Khat and alcohol use and risky sex behaviour among in-school and out-of-school youth in Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Khat (an evergreen plant with amphetamine-like properties) and alcohol are widely consumed among the youth of Ethiopia. However, their relationship to risky sexual behaviour is not well described. This study was conducted to describe the magnitude of risky sexual behaviour (unprotected sex and early initiation of sexual activity) and its association with Khat and alcohol consumption in Ethiopian youths. METHODS: A probabilistic national sample of 20,434 in-school and out-of-school youths aged between 15 and 24 years of age was selected and interviewed regarding their sexual behavior and substance use. RESULTS: Over 20% of out-of-school youth had unprotected sex during the 12-month period prior to interview compared to 1.4% of in-school youth. Daily Khat intake was also associated with unprotected sex: adjusted OR (95% CI) = 2.26 (1.92, 2.67). There was a significant and linear association between alcohol intake and unprotected sex, with those using alcohol daily having a three fold increased odds compared to those not using it: adj. OR (95% CI) = 3.05 (2.38, 3.91). Use of substances other than Khat was not associated with unprotected sex, but was associated with initiation of sexual activity: adj. OR (95% CI) = 2.54 (1.84, 3.51). CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of out-of-school youth engage in risky sex. The use of Khat and alcohol and other substances is significantly and independently associated with risky sexual behaviour among Ethiopian youths

Five-year mortality in a cohort of people with schizophrenia in Ethiopia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Schizophrenia is associated with a two to three fold excess mortality. Both natural and unnatural causes were reported. However, there is dearth of evidence from low and middle income (LAMIC) countries, particularly in Africa. To our knowledge this is the first community based report from Africa.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We followed a cohort of 307 (82.1% males) patients with schizophrenia for five years in Butajira, rural Ethiopia. Mortality was recorded using broad rating schedule as well as verbal autopsy. Standardized Mortality Ratio (SMR) was calculated using the mortality in the demographic and surveillance site as a reference.</p> <p>Result</p> <p>Thirty eight (12.4%) patients, 34 men (11.1%) and 4 women (1.3%), died during the five-year follow up period. The mean age (SD) of the deceased for both sexes was 35 (7.35). The difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.69). It was 35.3 (7.4) for men and 32.3 (6.8) for women. The most common cause of death was infection, 18/38 (47.4%) followed by severe malnutrition, 5/38 (13.2%) and suicide 4/38 (10.5%). The overall SMR was 5.98 (95% CI = 4.09 to7.87). Rural residents had lower mortality with adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.30 (95% CI = 0.12-0.69) but insidious onset and antipsychotic treatment for less than 50% of the follow up period were associated with higher mortality, adjusted HR 2.37 (95% CI = 1.04-5. 41) and 2.66(1.054-6.72) respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The alarmingly high mortality observed in this patient population is of major concern. Most patients died from potentially treatable conditions. Improving medical and psychiatric care as well as provision of basic needs is recommended.</p

The languages of Ethiopia: Aspects of the sociolinguistic profile

This book is part of the research work supported by the project Linguistic Capacity Building, tools for the inclusive development of Ethiopia (LCB), which has been working on the development of resources and training of human power involved in linguistic work. The works in this volume are papers presented at different international conferences including the 46 th North Atlantic Conference on Afroasiatic Linguistics, Long Beach, California from 1–3 June 2018 and the 20 th International Conference of Ethiopian Studies, Mekele, Ethiopia from 1–5 October 2018 with support from the LCB project. The researches focus on different languages in all the three language families in the Afro-Asiatic phyla, namely Cushitic and Omotic and a Nilotic language from the Nilo-Saharan phyla. This volume also included two papers on Ethiopian sign language, for which there are no prior publications in any of the microlinguistic fields.Ethiopia is home to more than 85 varieties of languages. There have been a lot of grammatical descriptions and other linguistic works produced as PhD dissertations and MA theses, mainly at Addis Ababa University. Nevertheless, most of the works by PhD students and staff remain unpublished. This volume is a contribution towards dissemination of linguistic research on Ethiopian languages conducted mostly by staff and PhD students in Ethiopian universities. We believe that such collective volumes give access to dissemination of research on Ethiopian languages while building the capacity of the linguists involved.In this introductory section, we present the genetic classification, geographical distribution, population and functions of the major Ethiopian languages. We also provide a brief overview on language and identity in contemporary Ethiopia. Then we give a short overview of this book: the individual chapters and the reviewers