Erratum to: Utilization of health facilities and predictors of health-seeking behavior for under-five children with acute diarrhea in slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

Upon publication of the original article [1], it was noticed that the second sentence of Section Methods, sub-section study setting, \u2018Three slum kebeles in Gullele Sub-City\u2019s District (Woreda) 01 and four slum kebeles in Lideta Sub- City\u2019s District 05 were included in the study\u2019 was incorrectly given as \u2018Four slum kebeles in Gullele Sub-City\u2019s District (Woreda) 01 and three slum kebeles in Lideta Sub-City\u2019s District 05 were included in the study\u2019. This has now been acknowledged and corrected in this erratum

Utilization of health facilities and predictors of health-seeking behavior for under-five children with acute diarrhea in slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study

Background: Information on health-seeking behavior and utilization of health facilities in slums of Addis Ababa is scarce, impeding the implementation of effective interventions. The purpose of this study is to assess the status of health facilities utilization and predictors for health-seeking behavior of mothers/caregivers of under-five children with acute diarrhea in slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was employed in five rounds of surveys in seven kebeles in slums of Addis Ababa among 472 mothers/caregivers of 472 under-five children with acute diarrhea in reference to Andersen\u2019s behavioral model. Data were entered into EpiData Version 3.1 and analyzed using STATA Version 14.0. Descriptive statistics were used to examine patterns of health facilities utilization and multivariable logistic regression analysis was applied to identify predictors associated with health-seeking behavior. Results: Most mothers/caregivers (70.8%) sought care either at home (14.2%) or health facilities (56.6%), whereas 29.2% reported that they did not seek any care. Of those who consulted health facilities, government health facilities (76.9%) were more utilized than private (18.0%) and informal (5.1%) health facilities. Nearly all (93.9%) of the mothers/caregivers using government health facilities used health centers, and of those who took their children to private health facilities (60.9%) used clinics and 26.1% used pharmacies/drug vendors. Mothers/caregivers visiting health facilities obtained mainly oral rehydration salt (ORS) (39.8%) and home-recommended fluids (HRF) (40.3%), but few of them (11.9%) obtained ORS plus zinc supplementation. Predisposing factors of literacy of mothers/caregivers (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.4; 95% CI 1.4\u20134. 1) and occupation (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI 1.5\u20134.6), the enabling factors of households monthly income of 50 United States Dollars (US$) and above (AOR = 2.9; 95% CI 1.5\u20135.6) and availability of nearest health facilities within 15 min walking distance (AOR = 3.3; 95% CI 1.7\u20136.6), and the need factors of recognizing danger signs of fever (AOR = 4.3; 95% CI 2.4\u20137.6) and vomiting (AOR = 3.3; 95% CI 1.8\u20135.9) were significantly associated with health-seeking behavior. Conclusions: Increasing the proximity of health facilities in slums and health education and socioeconomic development programs targeting illiterate mothers/caregivers and poor households may promote and increase health-seeking behavior and the accessibility of health facilities for the treatment of acute diarrhea in under-five children in Addis Ababa slums

Hand hygiene practices during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated factors among barbers and beauty salon workers in Ethiopia.

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) is still causing morbidity and mortality all over the world. Preventive measures such as wearing a facemask, social distancing and hand hygiene continue to be the only options available in countries such as Ethiopia where vaccines are not yet widely available. Hand hygiene is one of the easiest and cheapest preventive measures, and one that is especially important for barbers and beauty salon workers who are widely exposed to the virus due to their contact with many customers. Therefore, measuring the proportion of good hand hygiene practices and associated factors among barbers and beauty salon workers may provide essential guidance in the development of effective interventions to improve COVID-19 prevention measures. A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 410 barbers and beauty salon workers in Dessie City and Kombolcha Town from January 5 to February 10, 2021. The study participants were selected using a simple random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire and an observational checklist were used to collect the data. The collected data were entered into EpiData version 4.6 and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. Logistic regression analysis using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models was employed. From the bivariate analysis, variables with p <0.25 were retained into multivariable logistic regression analysis. Finally, from the multivariable analysis, variables that had a p-value < 0.05 were declared as factors significantly associated with good hand hygiene practices. Of the total 410 barbers and beauty salon workers, 52.9% [95% CI: 48.3-57.6] had good hand hygiene practices whereas 47.1% [95% CI: 42.4-51.7] had poor hand hygiene practices. From the total respondents, more than half 250 (61%) were male and 160 (39%) were female, with a mean age of 27.42 ±7.37 years. Out of 410 barbers and beauty salon workers, 73.7% had good knowledge about COVID-19 and 59.5% had a positive attitude towards taking precautions against COVID-19. Female sex (AOR = 2.17, 95% CI:1.29-3.65), educational level of college or above (AOR = 5.53, 95% CI:2.85-10.71), positive attitude towards taking precautions against COVID-19 (AOR = 2.4, 95% CI:1.46-4.17), belief in the effectiveness of hand hygiene practices (AOR = 3.78, 95% CI:2.18-6.55) and presence of a hand-washing facility with soap and water (AOR = 5.55, 95% CI:3.28-9.40) were factors significantly associated with good hand hygiene practices among barbers and beauty salon workers. The proportion of good hand hygiene practice was not sufficient to combat the virus. Good hand hygiene practice was higher among those with higher educational level, positive attitude towards taking precautions against COVID-19, belief in the effectiveness of hand hygiene practices, presence of a hand-washing facility with soap and water and those of female sex. Thus, improving hand hygiene practices through continued training, especially for those with a lower educational level and for male workers, is recommended. Moreover, government and non-government organizations should work together to provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer at a low cost to those barbershops and beauty salons if there is no access to water and soap

Additional file 1 of Prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular and associated factors among children aged 1-9 years in northeastern Ethiopia

Additional file 1. English version of the questioner

Food hygiene and safety measures among food handlers in street food shops and food establishments of Dessie town, Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study.

In sub-Saharan Africa foodborne disease and foodborne disease outbreaks are frequently ascribed to poor personal hygiene of street food vendors and food handlers in food establishments. Evidence on the level of food hygiene practices and food safety measures among food handlers is required for proper planning and implementation of targeted interventions. In this study, we aimed to determine the level of food hygiene and safety measures among street food vendors and food handlers in food establishments of Dessie Town, Ethiopia.A community-based cross-sectional study was performed in Dessie town, Ethiopia from December 2013 to June 2014. Data were collected using a pre-tested structured questionnaire and an observational checklist by a trained data collector among 116 food handlers from 116 food establishments and 19 food handlers from 19 street food vendors. Multivariable logistic regression analysis with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to identify the factors significantly associated with good level of food hygiene and safety practices.Almost three-quarter (72%; 84/116) of food handlers in food establishments had a good level of food hygiene and safety practices compared to nearly half (53%; 10/19) of street food vendors. However, this difference was not statistically significant. Average monthly income of >$21 US (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.2; 95%CI: 1.3-7.7), availability of service training (AOR = 6.7; 95%CI: 1.8-25), wearing a gown during food handling (AOR = 19; 95%CI: 6.8-51) and medical checkup (AOR = 5.2; 95%CI: 2.1-13) were significantly associated with good levels of food hygiene and safety measures.Comprehensive health education and promotion programs through continuous training on food hygiene and safety, with promotion of wearing gown during food handling, regular medical checkups of food handlers and programs that enhance the monthly income of food handlers are promising strategies for promoting proper food handling practices in Dessie town, Ethiopia

Violence against housemaids in an Ethiopian town during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Violence against women is a global public health problem that has numerous adverse effects. However, published literature regarding violence against housemaids during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia is lacking. The current study aims to explore the experiences of violence and associated factors among housemaids in Ethiopia. The findings may be useful to the design appropriate policies, programs and strategies to reduce the problem. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January to March, 2021 in Kombolcha Town, Ethiopia. A total of 215 housemaids aged 14 years and older were included in the study using a simple random sampling technique. A multivariable logistic regression model with 95% CI (confidence interval) was applied to identify significant factors of physical and sexual violence. Variables with a P-value < 0.05 were declared as factors significantly associated with violence. Results Among 215 housemaids, 33.49% (95% CI: 27.13–39.85%) reported physical violence and 21.4% (95% CI: 15.87–26.92) reported sexual violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, housemaids aged 19–23 years (AOR = 2.64, 95% CI: 1.01–6.89), who had a male employer (AOR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.05–5.45), whose employers chewed chat (Catha edulis) (AOR = 3.78, 95% CI: 1.73–8.29), or drank alcohol (AOR = 2.90, 95% CI: 1.17–7.17) experienced more physical violence. Sexual violence was also associated with employers’ alcohol consumption (AOR = 9.72, 95% CI: 3.12–20.31), employers’ chat chewing (AOR = 7.40, 95% CI: 2.26–14.21) and male employers (AOR = 3.23, 95% CI: 1.22–8.52). Conclusion The findings indicate that one in five housemaids and one in three housemaids experienced sexual violence and physical violence, respectively. Housemaids aged 19–23 years, having a male employer, having an employer who chewed chat (Catha edulis) or who drank alcohol were factors associated with physical violence, whereas employers’ alcohol consumption, employers’ chat chewing and male employers were factors associated with sexual violence