Magnitude of flat foot and its associated factors among school-aged children in Southern Ethiopia: an institution-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Flat foot, also known as pes planus, is a common condition among primary school children and is a leading cause of all clinical visits related to foot problems worldwide. It can cause skeletal problems and joint misalignment. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of flat foot and its associated factors among public primary school children. METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 1072 school children aged 11 to 18 years. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection and the footprints were used to calculate the plantar arch index. Data were entered into Epi data version 4.6, and analyzed by STATA version 15. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regressions were conducted. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Statistical significance was declared at a P-value < 0.05. RESULT: Out of 1022 participants, 105(10.27%) 95%CI: 8.5-12) had a flat foot. Being male (AOR = 2; 95%CI:1.22-3.30), living in highland altitude (AOR = 8.83; 95% CI: 4.64-16.79), living in midland altitude (AOR = 3.32;95% CI:1.75-6.29), living in an urban area (AOR = 2.42;95% CI:1.15-5.09), insufficient physical activity (AOR = 8.78;95% CI: 4.42-12.3), wearing closed-toe shoes (AOR = 2.33;95%CI:1.27-4.28), obesity (AOR = 6.30;95% CI:3.31-11.9), and foot pain (AOR = 3.52;95%CI:2.08-6.27) had a higher likelihood of flat foot as compared to their counterparts. CONCLUSION: One in every ten children had a flat foot. Altitude, residence, sex, physical activity, foot pain, body mass index, and type of footwear were found to be factors statistically associated with flat foot. Integrated interventions for children to have sufficient physical activity, wearing sandals, maintaining a healthy body mass index, and flatfoot screening and monitoring are recommended.

The Magnitude of Refractive Error and Its Associated Factors Among Patients Visiting Ophthalmology Clinics in Southern Ethiopia, 2022.

Introduction: Refractive error is a vision-impairing condition due to light rays not being able to focus on the retina, resulting in the visual outcome of a cloudy image. It is one of the main causes of central vision impairment globally and in Africa, including Ethiopia. This study was conducted to assess the magnitude of refractive error and its associated factors among patients attending ophthalmic clinics. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was utilized. A systematic random sampling technique was applied to select 356 participants. The data were gathered using an interview-structured questionnaire and check list. Then, the data were entered into Epi-data version 4.6 and transferred to SPSS version 25 for further clean up and analysis. Descriptive and analytical statistics were conducted. A binary logistic regression analysis was done, and variables with a p-value of less than 0.25 in univariate analysis were taken for bivariate analysis. Statistically significant was declared at a p-value of less than 0.05 with an adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. Results: Among 356 participants, 96 (27.5%), with 95% CI (22.8, 32.1) had a refractive error, of which nearsighted is the most common type (15.8%). Regular use of electronic devices, near working distance (<33cm), less or lack of outdoor activities, history of diabetes mellitus and family history of refractive error were factors significantly associated with refractive error. Conclusion and Recommendations: The magnitude of refractive error was 27.5%, which is relatively elevated than the previous studies. Clients need to get screened regularly so that refractive defects can be detected and corrected early. Eye care professionals shall make a big concern for patients with a history of diabetes and other medical illnesses since they are related to ocular refractive defects.