every aspect of life. This technological advancement has ushered in a new genre of occupational health problem. Computer Vision Syndrome is a condition that affects millions of people globally. This study investigated the prevalence of Self Reported Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) and associated factors among secretaries and data processors who are working in university of Gondar, Ethiopia. This institution based cross sectional study was based on 284 study participants from the 1st May to 15th June 2004. Descriptive statistics and logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. The prevalence of Computer Vision Syndrome among respondents was 73.9%. Secretaries and data processers used computers for > 7 hours per-day were 2 times more likely to have suffered from CVS as compared to those who used computers < 7 hours per-day (OR=2; 95%CI: 1.14 – 3.51). Prevalence of CVS was high among the study participants. Age and working hours spent on computer use are independent predictors of CVS. Further studies on a large scale should be carried out to explore the extent and factors associated with CVS. Keywords: Computer Vision Syndrome, University of Gondar, Working hour’s per-da

Client Factors Affect Provider Adherence to Guidelines during First Antenatal Care in Public Health Facilities, Ethiopia: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND፡ Timely entry to an antenatal care with a healthcare provider who follows a set of national guidelines is assumed to ensure higher levels of client satisfaction. It is also expected to improve perinatal outcomes. Little is known about the level of adherence of Ethiopian providers to these guidelines. Therefore, this study aims to assess the proportion of clients who received complete (100%) provider adherence to antenatal care guidelines at the first visit and client associated factors in Gondar Town.METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 834 study participants was conducted in public health facilities of Gondar Town in Ethiopia. An 18 point checklist was used to observe provider adherence to the first antenatal care visit guidelines. Descriptive statistics and multivariable binary logistic regression model were done by using STATA 14 software.RESULT: The proportion of clients who received the complete provider’s adherence to the first antenatal care guideline was 32.25% (95% CI: 29.1-35.5). The mean adherence score was 16.78%. Women who had prior history of pregnancy and/or birthrelated complications (AOR = 1.58; 95%CI: 1.04-2.04) and late antenatal care booking at gestational week 16 or greater (AOR =1.45; 95%CI: 1.03-2.03) were significantly associated with clients receiving complete providers’ adherence to the first antenatal guideline.CONCLUSIONS: We found the level of adherence to national antenatal care guidelines during first visit as surprisingly low. When considering to upgrade the guidelines to the actual WHO guideline of eight visits, we recommend that refresher training be provided regularly to help staff understand the importance of following the guidelines as closely as possible. Perhaps, we need to learn more from the health care providers themselves about their reasons for not following the guidelines

Morphological Characterization of Goat Populations in Central Zone of Tigray, Ethiopia

Ethiopia has huge livestock resource, but poor in their productivity. It stated national small ruminant breeding policy and strategy focused on genetic improvement. This is intended to design appropriate breeding programs based on the indigenous breeds status. Study of phenotypic variation is among the prerequisite activities of genetic improvement that is limited in this study area. The objective of this study was to describe morphological characteristics and variations of goat populations in the Central zone of Tigray. Qualitative and quantitative data of 403 young to matured goats (326 lactating does and 77 bucks) were used to analyze by frequency procedure, GLM procedure, Pearson correlation, and multivariate analysis of SAS version 9.4. The study revealed that goats in Adwa district were distinct in coat colors and pattern, horn shape, ear orientation, head profile and ruff, significantly heavier (p<0.01) and larger (p<0.001) in height at withers and in height at pelvic than those in Tanqua Abergele (TA) and Kola Tembien (KT) districts. Goats found in Adwa district were morphologically distinct from those found in TA and KT districts with the higher discriminating values in female goats

Household Fuel Use and Acute Respiratory Infections in Children Under Five Years of Age in Gondar city of Ethiopia

Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the leading cause of childhood illness and death worldwide, accounting for an estimated 6.5% of the entire global burden of disease.  This study investigated the association between household use of biomass fuels for cooking and acute respiratory infections in preschool age children (< 5 years) in Gondar city of Ethiopia. This cross sectional study was based on 715 children age 0–59 months included in three clusters randomly selected from 12 administrative areas of Gondar city. Children who suffered from cough accompanied by short, rapid breathing during the two weeks preceding the survey were defined as having suffered from ARI. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of suffering from ARI among children from households using biomass fuels (wood, dung or straw) relative to children from households using cleaner fuels (liquid petroleum gas (LPG), or electricity) after controlling for potentially confounding factors. More than half of the children (54.7%) lived in households using biomass fuels from which 26.3% suffered from ARI during the 2 weeks preceding the survey interview. Children in households using wood, dung, or straw for cooking were 3.89 times more likely to have suffered from ARI as compared to children from households using LPG or electricity (OR = 3.89; 95% CI: 1.54, 28.25). Household’s use of high pollution biomass fuels is significantly associated with ARI in preschool age children in Gondar city, Ethiopia. The relationship needs to be further investigated using more direct measures of smoke exposure and clinical measures of ARI. Keywords: Acute respiratory illness, Indoor air pollution, Biomass combustion, Gondar cit

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

Management of bacterial infections in young infants in Ethiopia: Facility preparedness, health workers' knowledge and quality of care.

AIM: We assessed primary care facility preparedness, health workers' knowledge and their classification and treatment of possible serious bacterial infection and local bacterial infection in young infants aged 0-59 days. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in four regions of Ethiopia, including 169 health posts with 276 health extension workers and 155 health centres with 175 staff. Registers of 1058 sick young infants were reviewed. RESULT: Antibiotics to treat possible serious bacterial infection were available in 71% of the health centres and 38% of the health posts. Nine of ten health extension workers and eight of ten health centre staff mentioned at least one sign of possible serious bacterial infection and local bacterial infection. Among the registered cases with signs of bacterial infections, the health extension workers classified 49% as having a possible serious bacterial infection and 88% as local bacterial infection. The health centre staff classified 25% as possible serious bacterial infections and 86% as local bacterial infections. One-fourth (26%) of possible serious bacterial infection received the recommended treatment at health posts and 35% at health centres. CONCLUSION: Many health posts lacked antibiotics. The classification and treatment of possible serious bacterial infection did not follow guidelines. The lack of medicines and poor adherence compromise the quality of care

Impact of Education on Knowledge and Practice of Kala Azar Preventive Measures among Seasonal and Migrant Agricultural Workers in Northwest Ethiopia.

Kala azar occurs among seasonal and migrant agricultural workers in northwest Ethiopia and accounts for almost 60% of the disease burden in the country. We conducted a quantitative study on the level of knowledge and practice of this vulnerable group in relation to kala azar transmission and acceptability of its vector control tools. A total of 403 workers were randomly selected from eight farms using a purposive sampling technique. Knowledge and practice scores were calculated based on 12 and 9 core questions, respectively. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with knowledge and practice. A large gap in knowledge of the disease and the vector was evident with 61.8%, 24.6%, and 13.6% of the workers having poor, moderate, and good levels of knowledge scores, respectively. Similarly, 95% of the seasonal workers reported poor level of use of protective measures against the bite of the sand fly vector. Good level of knowledge about kala azar and its sand fly vector was statistically associated with formal education (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.11; 95% CI = 1.17, 3.80; P < 0.05) and previous exposure to health education (AOR = 4.72; 95% CI = 1.99, 11.16; P < 0.001). Despite poor current knowledge and practice, a large proportion of the study participants showed interest in using vector control tools if made available, with 78% of the seasonal and migrant workers expressing some willingness to pay for different measures that can protect against sand fly bites. Therefore, we strongly recommend that comprehensive health education and vector control programs should be provided to these workers

Morphological Characterization of Goat Populations in Central Zone of Tigray, Ethiopia

Ethiopia has huge livestock resource, but poor in their productivity. It stated national small ruminant breeding policy and strategy focused on genetic improvement. This is intended to design appropriate breeding programs based on the indigenous breeds status. Study of phenotypic variation is among the prerequisite activities of genetic improvement that is limited in this study area. The objective of this study was to describe morphological characteristics and variations of goat populations in the Central zone of Tigray. Qualitative and quantitative data of 403 young to matured goats (326 lactating does and 77 bucks) were used to analyze by frequency procedure, GLM procedure, Pearson correlation, and multivariate analysis of SAS version 9.4. The study revealed that goats in Adwa district were distinct in coat colors and pattern, horn shape, ear orientation, head profile and ruff, significantly heavier (p&lt;0.01) and larger (p&lt;0.001) in height at withers and in height at pelvic than those in Tanqua Abergele (TA) and Kola Tembien (KT) districts. Goats found in Adwa district were morphologically distinct from those found in TA and KT districts with the higher discriminating values in female goats