Adverse birth outcomes and associated factors among mothers who delivered in Bale zone hospitals, Oromia Region, Southeast Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: Adverse birth outcomes, which include stillbirth, preterm birth, low birthweight, congenital abnormalities, and stillbirth, are the leading cause of neonatal and infant mortality worldwide. We assessed adverse birth outcomes and associated factors among mothers who gave birth in Bale zone hospitals, Oromia, Southeast Ethiopia. METHODS: We used systematic random sampling in this cross-sectional study. We identified factors associated with adverse birth outcomes using bivariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The proportion of adverse birth outcomes among participants was 21%. Of 576 births, 70 (12.2%) were low birthweight, 49 (8.5%) were preterm birth, 45 (7.8%) were stillbirth, and 18 (3.1%) infants had congenital anomalies. Inadequate antenatal care (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 6.58, 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.25-13.32), multiple pregnancy (AOR = 4.74, 95% CI 1.55-14.45), premature rupture of membranes in the current pregnancy (AOR = 2.31, 95% CI 1.26-4.21), hemoglobin level < 11 g/dL (AOR = 3.22, 95% CI 1.85-5.58), and mid-upper arm circumference less than 23 cm (AOR = 5.93, 95% CI 3.49-10.08) were all significantly associated with adverse birth outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one in five study participants had adverse birth outcomes. Increasing antenatal care uptake, ferrous supplementation during pregnancy, and improving the quality of maternal health services are recommended.

Treatment outcomes of tuberculosis patients and associated factors in Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia: a retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the outcome of tuberculosis treatment and associated factors in Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia in 2017. METHODS: This was 5-year retrospective study of a health registry for tuberculosis patients, which was reviewed from 1 September 2011 to 30 August 2016. Data were analyzed, and descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to identify the factors that were associated with tuberculosis treatment outcomes. RESULTS: Among the 7205 tuberculosis patients, 6325 (87.8%) had a successful treatment outcome and 880 (12.2%) had an unsuccessful outcome. The age groups ≤14 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.21), 15 to 24 years (AOR=1.61), 25 to 34 years (AOR=1.86), or 35 to 44 years (AOR=1.65); being treated at a hospital (AOR=1.63) or health center (AOR=2.52); pulmonary tuberculosis-positive (AOR=0.80); or extrapulmonary tuberculosis patients (AOR= 0.78) were the factors that were significantly associated with tuberculosis treatment outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Public health facilities should pay special attention to the identified variables for tuberculosis prevention and control activities, especially focusing on supporting health workers who work at a health post (lowest level of Ethiopia's three-tiered healthcare system).

Occupational Injury and Its Correlated Factors among Small-Scale Industry Workers in Towns of Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia.

Introduction: In developing countries, the laborer forces have managed many of the industrial works. As a result, the process of the work has put the health and lives of workers at risk. Thus, this study was designed to assess occupational injury and its correlated factors among small-scale industry workers in the towns of Bale Zone, Southeast Ethiopia. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed among five hundred ninety small-scale industries in towns of Bale zone, Southeast Ethiopia, in March to April 2016. Multistage sampling was applied to recruit the study subjects. Data were collected through interviewer-administered questionnaires. A structured questionnaire addressing the objectives of the study was used. EpiData was used for data entry, and the data were exported to SPSS windows version 20 for analysis. Descriptive statistics like frequency and percentage were used for the prevalence, whereas binary and multiple logistic regressions were employed to identify the predictors of the outcome variable. Results: A total of 574 workers from different small-scale industries, including woodwork, metalwork, and concrete block construction, participated in the study with a response rate of 97.3%. In this study, among the total participants of the study, 43.2% (248), 30% (172), and 21.6% (124) of them had encountered lifetime, last one year, and six months occupational injury, respectively. Taking health and safety training, presence of any things on the floor that can cause accidents and occupational risk perception were independent predictors of occupational injury. The presence of any things on the floor that can cause accidents and having a low-risk perception increases occupational injury by 12.69 [AOR: 12.69, (1.67-96.13)] and 2.84 [AOR: 2.84, (1.80-4.49)], respectively. Conclusion: About one in three occupational injuries occurred among small-scale industry workers. Health and safety training should be provided for every worker in small-scale industries. Supportive supervision focusing awareness creation, economic stability, and health care from health office, social and labor affair office, and other concerned body is highly recommended. District or town health office should address the identified factors to promote the health of the workers.