Food taboos among pregnant women in Hadiya Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract: A cross-sectional study assessing the prevalence of food taboos during pregnancy, types of foods prohibited and the associations of some of the socioeconomic parameters to food taboos, was carried out in Hadiya Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Two hundred ninety five healthy pregnant women who attended an antenatal clinic for routine check-up between February and May 1995, were included in the study. A questionnaire consisting of socioeconomic information, food taboo practice, types of foods avoided and reasons for avoidance was administered by trained nurses. The results indicate that a little over a quarter of them (27%) avoided at least one type of food due to food taboos. Milk and cheese were regarded as taboo foods by nearly half of the women (44.4%) followed by linseed and fatty meat (16% 11.1% respectively). The reasons for avoiding foods include fear of difficult delivery (51%), discoloration of the fetus (20%) and fear of abortion (9.7%). Among the few socioeconomic variables studied, education and income were found to influence food taboos (P<0.05). The findings underscore the importance of education and income in improving maternal nutrition, through changing food habits and increasing purchasing power of the mothers. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1998;12(1):45-49

Seasonal undernutrition in rural Ethiopia:

Marked seasonal variability of both production- and consumption is characteristic of virtually all farming systems in the developing world. This study examines the magnitude and significance of seasonal undernutrition in south central Ethiopia, southern Shewa and Zigwa Boto, a peasant association in the Gurage Zone. The study seeks to answer five questions: (1)Does seasonal energy stress affect individuals of various age groups and sexes differently? (2)Do members of the same household show divergent responses to seasonal energy stress? (3)What are the functional consequences of different levels of adult undernutrition? (4)Are the current anthropometric cut-off points for adults appropriate for rural Ethiopia? (5)What household characteristics are associated with vulnerability to seasonal undernutrition? A number of important findings emerge from this research.....The study clarifies some points of contention in the field of adult undernutrition and shows how seasonal undernutrition operates as an intermittent warning signal, reminding us not to miss opportunities to promote good nutrition throughout the life cycle.Nutrition, Ethiopia, Malnutrition., Food crops., Climate.,

Factors contributing to positive and negative deviances in child nutrition

Abstract: A cross sectional study investigating factors leading to positive and negative deviance in child nutrition, was conducted between March and April 1996 at Zigbaboto, Gurage Zone. Among 400 children aged 6-59 months, 231 children were randomly selected and categorized into negative deviants (lower tercile), median growers (middle tercile) and positive deviants (upper tercile) based on local distribution of height for age. Over 20 variables presumed to affect nutritional status of children were then collected and analyzed to see their associations to each category. The prevalence of malnutrition was also determined using the NCHS standard. The results indicated that 46.8% were stunted, 44.2% were under-weight and 13.0% were wasted. Of the over 20 variables, only nine variables showed significant differences at least among two categories. Religion, maternal education, maternal age, and income distinguished negative deviants from median growers. Prenatal follow-up, age of the child, and duration of breast feeding distinguished median growers from positive deviants. Only two variables, maternal body mass index and maternal height differentiated both positive and negative deviants from median growers. In conclusion our study revealed that factors responsible for positive and negative deviances are not necessarily the converse of each other implying that indepth assessment of factors leading to optimum nutrition is required before intervention strategies are considered. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1998;12(2):69-73

Demographic and Health-related Risk Factors of Subclinical Vitamin A Deficiency in Ethiopia

The study was conducted to determine the demographic and health-related risk factors of subclinical vitamin A deficiency in Ethiopia. Blood samples were collected from 996 children in 210 clusters across the nation for analysis of serum retinol. Interviews were conducted with the respective mothers of the 996 children on presumed risk factors of vitamin A deficiency. A higher subclinical vitamin A deficiency was associated with: not receiving vitamin A supplement over the year, having been ill during the two weeks preceding the survey, no or incomplete vaccination, belonging to a mother with high parity, and low levels of awareness of vitamin A. Moreover, being from Muslim household was strongly associated with higher levels of subclinical vitamin A deficiency. Among the risk factors identified, low levels of vaccination, high parity, and low levels of maternal awareness of vitamin A contributed to higher risks of vitamin A deficiency among Muslim children. The findings underscore the need for creation of strengthened awareness of family planning and importance of vitamin A, promotion of vaccination and child health, intensification of vitamin A supplementation, and in-depth investigation on factors contributing to increased vulnerability of Muslim children

Vitamin A status in three woredas of Kambatta, Alaba, and Timbaro Zone, Southern Peoples’s Region

Abstract: As a part of comprehensive evaluative study on various strategies to control Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD), a baseline survey was conducted in three woredas of Kambatta, Alaba, and Timbaro Zone (KAT) in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region in 1996. A total of 4123 children from randomly selected peasant associations were clinically examined for signs of xerophthalmia while blood samples were collected from a systematically selected 197 children for serum retinol analysis. Results indicate that 1.2% (51) of the children had a history of night blindness and 0.2% (8) had bitot’s spots. Most cases of bitot’s spots (6 out of 8) were in the age range of 36-72 months. The prevalence of bitot’s spots was higher in male children compared to female children (5 and 3 respectively). Over a quarter of children (27.9%) had low serum retinol concentrations, while 4.6% had deficient serum retinol concentrations. Nearly equal numbers of male and female children (4 and 5 respectively) had deficient levels of serum retinol concentrations while more male children had low serum retinol levels compared to female children (28 and 17, respectively). The high prevalence of night blindness (WHO’s cut-off point of 1%) and serum retinol levels (WHO’s cut-off point of 20% less than or equal to 0.70 umole/1) indicates that VAD is emerging as a public health problem in an area previously considered free of VAD. These findings justify the need to strengthen the intervention strategies underway in the area. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1998;12(3):225-229

Vitamin A deficiency status in Tigray Region, Ethiopia, 1996

Abstract: A survey was conducted to determine the prevalence of xerophthalmia in Alaje and Samre weredas of Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia, where EPI-plus and Wereda Integrated Basic Service (WIBS) approaches are being launched to prevent and control vitamin A deficiency. A total of 5,253 preschool children (PSC) were clinically examined between October and November, 1996 for ocular signs of xerophthalmia. Blood samples were drawn from 248 PSC for serum retinol levels(SRL). The overall prevalence rates of night blindness (XN) and Bitot's spot (X B) for both weredas were 1 0.9% and 1.5%, respectively, with a higher prevalence rate in males than females (53 vs 26). Alaje wereda(EPI-plus) had XN=21(0.8%) and X B=38(1.4%), and Samre wereda (WIBS) had 1 XN=25(1.0%) and X B=41(1.7%). No sex difference was seen in the prevalence rate of corneal 1 xerosis and keratomalacia (0.4%). The most affected age groups were children between five and six years of age. Both weredas showed the distribution of serum retinol levels to be deficient in 21(16.7%) in Samre and 19(15.5%) in Alaje, and low in 60(47.6%) in Samre and 57(46.7%) in Alaje. Low SRL is found to be highest among children between five and six years of age in males and between two to three years of age in females in both weredas. The high prevalence rate of X B 1 (three times higher than the WHO cut-off point), and the low level of serum retinol value found in this study indicates the need and urgency for the continuation of the aforementioned strategies of vitamin A deficiency control program launched in the Region until their impact is further evaluated. [Ethiop. J. Health Dev. 1999;13(2):87-91

Demographic and Health-related Risk Factors of Subclinical Vitamin A Deficiency in Ethiopia

The study was conducted to determine the demographic and health-related risk factors of subclinical vitamin A deficiency in Ethiopia. Blood samples were collected from 996 children in 210 clusters across the nation for analysis of serum retinol. Interviews were conducted with the respective mothers of the 996 children on presumed risk factors of vitamin A deficiency. A higher subclinical vitamin A deficiency was associated with: not receiving vitamin A supplement over the year, having been ill during the two weeks preceding the survey, no or incomplete vaccination, belonging to a mother with high parity, and low levels of awareness of vitamin A. Moreover, being from Muslim household was strongly associated with higher levels of subclinical vitamin A deficiency. Among the risk factors identified, low levels of vaccination, high parity, and low levels of maternal awareness of vitamin A contributed to higher risks of vitamin A deficiency among Muslim children. The findings underscore the need for creation of strengthened awareness of family planning and importance of vitamin A, promotion of vaccination and child health, intensification of vitamin A supplementation, and in-depth investigation on factors contributing to increased vulnerability of Muslim children

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

Forest Drought Response Index (ForDRI): A New Combined Model to Monitor Forest Drought in the Eastern United States

Monitoring drought impacts in forest ecosystems is a complex process because forest ecosystems are composed of different species with heterogeneous structural compositions. Even though forest drought status is a key control on the carbon cycle, very few indices exist to monitor and predict forest drought stress. The Forest Drought Indicator (ForDRI) is a new monitoring tool developed by the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) to identify forest drought stress. ForDRI integrates 12 types of data, including satellite, climate, evaporative demand, ground water, and soil moisture, into a single hybrid index to estimate tree stress. The model uses Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to determine the contribution of each input variable based on its covariance in the historical records (2003–2017). A 15-year time series of 780 ForDRI maps at a weekly interval were produced. The ForDRI values at a 12.5km spatial resolution were compared with normalized weekly Bowen ratio data, a biophysically based indicator of stress, from nine AmeriFlux sites. There were strong and significant correlations between Bowen ratio data and ForDRI at sites that had experienced intense drought. In addition, tree ring annual increment data at eight sites in four eastern U.S. national parks were compared with ForDRI values at the corresponding sites. The correlation between ForDRI and tree ring increments at the selected eight sites during the summer season ranged between 0.46 and 0.75. Generally, the correlation between the ForDRI and normalized Bowen ratio or tree ring increment are reasonably good and indicate the usefulness of the ForDRI model for estimating drought stress and providing decision support on forest drought management

Global, regional, and national sex-specific burden and control of the HIV epidemic, 1990-2019, for 204 countries and territories: the Global Burden of Diseases Study 2019

Background: The sustainable development goals (SDGs) aim to end HIV/AIDS as a public health threat by 2030. Understanding the current state of the HIV epidemic and its change over time is essential to this effort. This study assesses the current sex-specific HIV burden in 204 countries and territories and measures progress in the control of the epidemic. Methods: To estimate age-specific and sex-specific trends in 48 of 204 countries, we extended the Estimation and Projection Package Age-Sex Model to also implement the spectrum paediatric model. We used this model in cases where age and sex specific HIV-seroprevalence surveys and antenatal care-clinic sentinel surveillance data were available. For the remaining 156 of 204 locations, we developed a cohort-incidence bias adjustment to derive incidence as a function of cause-of-death data from vital registration systems. The incidence was input to a custom Spectrum model. To assess progress, we measured the percentage change in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 (threshold >75% decline), the ratio of incident cases to number of people living with HIV (incidence-to-prevalence ratio threshold <0·03), and the ratio of incident cases to deaths (incidence-to-mortality ratio threshold <1·0). Findings: In 2019, there were 36·8 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 35·1–38·9) people living with HIV worldwide. There were 0·84 males (95% UI 0·78–0·91) per female living with HIV in 2019, 0·99 male infections (0·91–1·10) for every female infection, and 1·02 male deaths (0·95–1·10) per female death. Global progress in incident cases and deaths between 2010 and 2019 was driven by sub-Saharan Africa (with a 28·52% decrease in incident cases, 95% UI 19·58–35·43, and a 39·66% decrease in deaths, 36·49–42·36). Elsewhere, the incidence remained stable or increased, whereas deaths generally decreased. In 2019, the global incidence-to-prevalence ratio was 0·05 (95% UI 0·05–0·06) and the global incidence-to-mortality ratio was 1·94 (1·76–2·12). No regions met suggested thresholds for progress. Interpretation: Sub-Saharan Africa had both the highest HIV burden and the greatest progress between 1990 and 2019. The number of incident cases and deaths in males and females approached parity in 2019, although there remained more females with HIV than males with HIV. Globally, the HIV epidemic is far from the UNAIDS benchmarks on progress metrics. Funding: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the National Institute of Mental Health of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the National Institute on Aging of the NIH