Depression, anxiety and stress, during COVID-19 pandemic among midwives in ethiopia: A nationwide cross-sectional survey

IntroductionCOVID-19 has rapidly crossed borders, infecting people throughout the whole world, and has led to a wide range of psychological sequelae. Midwives who come close in contact with women while providing care are often left stricken with inadequate protection from contamination with COVID-19. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of depression, anxiety, and stress (DASS) among midwives in Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from 20 June to 20 August 2020, among 1,691 practicing midwives in Ethiopia. A simple random sampling technique was used to select study participants. Data were collected through a structured telephone interview. A 21-item depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) was used. Data were entered using the Google forms platform and were analyzed with SPSS version 24. Both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed. Variables with a p-value < 0.05 in the final model were declared statistically significant. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was used to determine independent predictors.ResultsThe prevalence of DASS among midwives in Ethiopia was 41.1, 29.6, and 19.0%, respectively. Being female [AOR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.08, 1.69], working in rural areas [AOR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.06, 1.82], having poor knowledge of COVID-19 [AOR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.75], having poor preventive practice [AOR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.47, 2.28], and substance use [AOR = 0.31; 95% CI: 0.17, 0.56] were significantly associated with depression; while, working in the governmental health facility [AOR = 2.44; 95% CI: 1.24, 4.78], having poor preventive practice [AOR = 1,47; 95% CI: 1.16, 1.85], and having poor attitude [AOR = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.66] were significantly associated with anxiety. Furthermore, working in rural areas [AOR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.39, 0.83], substance use [AOR = 2.06; 95% CI: 1.51, 2.81], having poor knowledge [AOR = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.20, 1.90], and having poor preventive practice [AOR = 1.60; 95% CI: 1.23, 2.10] were associated with stress.ConclusionIn this study, the overall magnitude of depression, anxiety, and stress were high. Addressing knowledge gaps through information, training, and safety protocols on COVID-19 and the provision of adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) is essential to preserve the mental health of Midwives during COVID-19

Pelvic Floor Disorders and Pelvic Floor Muscle Exercise: A Survey on Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice among Pregnant Women in Northwest Ethiopia

The purpose of the study was to investigate 1: overall knowledge of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and urinary incontinence (UI) as well as knowledge, attitudes, and practice of pelvic floor muscle exercise (PFME); and 2: the association of these factors with parity in pregnant women in Gondar, Ethiopia. A facility-based cross-sectional study was performed in the Central Gondar zone, northwest Ethiopia between February and April 2021. The associations between parity and knowledge of POP and UI, and knowledge, attitude, and practice towards PFME were estimated using logistics regression models and presented as crude and adjusted odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Nulliparous women were used as the reference. Adjustments were made for maternal age, antenatal care visits, and level of education. The study sample comprised 502 pregnant women: 133 nulliparous, and 369 multiparous. We found no association between parity and knowledge of POP, UI, or knowledge, attitude, and practice toward PFME. The sum score indicated poor knowledge about both POP, UI, and PFME in the study population, and poor attitude and practice of PFME. Despite a high attendance in antenatal care services, knowledge, attitude, and practice were poor, indicating a need for quality improvement of the services.publishedVersio

Disclosure of HIV status to sexual partner and its associated factors among pregnant women living with HIV attending prenatal care in Amhara Regional state Referral Hospitals, Ethiopia.

BackgroundDisclosure of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) status to sexual partners plays a significant role in the successful prevention and care of HIV infection. Pregnant women who did not reveal their HIV status to their sexual partners make the prevention and control efforts challenging. Therefore, this study was aimed to assess HIV status disclosure to sexual partners and associated factors among pregnant women living with HIV attending prenatal care in Amhara Regional state referral Hospitals, Ethiopia in 2021.MethodsAn institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 17th, 2020 to March 1st, 2021. A total of 423 pregnant women living with HIV were participated in this study. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select all eligible women. Data was collected using a semi-structured, pretested, and interviewer-administered questionnaire. EPI INFO version 7 and SPSS version 21 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Both univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to find factors associated with women's disclosure status to a sexual partner. Statistical association was decided based on the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with its 95% Confidence Interval (CI) and p-value of ≤ 0.05.ResultsThe prevalence of disclosure of their HIV status to their sexual partners was 73% (95% CI: 68.9%, 77.3%). Being an urban resident (AOR = 5.04, 95% CI: 2.14, 11.81), diagnosed HIV before pregnancy (AOR = 7.77, 95% CI: 3.09, 19.52), disclosing their HIV status to others (AOR = 7.01, 95% CI: 3.78, 13.25), planned pregnancy (AOR = 2.46, 95% CI: 1.32, 4.57), and having good knowledge on HIV/AIDS prevention (AOR = 2.19, 95% CI:1.22, 3.94) were found to be statistically significant with women's disclosure of their HIV status to their sexual partner.ConclusionIn this study, nearly three-fourth of pregnant women disclosed their HIV status to their sexual partner. Thus, setting strategies in preventing unplanned pregnancy, HIV diagnosed before pregnancy, and increasing knowledge of HIV prevention will have significant role in escalating women's disclosure status

Poor COVID-19 Preventive Practice among Healthcare Workers in Northwest Ethiopia, 2020

Background. The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak affects the global social, economic, and political context and becomes a significant threat to healthcare providers who are among the exposed groups to acquire and transmit the disease while caring and treating patients. It is crucial to comply with prevention recommendations so as to stay safe and protected. Therefore, this study aimed to assess COVID-19 preventive practice and associated factors among healthcare workers in Northwest Ethiopia. Methods. An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 630 healthcare workers in Northwest Ethiopia from March to April 2020. A multistage sampling technique was used to select study participants. A pretested and structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were entered using Epi Info 7 and analyzed using STATA 16 statistical software. Both bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed to identify associated factors. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval was used to determine independent predictors of COVID-19 preventive practice. In multivariable analysis, a variable with a P value of less than 0.05 was considered as statically significant. Result. Among 630 healthcare workers participated in the study, the overall good preventive practice towards COVID-19 was found to be 38.73% (95% CI: 34.8, 42.5). Being a male healthcare provider (AOR = 1.48; 95% CI: 1.02, 2.10), having work experience of 6–10 years (AOR = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.23, 4.00), and having poor attitude towards COVID-19 (AOR = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.03, 2.22) were found to be significantly associated with poor COVID-19 preventive practice among healthcare workers. Conclusion. Overall compliance towards COVID-19 preventive practice among healthcare workers was found to be low. Multiple education and training platforms with focus on COVID-19 preventive measures and adequate personal protective equipment and supplies should be provided for healthcare providers

Factors associated with early sexual initiation among preparatory and high school youths in Woldia town, northeast Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Early initiation of sexual activity affects the sexual and reproductive health of the young population. The youth are at a high risk of risky sexual behaviours, including multiple partners and inconsistent condom use. There has been limited research on the level and determinants of early sexual initiation in Woldia town. Thus, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of early sexual initiation and associated factors among preparatory and high school students in Woldia town, northeast Ethiopia. Methods An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on 723 students selected by the simple random sampling technique on March 7, 2016. A pre-tested and structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were computed. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to examine the strength of association. In the multivariable analysis, a p-value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Result The prevalence of early sexual initiation among preparatory and high school students in Woldia town was 18.4% (95% CI:15.50,21.30%). Not attending religious programs (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI:1.84,5.44), peer pressure (AOR = 1.9, 95% CI:1.14,3.25), cigarette smoking (AOR = 2.3, 95% CI:1.06,4.85), poor parental monitoring (AOR = 2.8, 95% CI:1.77,4.53), and exposure to pornographic materials (AOR = 2.7, 95% CI:1.68,4.40) were significantly associated with early sexual initiation. Conclusion A large number of students initiated sexual activity at an early age. The practiced is associated with sexual and reproductive health problems. Therefore, raising awareness of students about the risk factors for and implication of early sexual initiation through teachers, religious leaders, and parents is highly recommended

Surgical management practice of pelvic organ prolapse among Ethiopian gynecologists, 2021: a descriptive study

Abstract Introduction Pelvic Organ Prolapse is the descent of one or more of the anterior vaginal wall, posterior vaginal wall, the uterus, or the apex of the vagina. Surgical intervention addresses both anatomical defect and associated symptoms. The landscape of prolapse surgery has been evolving constantly over years. Emerging evidences either support or challenge existing surgical treatment options, making urogynecology a dynamic field. In Ethiopia, the surgical management of pelvic organ prolapse has transitioned from abdominal to vaginal hysterectomy, supplemented later by McCall’s culdoplasty. Disparities exist in the national uniformity of surgical approaches, linked to the establishment of Urogynecology centers in certain institutions. Objectives This study was done to assess the surgical management practice of Ethiopian gynecologists on pelvic organ prolapse. Methods A cross-sectional study encompassing all Gynecologists in Ethiopia took place between January to June 2021. Information was gathered through online Google forms crafted in English. Subsequently, the collected data underwent verification, coding, and entry into Epi info 7 before being exported to SPSS version 22 software for descriptive statistical analysis. Results We reached 280 gynecologists out of the 450 practicing in the Ethiopia making 62% response rate. Anterior colporrhaphy (98.6%), vaginal hysterectomy with McCall’s cul-do-plasty (51.8%), and Posterior colporrhaphy (97.5%) were the most commonly performed surgical procedures for anterior vaginal wall prolapse, apical prolapse (uterine/cervical), and posterior vaginal wall prolapse respectively. Only 3.2% and 0.7% of the gynecologists conducted abdominal and vaginal paravaginal repair for anterior vaginal wall prolapse. Sacrospinous ligament fixation and sacrocolpopexy for apical prolapse were carried out by 32.9% and 9.3% of the gynecologists respectively. Site-specific posterior repair for posterior vaginal wall prolapse was performed only by 23.9% of the gynecologists. The main reasons mentioned not to perform paravaginal repair, sacrocolpopexy, sacrospinous ligament fixation, and site-specific posterior repair were lack of skill and lack of appropriate materials. Conclusion and recommendation Most gynecologists in Ethiopian continue to perform vaginal hysterectomy and colporrhaphy procedures for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse due primarily to lack of skill and appropriate materials to perform the alternative procedures. Implementing short term training on alternative surgical treatment options of pelvic organ prolapse with provision of suitable materials and increasing the number of urogynecologists in the country in the long run holds the potential to enhance the standard of care of women with the condition

Amharic and English version of the questionnaire.

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Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants in Amhara Region Referral Hospitals, Ethiopia.

Socio-demographic characteristics of study participants in Amhara Region Referral Hospitals, Ethiopia.</p

Knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 and associated factors among health care providers in Northwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has a devastating effect on social, economic, and political crises that will leave deep pockmarks on victims of the virus. Having poor knowledge and attitude of the disease among health care providers could bring in impeded effect in the supportive treatment and, it increases the spread of the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The study aims to assess the knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19, and associated factors among health care providers in Northwest Ethiopia in 2020. METHODS: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from the mid of March to the end of April 2020 among 408 participants who were selected by a simple random sampling technique. Pretested and structured self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. The data were entered using EPI-info v. 7, and were exported to SPSS version 20 for further analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with Knowledge and Attitude towards COVID-19. Variables having p-value &lt; 0.05 were taken as variables which were significantly associated with the dependent variable. RESULT: A total of 408(97.1%) participants have participated in the study. Most of the participants (67.3%) were males. One-third (35.5%) of the participants were nurses. About 62% of the health care providers were Bachelor degree holders. The prevalence of Knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 found to be 73.8% (95%CI: 69.9, 77.9) and 65.7% (95%CI: 61.5, 70.1) respectively. Master degree level of education (AOR = 2.85; 95% CI: 1.25, 6.00) was associated with knowledge of the participants. Similarly, having good knowledge (AOR = 3.17; 95%CI: 1.97, 5.06) was positively associated with the attitude of health care providers towards COVID-19. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Health care providers found to have good knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19. Being Master’s Degree holder and having good knowledge are associated with the knowledge and attitude of the respondents towards COVID-19 respectively. Thus, improving awareness through health education is a significant approach to address the global agenda of COVID-19 Pandemic

Spatial distribution and determinants of newborn care within 2 days of postpartum period among women with at least one antenatal care visit in Ethiopia: Mixed effect multilevel analysis.

IntroductionNeonatal mortality is pervasive in developing countries like Ethiopia. Though the risk of neonatal mortality is preventable through consolidating simple, low-cost, and less time-consuming essential care, there is a scarcity of evidence about the spatial distribution of newborn care in Ethiopia.ObjectiveThe current study aimed to demonstrate spatial distribution and determinants of newborn care within 2 days of the postpartum period in Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was employed based on Ethiopian demographic and health survey 2016 data and 2796 post-partum period women were included. Arc GIS version 10.7 and SaTScan version 9.6 software were used. Mixed effect analysis was done by STATA version 14 software. Bivariate analysis was done and variables with a p valueResultsThe spatial distribution of newborn care was not random and the overall prevalence was 48.39%. Secondary educational level (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR = 1.5;95% CI 1.06,2.62), college and above (AOR = 2.47; 95% CI 1.22,5.01), number of antenatal cares three (AOR = 1.5; 95% CI 1.10, 2.04), antenatal care four and above (AOR = 1.6; 95% CI 1.22; 2.19), place of delivery (AOR = 9.67; 7.44, 12.57) and child is a twin (AOR = 3.33; 95% CI 1.23, 9.00) were variables significantly associated with newborn care.ConclusionsNewborn care practice in Ethiopia is below half per hundred participants. Even the distribution was not random. There is a need to pay attention to those cold spot areas and factors significantly associated with newborn care. Improving women's educational levels secondary and above, and consolidating the continuation of antenatal care and health facility delivery were the priority areas to improve newborn care in Ethiopia. Maternal and neonatal health program managers and policymakers should pay attention to those cold spots of newborn care to achieve the sustainable development goal