Prevalence and Factors Associated with Perceived Stigma among Patients with Epilepsy in Ethiopia

Background. Epilepsy stigma is considered to be one of the most important factors that have a negative influence on people with epilepsy. Among all types of stigma perceived stigma further exerts stress and restricts normal participation in society. Methods. Hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1, 2013, to May 30, 2013. All patients with epilepsy in Ethiopia were source population. The sample size was determined using single population proportion formula and 347 subjects were selected by using systematic random sampling method. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 20. Results. A total of 346 participants with mean age of 29.3 ± 8.5 SD participated with a response rate of 99.7%. The prevalence of perceived stigma was 31.2%. Age range between 18 and 24 [AOR = 2.84, 95%CI: 1.02, 7.92], difficulty to attend follow-up because of stigma [AOR = 3.15, 95%CI: 1.19, 8.34], seizure related injury [AOR = 1.88, 95%CI: 1.12, 3.15], and contagion belief [AOR = 1.88, 95%CI: 1.10, 5.08] were significantly associated with perceived stigma. Conclusions. Perceived stigma was found to be a common problem among patients suffering from epilepsy. The results reinforce the need for creating awareness among patients with epilepsy and addressing misconceptions attached to epilepsy

Modelling effects of pre-storage treatments, maturity stage, low-cost storage technology environment and storage period on the quality of tomato fruit

The aim of this study was to develop a model for prediction of the quality of tomato during storage. Two storage conditions (evaporatively cooled and ambient), four disinfection treatments (tap, anolyte, hot and chlorinated water) and three maturity stages (green, pink and red) were employed in this experiment. Using multivariate analysis, the principal components (PC) (PC1, PC2) were analysed. The PC1 and PC2 contributed 47.9% and 26.0% of total variation, respectively. Maturity stages and the disinfection treatments had significant (p < 0.05) influence on PC1 and PC2. Non-linear fractional and polynomial models were fitted to the experimental data to screen the best models. Hue angle, firmness, titratable acidity (TA) and total soluble solid:TA demonstrated non-linear relationship with days of storage. TA, hue angle and firmness of tomatoes fitted well to the models developed. The models are recommended for use by tomato farmers to predict changes in the quality parameters

Pathways through homelessness among women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: A qualitative study.

BackgroundThere has been a paradigm shift in understanding homelessness. The shift is from the belief that homelessness results from lack of secure housing towards the view which explains homelessness in terms of the complex interactions of factors which determine the pathways into and out of homelessness. The evidence base for women's homelessness is less robust than men's homelessness. The effect of gender and its relationship with homelessness has been neglected. Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, is estimated to be home for around 50,000 homeless people. This study aims to explore pathways through homelessness in women who were sheltered in a facility for the homeless in Addis Ababa.MethodsIn-depth interviews were conducted in 2019 with 14 women who were 'roofless', and were gathered for support in a temporary shelter in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The shelter was one of the eight such facilities established in Addis Ababa few months earlier than the study. For data analysis the QDA Miner 5.0.30 software was used and data was analyzed using thematic analysis approach.ResultsThe analysis revealed that determinant factors for pathways into homelessness among women occurred on the background of predisposing factors, such as poverty, being raised by caregivers other than biological parents, child marriage, unstable employment history. On top of the predisposing factors listed above the occurrence of precipitating factors such as problems with marriage, migration, death of parents, deception, became the immediate cause of homelessness. Despite mentions of positive experiences of homelessness such as mutual support and good social life within network of homeless people, the net effect of the interaction between negative and positive experiences of the homeless life, together with the effectiveness of coping strategies by the participants resulted in the participants' decision of whether homelessness is tolerable. Finally, the presence of perpetuating factors such as lack of affordable house, feeling of shame to go back home, and unfavorable situation at home discouraged participants from exiting the homeless situation.ConclusionFrom the findings of the study we conclude that the predisposing factors and the precipitating factors resulted in the occurrence of onset of homelessness among the participants. Once homeless, the experiences of life as homeless, and the availability of the means to exit from it determined whether the participants would stay homeless or exit from it