Factors driving underweight, wasting, and stunting among urban school aged children: Evidence from Merawi town, Northwest Ethiopia.

Prior research identified malnutrition as one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among children globally. Furthermore, research revealed that over two thirds of deaths associated with inappropriate feeding practices occurred during the early years of life. Improper feeding practices impact a child's health in many different ways. However, research on the possible factors driving underweight, wasting, and stunting among school aged children in developing countries is limited, hence warrant further attention. Against this backdrop, this research strives to identify and assess the determinants of underweight, wasting and stunting among school aged children of a developing country-Ethiopia. A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 1, 2018 to June 15, 2018 in Merawi town, Ethiopia. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 422 children. Binary logistic regression technique was performed to examine the effect of each selected variable on the outcome measure. The prevalence of being underweight, wasting and stunting was found to be 5.7%, 9.8%, 10.4%, respectively. The age of the child [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 12.930 (2.350, 71.157)] and the number of children [AOR = 8.155 (1.312, 50.677)] were emerged as the key determinants for underweight, and the gender of the child was significantly associated with wasting [AOR = 0.455 (0.224, 0.927)]. Finally, the age of the child [AOR = 12.369 (2.522, 60.656)] was found to predict the risk of stunting. This study revealed the age, number of children and gender of the child to have a significant association with malnutrition. The findings of this research suggest that in improving the feeding practices of young school-aged children, special attention should be paid to female children and those coming from relatively large families.

Individual- and Community-Level Factors Associated with Diarrhea in Children Younger Than Age 5 Years in Bangladesh: Evidence from the 2014 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey.

Background: Diarrheal disease is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among children younger than age 5 years in Bangladesh. Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of diarrhea among children younger than age 5 years and its associated risk factors. Methods: Data were sourced from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, a nationally representative study conducted in 2014. We used multilevel logistic regression models to identify factors associated with diarrheal disease. Results: Children aged 6 to11 months (odds ratio = 2.26; 95% CI, 1.50-3.42), and 12 to 23 months (odds ratio = 2.31; 95% CI, 1.62-3.31) were more likely to have diarrhea than older children. Other significant risk factors for diarrheal infection included households without access to drinking water (odds ratio = 1.39; 95% CI, 1.03-1.88) and mothers lacking mass media access (odds ratio = 1.32; 55% CI, 1.01-1.73). Conclusions: Childhood diarrhea in Bangladesh was associated with individual- and community-level factors. The finding of this study suggests that diarrhea prevention programs in the country can effectively be delivered by targeting young children through expanding community-based education and increasing access to health information through mass media.

Neonatal mortality and its association with antenatal care visits among live births in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Even though neonatal mortality is reduced from time to time, the problem is still prevalent in Ethiopia. Despite a few studies tried to show the extent of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia, the pooled estimation of neonatal mortality remains inconclusive and inconsistent. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis were intended to determine the pooled prevalence of neonatal mortality rate and its association with antenatal care visits in Ethiopia. METHODS: Studies were retrieved through reputable search engines in; CINAHL, Embase, Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar, ISI Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and SCOPUS in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Newcastle-Ottawa Quality assessment tool for cross-sectional studies was used for critical appraisal of studies which were included. Risk of Bias in nonrandomized studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool was also used to assess the risk of bias. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to estimate the level of pooled prevalence of neonatal mortality and its association with antenatal care visits at 95% confidence interval and with its respective odds ratio (OR). Meta-regression was also carried out to identify the potential source of heterogeneity. Begs and egger test followed by trim and fill analysis were used to determine publication bias. Subgroup analyses, based on study setting, were also carried out. RESULT: A total of 5839 articles were identified through searching, of which 11 articles representing participants were included in the final analysis. The average pooled prevalence of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia was 6.78% (CI: 4.45, 9.12). Subgroup analysis was undertaken and the pooled estimate of neonatal mortality among these communities based studies was 2.56% and in hospital-based study it was 11.8%. Neonatal mortality was more significant among mothers who had antenatal visits of less than three times during their pregnancy period with OR of 1.76 (95% CI: 1.42, 3.16). CONCLUSION: The pooled prevalence of neonatal mortality in Ethiopia was slightly low compared to the national 2016 demographic Health Survey of the country. Therefore, the government of Ethiopia should influence the health sector to give attention for increasing antenatal care visits and further research is needed to investigate further factors of neonatal mortality.

Pain Management Knowledge of Nurses Working in Northwest Amhara Referral Hospitals in Ethiopia During 2018.

BACKGROUND: Pain is an unpleasant emotional and sensory experience that is associated with actual or potential tissue damage. Providing comfort and relief of pain of clients are the fundamental role of nurses in nursing practices. However, inadequate knowledge of appropriate pain management has been reported to be a major obstacle to implementing effective pain management by nurses. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess knowledge of pain management techniques in nurses working in referral hospitals in northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based, cross-sectional, interviewer-administered questionnaire study of the pain treatment knowledge of 411 nurses was conducted in 2018 in Northwest Referral Hospitals in Ethiopia. The sample size was allocated to each selected referral hospital. A systematic sampling technique was used to select study participants. The descriptive data were presented in frequency tables. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were undertaken to identify associated factors to pain management knowledge of nurses. Variables with a P value < 0.05 were considered as a significant variable. RESULTS: Only 40.6% of nurses were judged to have had adequate knowledge regarding pain management. Number of years of training (adjusted odds ratio = 2.19; 95% CI, 1.39-3.44), prior pain education (adjusted odds ratio = 2.34; 95% CI, 1.45-3.8), and professional rank (adjusted odds ratio = 3.09; 95% CI, 1.37-6.96) were associated factors for pain management knowledge of nurses. CONCLUSIONS: The level of many nurses' knowledge of pain management techniques were inadequate. Lack of pain training in their institution, lack of pain education in their academic curriculum, and professional rank were predictors of these nurses' pain management knowledge. Providing pain management training and employing higher service rank nurses are likely to result in increased nurses' knowledge of proper pain management techniques. (Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2021; 82:XXX-XXX)© 2021 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc.

Contraceptive use and associated factors among sexually active reproductive age HIV positive women attending ART clinic at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Contraception helps prevent unplanned pregnancies and mother to child Human Immune Virus (HIV) transmission among human immune virus positive women. Ethiopia has made remarkable progress in increasing contraceptive use rate but there is still a disparity of contraceptive use within the country. Although there were some studies about contraceptive use in Ethiopia, evidences about contraceptive use among sexually active HIV positive women was limited. Understanding the extent of and barriers in Ethiopia is important for learning how to best improve level of contraceptive use. Therefore, this study aimed to assess contraceptives use and associated factors among HIV positive sexually active women at anti-retroviral therapy clinic at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital ART clinic in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. METHOD: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June 01-30, 2018 among (n = 308) randomly selected HIV positive women at Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital. Data were collected using a pretested interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Survey logistic regression analysis was employed to identify determinants of contraceptive use. Statistical significance was declared at p-value <0.05. RESULTS: Out of three hundred eight participants, 118 (38.3%) reported contraceptive use at the time of the study. Injectable is the most preferred (43.5%) contraceptive method. Participants with age 15-34 years (AOR = 3.09, 95%CI: 1.59-5.99), disclosed their status to sex partner, (AOR = 2.7, 95%CI: 1.14-6.66), had history of contraception use; (AOR = 3.36, 95%CI: 1.68-6.74), were sexually active (AOR = 5.45, 95%CI: 2.72-10.91) had higher odds of contraceptive use. However, participants who had drinking habit (AOR = 4.35, 95%CI: 1.82-10.38) had lower odds of contraceptive use. CONCLUSION: A significant proportion of HIV positive women had low level of contraceptive use that was lower than the national recommended level. Participants with younger age (15-34years), who disclosed HIV status to sex partner, had history of contraceptive use, and who were sexually active six months prior to the study were more likely to use contraception. However, participants who had drinking habit were less likely to use contraception. These results suggest that multi-sectorial and multi-disciplinary approaches are needed to increase contraceptive use in the HIV positive women.

Prevalence of vertical HIV infection and its risk factors among HIV exposed infants in East Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is one of the most important global health problems. More than one and half million of children are living with HIV in the world, and majority of them are found in sub-Saharan Africa. There are primary fragmented study findings, and no review was conducted with regard to vertical HIV infection in East Africa. Therefore, this review aimed to assess the prevalence of vertical HIV infection and its risk factors among HIV-exposed infants in East Africa. MAIN BODY: Eligible studies were retrieved by relevant search terms in CINHAL, Pub-MED, Google Scholar, EMBASE, Web of Science, SCOPUS, Cochrane, African Journals Online databases, and Ethiopian University research repositories. Data were extracted with Microsoft Excel and analyzed with Stata version 11 software. The random effect model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of vertical HIV infection in East Africa. The variation between studies was quantified with an I 2 statistic test. Furthermore, sub-group and meta-regression analyses were done to identify the sources of heterogeneity between the studies. The publication bias was assessed by Egger test. This systematic review and meta-analysis have included a total of 33 research articles. The overall pooled prevalence of vertical HIV infection in East Africa was 7.68% with a 95% confidence interval [CI]: (6.23, 9.12) with a heterogeneity of I 2 = 86.8 with a p value < 0.001. In subgroup analysis, the pooled prevalence of vertical HIV infection in cross-sectional studies was 6.58%, while in cohort studies were 9.37%. Mixed feeding, AOR = 6.22 (1.02, 11.41); home delivery, AOR = 2 (1.01, 3); mothers took ART less than 4 weeks, AOR = 1.92 (1.79, 2.06); and infants who have not received ARV prophylaxis, AOR = 2.02 (1.05, 2.98) were the associated factors for vertical HIV infection for exposed infants. CONCLUSIONS: The pooled prevalence of the mother to child transmission of HIV is way more than the desired target of the World Health Organization, which is less than 5% in breastfeeding populations. Thus, strengthening the prevention of vertical HIV transmission, promotion of exclusive breastfeeding, timely initiation of ART prophylaxis for HIV exposed infants, encouragement of hospital delivery, and the start of ART at the time of diagnosis of every HIV-positive person may all reduce the transmission of vertical HIV infection.

Determinants of Nutritional Status in School-Aged Children in Mecha, Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Globally, about 50 million children younger than age 5 years experience wasting; of these 16 million (2.4%) are severely wasted. In Ethiopia, about 9% of the children are severely underweight, 10% are wasted, and 3% are severely wasted. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the risk factors that could lead to underweight, stunting, and wasting among school-aged children in Mecha, northwest Ethiopia, along with their magnitude. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Mecha, northwest Ethiopia from April 1, 2018, to June 15, 2018. The study enrolled 422 school-aged children. A pretested interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Binary logistic regression analysis was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of underweight, wasting, and stunting were 5.8%, 10.8%, and 11.6%, respectively. Access to school-based feeding was significantly associated with a lower level of underweight (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.137; 95% CI, 0.020-0.921), and claimed decreased frequency of feeding during illness was associated with a higher level of wasting (AOR = 3.307; 95% CI, 1.025-10.670). Furthermore, younger age of the child (AOR = 16.721; 95% CI, 3.314-84.357), mother's age between 18 and 45 years (AOR = 3.474; 95% CI, 1.145-10.544), and increased frequency of feeding (AOR = 0.270; 95% CI, 0.098-0.749) were all associated with a lower level of stunting. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the lack of access to school-based feeding was associated with higher level of underweight, and claimed decreased frequency of feeding during illness was associated with wasting. In addition, older age of the child, increase in mother's age, and decreased frequency of feeding were associated with higher levels of stunting. The associations suggest that increased access to both school-based feeding and frequency of feeding might improve the nutritional status of school-aged Ethiopian children. (Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 2020; 81:XXX-XXX) © 2020 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc.

Neonatal sepsis and its association with birth weight and gestational age among admitted neonates in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Neonatal sepsis is an invasive infection, usually bacterial, and often occurring during the neonatal period (0-28 days). Neonatal sepsis causes a high burden of morbidity and mortality in developing countries like Ethiopia. There are fragmented, inconsistency, and no review has been conducted to report the magnitude and associated factors of neonatal sepsis in Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess the pooled prevalence of neonatal sepsis and its association with birth weight and gestational age among admitted neonates in Ethiopia. METHODS: Electronic media searches like PubMed, CINHAL, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane library databases and African health science library were used. All original peer-reviewed papers which reported the prevalence of neonatal sepsis in Ethiopia were included in this study. Two reviewers independently extracted the data using a standardized data extraction format for eligibility and appraised their quality. Data were analyzed using Stata version 14 software. The pooled prevalence of neonatal sepsis was estimated with the random-effect model. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by I 2 statistics test. Subgroup and meta-regression analyses were done to assess the source of variation between the studies. Egger's test followed by trim and fill analysis were used to determine publication bias. A sensitivity analysis was carried out. RESULT: A total of 952 research papers reviewed, of which, eight studies were finally included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. The random effect pooled prevalence of neonatal sepsis in Ethiopia was 49.98% (CI: 36.06, 63.90). In subgroup analysis, the pooled estimated neonatal sepsis among cross-sectional studies was 53.15% while the cohort was 40.56%. Newborns with a birth weight of less than 2.5 kg were 1.42 times more likely to develop neonatal sepsis infection compared to normal babies. The odds ratios of preterm babies were 3.36 to develop neonatal sepsis compared to term infants. CONCLUSION: The pooled prevalence of neonatal sepsis in Ethiopia was high. Thus, health care providers should adhere to aseptic precautions while performing procedures, especially in preterm and low birth weight infants were recommended.

Under-five anemia and its associated factors with dietary diversity, food security, stunted, and deworming in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Anemia is the most common hematologic disorder of children in the globe. There are fragmented and inconclusive study findings on under-five anemia in Ethiopia. Understanding the distribution of anemia is an important step for program planners and policymakers. Therefore, this systematic review was aimed to assess the pooled prevalence of anemia and associated factors with dietary diversity, food security, stunted, and deworming in Ethiopia. METHODS: We searched through African journals of online, Google Scholar, CINHAL, PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane library, and Scopus. Reviewers used standardized format to extract the data. The data was exported to Stata version 11 software for analysis after extracted by Microsoft excel. The DerSimonian-Laird random-effect model was used to assess the pooled prevalence of under-five anemia. Variation between studies (heterogeneity) was assessed by I2 statistic test. Publication bias was assessed by the Egger test. RESULT: From 561 studies, 16 articles were included in this review. The pooled prevalence of under-five anemia in Ethiopia was 44.83%. In subgroup analysis, the higher pooled prevalence of anemia was observed from children's age less than 2 years old (50.36%) (95% CI 39.53, 61.18). Poor dietary diversity OR = 1.71 (1.10, 2.68), stunting OR = 2.59 (2.04, 3.28), food insecurity OR = 2.87 (1.25, 6.61), and not dewormed OR = 2.34 (1.77, 3.09) were predictors of under-five anemia. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of under-five anemia in this study was extremely high. Therefore, increased coverage of supplementation and fortification programs, periodic deworming, feeding diversified food, supplement food for those who are stunted, and securing food in the households may all alleviate under-five anemia.

Dietary diversity among school age children in Merawi town, Amhara region, Ethiopia, 2018: a community based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition with its constituents of protein energy malnutrition and micro-nutrient deficiencies continues to be a major health burden in low and middle-income countries. To end all forms of malnutrition, we need to address poverty, which is associated with the insecure supply of food and diversified nutrition. The objective of this study was to determine the level of dietary diversity and household food security among urban school-age children in Merawi town, Ethiopia. METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Merawi town among 422 households having school age children from April 1 to June 15, 2018. The association between dietary diversity and determinants was assessed using binary logistic regression analysis. Socio-demographic, maternal and child related variables; food security and diversity determinants were studied. RESULTS: The overall level of good dietary diversity was 91.7%, i.e.; 8.3% had a low, 59.1% had a good, 32.6% had better dietary diversity, respectively. Most households (95.2%) were secured with food access. The factors associated with good dietary diversity were the age of the child [AOR = 0.31 (0.14, 0.70)], and access to information [AOR = 3.18 (1.07,9.47)]. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of good dietary diversity was relatively high. Among different socio-cultural and economic factors studied, age of the child and access to information were the factors associated with dietary diversity. Increasing maternal and child awareness towards good dietary diversity practices through the mass media (radio and Television) and working with mothers with early school-age children to improve dietary diversity are recommended.

Factors Associated with Compliance with World Health Organization-Recommended Infant-Feeding Practices by Mothers with HIV Infection in Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization has recommended either exclusive replacement feeding or exclusive breastfeeding options for HIV-exposed infants for the first 6 months of life. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the factors associated with noncompliance with these recommendations among a population of HIV-infected mothers of young infants in Bahir Dar City, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. METHODS: An institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 1 to May 15, 2018. A structured interview was conducted with 213 HIV-positive mothers. Descriptive statistics were used to show the frequency distributions of factors associated with noncompliance with World Health Organization-recommended infant-feeding practices. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the variables predictive of infant-feeding practices. RESULTS: All mothers were undergoing antiretroviral therapy. Only 83.5% claimed to be following World Health Organization-recommended infant-feeding practices. Bivariate analysis showed that high school or greater educational status [Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.6 (95% CI = 4.2, 9.5)], having attended antenatal visits [AOR = 6.7 (95% CI = 5.6, 10.9)] and postnatal follow-up visits [AOR = 6.9 (95% CI = 4.2, 9.3)], and disclosure of HIV status to their spouse [AOR = 8.2 (95% CI = 6.2, 10.7)] were associated with adherence to recommended infant-feeding practices. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of recommended infant feeding practices among HIV-exposed infants in the study area was suboptimal compared with the ≥90% recommended by the World Health Organization. Higher educational status of the mother, antenatal and postnatal follow-ups, and disclosure of HIV status to spouses were predictors of adherence to the recommended infant-feeding practices. Although not yet proven in a prospective clinical trial, providing more education for women, improving attendance at antenatal and postnatal follow-up visits, encouraging the disclosure of HIV status to spouses, and educating mothers about proper infant-feeding options during follow-up visits may all be useful to increase compliance.

Determinants of pneumonia among 2-59 months old children at Debre Markos referral hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Pneumonia is a significant public health problem globally. The early identification and management of the determinants of pneumonia demands clear evidence. But, there is a limited data on this issue in the current study area. Thus, this study aimed to identify the determinants of pneumonia among 2-59 months old children at Debre Markos Referral Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A Hospital based unmatched case-control study was conducted among 334 (167 Cases and 167 Controls) children at Debre Markos Referral Hospital from February 1 to March 30, 2018. Consecutive sampling technique was employed and data were collected with a pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaire. Data were entered into Epi-Data version 4.2, and analyzed using SPSS version 25 software. Bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regression analyses were fitted. Variables having p-value < 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 328(164 cases and 164 controls) 2-59 months old children were included in this study. Not opening windows daily [AOR:6.15(2.55,14.83)], household near to the street [AOR:4.23(1.56,11.44)], child care by the house workers and relatives [AOR:2.97 (1.11,7.93)], using only water for hand washing before child feeding [AOR:3.81 (1.51, 9.66)], mixed feeding practice from birth to six months [AOR: 7.62 (2.97, 19.55)], having upper respiratory tract infection in the last 2 weeks for the child [AOR: 5.33 (2.16, 13.19)] and children with history of co- residence with URTI family [AOR: 6.17 (2.36,16.15)] were found to be determinants of pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: The main contributing factors for pneumonia in this study are preventable with no or minimal cost. Therefore, we recommend appropriate and adequate health education regarding pneumonia prevention and control.

Knowledge and practice of breast self-examination among undergraduate students in Bahir Dar University, North-West Ethiopia, 2016: A cross-sectional study.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide, with nearly 1.7 million new cases diagnosed each year which accounts 12% of all new cancer cases and 25% of all cancers in women. Breast self-examination offers women the best opportunity for reducing breast cancer deaths. From a total of 222 respondents about 190 (85.6%) heard about breast selfexamination. One hundred forty-three (75.3%) had good knowledge about sign and symptoms of breast cancer and 47 (24.7%) had poor knowledge about the sign and symptoms of breast cancer. From total respondents of the study 120 (54.1%) practiced breast self-examination. Breast selfexamination practice is relatively frequent problem in Bahir Dar University, health science students. Negligence, forgetfulness and lack of knowledge are the main factors for poor practice of breast self-examination. Public health education using the media, clubs and leaflet could significantly reduce poor practice of breast self-examination and increases early detection of breast lump.

Prevalence of diarrhea and associated factors among under-five children in Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia, 2016: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: In Ethiopia, morbidity and mortality due to diarrhea is significantly high. Most importantly, burden of diarrhea is disproportionately high among under-five children. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with diarrhea among children younger than 5 years old in Bahir Dar city, Northwest, Ethiopia, 2016. METHODS: This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among under-five years-old children from March 24 to April 12, 2016. Systematic sampling technique was used to select 498 households. Data were collected by using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify predictor variables. Factors with a p-value of < 0.05 were considered as independently associated with diarrhea. RESULTS: The 2 weeks prevalence of diarrhea among under five children was 14.5%. Lack of hand washing facilities in the household (AOR = 3.910 (1.770, 8.634)), lack of separate feeding materials (AOR = 5.769 (1.591, 9.220)), poor hand washing practice (AOR = 6.104 (2.100, 17.738)) and not breastfeeding (AOR = 2.3 (1.023, 5.46)) were predictors of the concurrence of diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of diarrhea in the study area was slightly higher than the 2016, Ethiopian Demography and Health Survey finding which was 12%. Thus, improving handwashing facilities and practices, serving the food to the child with a separate materials and encourage optimal breastfeeding were recommended.

Timely initiation of breastfeeding among first time mothers in Bahir Dar city, North West, Ethiopia, 2016.

BACKGROUND: Timely initiation of breastfeeding is one important intervention to prevent childhood morbidities and mortalities. Globally, not more than 35 and 39% in developing countries, 52% in Ethiopia and 38% in Amhara region were initiated with breastfeeding early. METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted from 20 March to April, 2016. A total of 423 mothers who have infants less than 6 month old were included in this study. The data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaire. Binary logistic regression analysis were used to identify factors associated with timely initiation of breastfeeding. RESULTS: Prevalence of timely initiation of breastfeeding was 65%. Being male [AOR 2.148 (1.232, 3.745)], breastfeeding counseling [AOR 2.163 (1.187, 3.942)], place of delivery [AOR 8.639 (2.089, 5.720)], normal labor [AOR 4.094 (1.414, 8.728], and religious father support [AOR 1.962 (1.113, 3.458)] were determinants for timely initiation of breastfeeding. CONCLUSIONS: Timely initiation of breastfeeding in the study area was 65%. Sex of infant, breastfeeding counseling, birth place, mode of delivery, and religious father support were predictors of timely initiation of breastfeeding. Strengthening timely initiation of breastfeeding through provision of antenatal care services, educating mothers and strengthening health professionals knowledge, and skills on breastfeeding counseling were recommended.

Prevalence and associated factors of hypertension among adult patients in Felege-Hiwot Comprehensive Referral Hospitals, northwest, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and factors associated with hypertension among adult patients in Felege-Hiwot Comprehensive Referral Hospital, northwest Ethiopia, 2018. RESULT: The prevalence of hypertension in the current study area was 27.3%. Known history of cardiac problems [AOR = 6.9; 95% CI (1.24, 11.44)], alcohol consumption [AOR = 2.2; 95% CI (1.04, 5.05)], abdominal obesity [AOR = 2.3; 95% CI (1.02, 5.04)], and obesity [AOR = 4.8; 95% CI (1.12, 8.34)] were factors associated independently with hypertension.

Prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding practice and associated factors among mothers having infants less than 6 months old, in Bahir Dar, Northwest, Ethiopia: a community based cross sectional study, 2017.

BACKGROUND: Breast milk provides all the energy and nutrients that the infant needs for the first 6 months of life. Suboptimal breastfeeding especially lacks exclusive breastfeeding increase risk of severe acute malnutrition by 3.2-fold and major contributory factor for infant child mortality. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding practice and associated factors among mothers having infants less than 6 months old in Bahir Dar city, Northwest, Ethiopia, 2017. RESULT: The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding practice 1 day before the survey was 86.4%. Mothers who; have young infant aged 0-1 month old [AOR = 5.702 (1.747, 18.613)], house wife [AOR = 2.995 (1.557, 5.690)] and are not influenced by culture [AOR = 11 (3.449, 35.165)] were more likely to practice exclusive breastfeeding than their counterparts.

Neonatal mortality in the case of Felege Hiwot referral hospital, Bahir Dar, Amhara Regional State, North West Ethiopia 2016: a one year retrospective chart review.

BACKGROUND: Ethiopia is among the countries with the highest neonatal mortality with the rate of 37 deaths per 1000 live births. In spite of many efforts by the government and other partners, non significant decline has been achieved over the last 15 years. Thus, identifying the prevalence and associated factors of neonatal mortality is very crucial for policy and program improvement. This study was designed to assess neonatal mortality rate in Felege Hiwot referral hospital, North West Ethiopia. METHODS: A hospital based chart review was done in Felege Hiwot referral hospital based on patient charts from July 2015 to June 2016. The data were collected using structured checklists. The collected data was coded, filtered and entered in to Microsoft Excel 2007 and transferred to STATA version 12.0 for analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with neonatal mortality. A p - value of < 0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of neonatal mortality in Felege Hiwot referral hospital was 13.29% (95% CI: 10.09-17.07). Early age of the newborn (< 7 days) [AOR = 0.39 (0.16-0.97)], gestational age at delivery [AOR = 2.14 (1.0-4.52)], late initiation of breastfeeding [AOR = 2.89 (0.99-8.38)], non exclusive breastfeeding [AOR = 6.77 (3.04-15.07)], inadequate ante natal visit [AOR = 5.02 (1.02-24.70)] were the determinant factors for neonatal death. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed that neonatal mortality is still high in the study area. Early age of the newborn, late initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding and ante natal vist were the determinant factors for neonatal mortality in the study area. Therefore, giving attention for newborns who are small for age, timely initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding and increasing ante natal visit were recommended to reduce neonatal mortality.

Level of modern health care seeking behaviors among mothers having under five children in Dangila town, north West Ethiopia, 2016: a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Health seeking behavior is an action taken by an individual who perceive to have a health problem. In most developing countries including Ethiopia the health of the children is strongly dependant on maternal health care behavior. Most childhood morbidities and mortalities are associated with low level of mothers health care seeking behavior. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess level of modern health care seeking behavior among mothers having under five children in Dangila town, North West Ethiopia. METHODS: Community based quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted from April 15 to May 15, 2016. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select study participants. A total of273 mothers with children less than five years were included in this study. The data was collected from all five Kebeles using interviewer administered questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to present the data. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with level of modern health care seeking behavior. RESULTS: Prevalence of modern health care seeking behavior was 82.1%. Age of mothers (AOR = 2.4(1.1, 5.3), age of the child (AOR = 6.7(2.8, 22.2), severity of illness (AOR = 5.2(1.2, 22.6) and family number (AOR = 6.4(2.1, 20.2) were predictors of modern health care seeking behavior among mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Majority of the mothers preferred to take their children to modern health care when they got illness. Age of children, age of mother, number of family and severity of illness were the determinant factors for modern health care seeking behavior. Therefore, health care services should be strengthened at community level through community integrated management of childhood illness, information, education communication / behavioral change communication strategies to improve mothers health care seeking behaviors.

Level of insulin adherence among diabetes mellitus patients in Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia, 2017: a cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to know the level of insulin adherence and to identify factors affecting insulin adherence among diabetes mellitus patients in Felege Hiwot Referral Hospital, Bahir Dar, Northwest Ethiopia. RESULTS: Prevalence of insulin adherence was 59.2%. Patients who are married [AOR = 0.3 (0.14-0.7)], have regular health care visit [AOR = 3.3 (1.5-7.5)] and accessing insulin with low cost [AOR = 2.9 (1.3-6.3)] were more likely to adhere insulin therapy than their counterparts. Recommendations to increase insulin adherence were: government and non-governmental organizations, volunteers and concerned bodies should support syringe and needles for diabetes patients, health care providers and responsible bodies should give intensive health education about the effect of stopping insulin medication.