Food Safety and hygiene practices and the Determinants among street vendors during the Chain of Food Production in Northwest Ethiopia.

Background: There is mounting evidence that Ethiopia is becoming a more street-food-consuming nation. The hygienic and safety procedures, however, are not adequately evaluated. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the magnitude of food safety and hygiene practices and associated factors among street food vendors of Bahir Dar City. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from March 10 to April 10, 2019. The data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire with an observational checklist. The collected data were entered into EPI Data and analyzed by R software. Descriptive statistics were computed. A Binary logistic regression model was fit to identify the association and strength of exploratory variables and food safety and hygiene practices at a 95 % confidence interval and p-value <0.05. Results: A total of 421 participants participated. The level of good food safety and hygiene practices was 36 % (95%CI: 31, 41). Monthly income of >2500 Birr (AOR = 4.99; 95%CI: 2.42, 10.3), work experience of >2 years (AOR = 2.05; 95%CI: 1.15, 3.65), having supervision by health professionals (AOR = 2.45; 95%CI: 1.25, 4.85), having good knowledge about food safety and hygiene (AOR = 3.84; 95%CI: 1.42, 10.36), and having a favorable attitude towards food safety and hygiene (AOR = 2.71; 95%CI: 1.12, 6.57) were determinants of food safety and hygiene practice. Conclusions: The level of good food safety and hygiene practices was low. Monthly income, work experience, supervision by health professionals, knowledge, and attitude toward food safety and hygiene were identified as the determinants of good food safety and hygiene practice.

The magnitude of mortality and its predictors among adult patients admitted to the Intensive care unit in Amhara Regional State, Northwest Ethiopia.

Despite mortality in intensive care units (ICU) being a global public health problem, it is higher in developing countries, including Ethiopia. However, insufficient evidence is established concerning mortality in the ICU and its predictors. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of ICU mortality and its predictors among patients at Tibebe Ghion specialized hospital, Northwest Ethiopia, 2021. A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from February 24th, 2019, to January 24th, 2021. Data were collected from medical records by using pretested structured data retrieval checklist. The collected data was entered into Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using R version 4.0 software. Descriptive statistics computed. A simple logistic analysis was run (at 95% CI and p-value < 0.05) to identify the determinants for ICU mortality. A total of 568 study participants' charts were reviewed. The median length of ICU stay was four days. Head trauma and shock were the leading causes of ICU admissions and mortality. The overall mortality rate of the ICU-admitted patients was 29.6% (95% CI: 26%, 33%). Admission in 2020 (AOR = 0.51; 95%CI: 0.31, 0.85), having altered mentation (AOR = 13.44; 95%CI: 5.77, 31.27), mechanical ventilation required at admission (AOR = 4.11; 95%CI: 2.63, 6.43), and stayed < 5 days in the ICU (AOR = 3.74; 95%CI: 2.31, 6.06) were significantly associated with ICU mortality. The magnitude of the ICU mortality rate was moderate. Years of admission, altered mentation, mechanical ventilation required at admission, and days of stay in the ICU were the predictors for ICU mortality. This finding underscores the importance of interventions to reduce ICU mortality.

Magnitude of common mental disorders and associated factors among patients with Epilepsy in Amhara regional state, Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Common mental disorders are severe and frequent co-morbid psychiatric illnesses with epilepsy. Different study findings across the world showed that patients with epilepsy have a higher burden of mental disorders than the general population. However, these issues in patients with epilepsy have been consistently undiagnosed. OBJECTIVES: The study aimed to screen common mental disorders and the determinants among patients with epilepsy attending at Fenote Selam hospital. METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with Epilepsy from March 10 to May 15, 2019. Patients were assessed for the risk of common mental disorders using a pretested, structured, self-reporting questionnaire (SRQ-20). The collected data were entered into Epi-data version 3.1 software and analyzed using R version 4.0 software. Descriptive statistics were computed using frequency, percent, mean, and standard deviations. A simple logistic regression model was fit to identify the association and strength of exploratory variables and common mental disorders at a 95% confidence interval and p-value < 0.05. RESULTS: The study included 202 patients diagnosed with epilepsy and yielded a response of 91.4%. About 53% of the patients were males. The magnitude of common mental disorders among patients with epilepsy was 57.9% (95% CI: 44.56, 71.24). Being more than one substance user (AOR = 5.7; 95%CI: 1.6, 20.7) and Not having social support (AOR = 4.3; 95%CI: 1.5, 11.9) were the identified determinants of common mental disorders. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of common mental disorders among patients with epilepsy were high. Not having social support and khat chewing were the identified risk factors significantly associated with common mental disorders. Early screening and treatments are the key interventions to prevent complications and deaths from common mental disorders.