Effectiveness of Anthropometric Measurements for Identifying Diabetes and Prediabetes among Civil Servants in a Regional City of Northern Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

METHODS: The study involved a cross-sectional survey carried out from October 2015 to February 2016 among 1504 subjects aged from 18 to 75 years of age. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) was used to select the most effective anthropometric cut-off point among waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio, and BMI for identifying prediabetic and diabetes. Statistical significance was declared at p value of ≤0.05. RESULTS: Waist circumference was found better for identifying diabetes (AUC = 0.69) and prediabetes (AUC = 0.63) in women, respectively. Waist-to-hip ratio was better identifying diabetes (AUC = 0.67) while waist circumference-to-height ratio was better identifying prediabetes (AUC = 0.63) in men compared to body mass index. The optimal cut-off point with maximum sensitivity and specificity of waist circumference for identifying diabetes and prediabetes was 83.5 cm and 82.9 cm in women, respectively. The optimal ut-off point with maximum sensitivity and specificity of waist-to-hip ratio for identifying diabetes and prediabetes was 0.97 and 0.82 in men, respectively. CONCLUSION: Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio exhibited better discriminate performance than BMI for identifying prediabetes and diabetes in women and men, respectively.

Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene among Rural Residents in Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia.

Background: Poor hygienic practices, inadequate water supply, and poor sanitary conditions play a major role in the spread of infectious diseases. Lack of knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) on WASH is one of the most imperative causes for transmission of infectious diseases. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and practice of rural residents on water, sanitation, and hygiene in Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June to July 2018. Multistage cluster sampling technique was used to collect data from 759 households in Tigray region, Northern Ethiopia. A standardized questionnaire was used to collect data on knowledge, attitude, and practice on water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Descriptive data analysis was done to present the study findings. Results: The response rate was 99.6%, and 574 (75.9%) of the respondents were females. Good knowledge, favorable attitude, and good practice on WASH were observed in 42.2% (95% CI: 38.7%, 45.7%), 48.5% (95% CI: 44.9%, 52.0%), and 49.2% (95% CI: 45.6%, 52.7%) of the respondents, respectively. Conclusions: Poor knowledge, unfavorable attitude, and poor practice on WASH were common amongst the residents in rural Tigray, Northern Ethiopia. Therefore, the health extension programs at primary health care should be revitalized in a way that can enhance the interventional measures to improve knowledge, attitude, and practice on WASH.