Undernutrition and Associated Risk Factors among Adult HIV/AIDS Patients Attending Antiretroviral Therapy at Public Hospitals of Bench Sheko Zone, Southwest Ethiopia.

Even though there are advancements in the treatment of patients with HIV, many deaths are related to undernutrition. Despite this fact, the burden of undernutrition and associated factors among adults receiving ART is a significant shortcoming in the study area. A cross-sectional study was done in public hospitals of the Bench-Sheko zone. Face-to-face interviews were used to gather information. Odds ratio with a 95% confidence level was used to identify determinants of undernutrition. The proportion of undernutrition, normal, and overweight were 29.2%, 61.2%, and 9.6% respectively. Food insecurity, poor ART adherence, low CD4 count, and substance use were factors associated with under nutrition among HIV patients. Undernutrition was so high in comparison to other studies in Ethiopia; the local concerned bodies should focus on identified risk factors for improving HIV/AIDS treatment via health education, nutritional assistance and counseling.

The Psychological Impacts During the Initial Phase of the COVID-19 Outbreak, and its Associated Factors Among Pastoral Community in West Omo Zone, South-West Ethiopia, 2020: A Community-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is a global pandemic and a major health crisis affecting several nations. Such outbreaks are associated with adverse mental health consequences to any group of the population. Despite its negative effects, no study has addressed the potential psychological impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak among the pastoral community. This study aims to assess psychological experiences during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak and the factors that contributed to it among pastoral community residents in West Omo, South-West Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out from May to June 2020. The study subjects were selected through a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews, and entered into EpiData 3.1, then exported to SPSS version 24 for statistical analysis. The psychological impact was assessed by the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21). P-value < 0.20 during bi-variable analysis was considered as a candidate for multivariable logistic regression. Independent factors of depression, anxiety, and stress were assessed using adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence level s at P-value < 0.05 cut-off point. RESULTS: A total of 845 eligible pastoral residents were interviewed, with a 94.4% response rate. The prevalence of a positive response for anxiety, depression and stress was 30.8%, 26.3% and 24.4%, respectively. Being female was highly associated with developing anxiety and depression. Anxiety was found to be three times more prevalent among the respondents with ≥ 3 family members. Furthermore, participants with a history of mental illness, poor social support, and a high perceived life threat were also at a higher risk of experiencing anxiety, depression, and stress. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of positive depression, anxiety and stress results were high. As a result, special attention should be paid, by governmental and non-governmental health organizations, to psychosocial and mental health programs for pastoral residentsduring the COVID-19 pandemic.