Exploring social media adoption for marketing purpose among healthcare professionals in Gondar town, central Gondar zone: A facility-based cross-sectional survey.

Background: Social media has become an integral platform for global information exchange and business interactions, emerging as a crucial tool for promoting products and services in the digital age. Despite its worldwide significance, local businesses, especially in Ethiopia, lag behind in leveraging social media for healthcare marketing. The scarcity of studies on social media adoption among healthcare providers in Ethiopia highlights the imperative for comprehensive research. Objective: This study, conducted in Gondar Town, focused on private healthcare professionals, aiming to identify the determinants of their behavioral intention and usage behavior in adopting social media marketing. Method: A facility-based cross-sectional survey involving 238 health professionals from private healthcare facilities in Gondar Town was conducted between March and June 2023. The study analyzed data using SPSS Version 26 and AMOS Structural Equation Modeling Version 23. Results: All participants reported using social media platforms, with Facebook, Telegram, and YouTube being popular choices. Performance expectancy, social influence, facilitation condition, and behavioral intention significantly influenced healthcare professionals' adoption of social media marketing. Performance expectancy and social influence exhibited the strongest impact on behavioral intention, acting as mediators influencing usage behavior. However, effort expectancy did not significantly influence behavioral intention. Age, gender, experience, and voluntariness showed no significant moderating effects. Conclusion: This study contributes valuable insights into social media marketing adoption in the healthcare sector, emphasizing the critical role of various factors in shaping behavioral intention and usage behavior. The findings offer practical implications for private healthcare providers, policymakers, and marketers, guiding strategies to enhance patient communication and engagement through social media in Gondar Town.

Prevalence of major depressive disorder and its associated factors among adult patients with neurolathyrism in Dawunt District, Ethiopia; 2022: community-based cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is one of the commonest mental disorders affecting more than 250 million people globally. Patients with chronic illnesses had higher risks for developing MDD than the general population. Neurolathyrism is a chronic illness characterized by lifelong incurable spastic paralysis of lower extremities; causing permanent disability. It is highly prevalent in Dawunt district, Ethiopia; with a point prevalence of 2.4%. Despite this, there were no previous studies assessing the prevalence of MDD among patients with neurolathyrism in Ethiopia. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of MDD and to identify its associated factors among patients with neurolathyrism in Dawunt district, Ethiopia. METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted on 260 samples in Dawunt district from February 01 to March 30/ 2021. Multistage sampling technique was used to select study participants. The patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) depression screening tool was used to diagnose MDD. PHQ-9 is a standardized depression screening tool and a PHQ-9 score of ≥ 10 has a sensitivity and specificity of 88.0% [95% CI (83.0-92.0%)] and 85.0% [95% CI (82.0-88.0%)] for screening MDD. Data were collected by interview; entered to EpiData version 4.2.0; exported to SPSS version 25.0 for analysis; descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression model were used; AOR with 95% CI was used to interpret the associations; and finally results were presented by texts, charts, graphs, and tables. RESULTS: A total of 256 adult patients with neurolathyrism were participated; and the prevalence of MDD was found to be 38.7%. Being female [AOR = 3.00; 95% CI (1.15, 7.84)], living alone [AOR = 2.77; 95% CI (1.02-7.53)], being on neurolathyrism stage-3 [AOR = 3.22; 95% CI (1.09, 9.54)] or stage-4 [AOR = 4.00; 95% CI (1.28, 12.48)], stigma [AOR = 2.69; 95% CI (1.34, 5.39)], and lack of social/ family support [AOR = 3.61; 95% CI (1.80, 7.24)] were found to have statistically significant association with an increased odds of MDD; while regular exercise and ever formal counselling were found to have statistically significant association with a decreased odds of MDD. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MDD among neurolathyrism patients in Dawunt district was high. Lack of social support, stigma, not getting formal counselling, and not involving in regular exercise were modifiable risk factors. Therefore, social support, reducing stigma, formal counselling, and encouraging regular exercise might help to reduce the burden of MDD among neurolathyrism patients.

Prevalence of Neurolathyrism and its associated factors in Grass pea cultivation areas of Dawunt District, North-eastern Ethiopia; 2022: a community based multilevel analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Neurolathyrism is an upper motor neuron disorder characterized by spastic paraparesis, which is caused by the prolonged over-consumption of grass pea. It is a devastating disease with great impacts on physical, social, mental, and economical health. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of neurolathyrism and its associated factors in grass pea cultivation areas of Dawunt wereda. METHODS: Community based cross-sectional study design was conducted from February 01- March 30, 2021 on 631 Households with a total of 3,350 individuals. Two-stage random sampling technique was used to select participants. Multilevel binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with neurolathyrism. Statistical significance was declared at p < 0.05; and AOR with 95% CI was used to interpret the results. RESULTS: The household and population level prevalence of neurolathyrism in Dawunt district were 9.2% (7.2-11.7%) and 2.4% (2.0-2.3.0%) respectively. Age (AOR = 7.4 ( 2.6-20.6)), male sex (AOR = 7.8 (3.9, 15.4)), and marital status (AOR = 4.0 (1.3-12.8)) were the individual level variables; family size (AOR = 12.6 (3.0-52.8)), annual grass pea production (AOR = 5.0 (2.3-11.0)), ever feeding only grass pea (AOR = 8.8(3.5-22.2)), ever feeding immature seeds of grass pea (AOR = 6.28 (2.80, 14.08)), high grass pea to other cereals mixing ratio (> 3:1) (AOR = 6.1 (1.1, 33.5)) were the household level variables found to have significant association with neurolathyrism. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of neurolathyrism was found to be high. Ever feeding only grass pea, Grass pea to other cereals mixing ratio (using ratio of 1:1 or more), and Ever feeding immature grass pea seeds were the modifiable risk factors for neurolathyrism.