Investigating the Determinants of Malaria Outbreak in Nono Benja Woreda, Jimma Zone, Ethiopia: A Case-Control Study.

Background: Malaria is one of the most widespread infections worldwide, particularly in developing countries. Accordingly, Jimma Zone is one of the widely affected areas by malaria in Ethiopia. In 2020 woreda health offices have reported the possible malaria epidemic that needs further investigation. Accordingly, this study aims to characterize the scope, pinpoint determinants connected to the Nono Benja woreda malaria outbreak, and implement suitable public health management measures. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was followed by an unmatched case-control study with a 1:1 ratio of cases to controls. The sample size of 136 individuals (68 cases and 68 controls) was used. The collected data was imported into Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 25.0. By doing multivariate logistic regression association was determined at 95% confidence intervals P value of 5%. Results: A total of 687 instances were identified, giving an overall attack incidence of 1%. The assault rate ranged from 51.6 per 1000 people in Benja rural to 1.1 per 1000 people in Dhokonu Kebele. But there were no recorded deaths. Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax were the major types of Plasmodium species reported. From independent variables absence of ITNS [AOR 3.98 (CI = 1.11-24.8)], residing in an unsprayed home [AOR = 3.83 (CI = 1.04-14.08], presence of stagnant water in residential area [AOR = 4.25, CI (1.37-12.24113.10)], and lack of awareness on malaria prevention [AOR = 8.28 (CI 2.31-29.73)] were significantly associated with Malaria outbreak. Conclusion: A number of factors, including lack of ITNS, lack of malaria health education, stagnant water, and IRS (indoor residual spray), were significantly linked with the occurrence of malaria outbreaks. The woreda health office should therefore provide ITNS to the community, use indoor residual spray, and disseminate health information regarding efficient and long-lasting malaria preventive and control techniques.

COVID-19-related dysfunctional anxiety and associated factors among adolescents in Southwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic causes serious threats to people's mental health, particularly it has huge negative mental health outcomes for adolescents. However, there is lack of studies examining COVID-19-related anxiety among adolescents in Ethiopia. Hence, this study was aimed to examine COVID-19-related dysfunctional anxiety and its associated factors among adolescents in Mettu town. METHODS: Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 1 to 30, 2020 among 847 adolescents selected by stratified sampling technique. IBM SPSS Statistics Version 26.0 was used for analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were computed. Bivariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were done to identify factors associated with COVID-19-related dysfunctional anxiety. The statistical significance was declared at p ≤ 0.05; and the strength of association was described in terms of adjusted odds ratio. RESULTS: Out of the total sample, 819 adolescents participated in this study. The mean age of the participants was 14.9 (SD = 2.798) years. The magnitude of COVID-19-related dysfunctional anxiety was found to be 20.9% (95% CI (18.1, 23.9)). The finding indicates that sex [(AOR (95% CI)); (0.724 (0.502, 1.043))], having both parents deceased [(AOR (95% CI)); (2.981 (1.138, 7.814))], living alone [(AOR (95% CI)); (2.363 (1.050, 5.321))], having unemployed mothers [(AOR (95% CI)); (1.943 (1.194, 3.163))], absence of close friend [(AOR (95% CI)); (0.377 (0.225, 0.630))], and medical problem [(AOR (95% CI)); (0.408 (0.278, 0.597))] were significantly associated with COVID-19-related anxiety. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of COVID-19-related dysfunctional anxiety was found to be high in the study area. The findings have shown that the likelihood of developing COVID-19-related dysfunctional anxiety was linked to several factors. Provision of continued psychological support for adolescents is extremely encouraged.

Knowledge and attitude toward depression among healthcare professionals working in Ilu Aba Bor zone, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia, 2021: a cross sectional study.

Background: Depression is the major mental disorder that frequently co-occurs with other physical illnesses, although its detection at primary healthcare is limited. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate health professionals' knowledge and attitude toward depression and its related factors. Objective: To assess knowledge and attitude of healthcare professionals toward people with depression at different health facilities of Ilu Aba Bor zone, Ethiopia, 2021. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out involving 404 primary healthcare professionals using a systematic random sampling technique in February 2021. Attitude was assessed using depression attitude questionnaires. Epi-data version 3.1 and SPSS version 26 was used for data entry and analysis. The p-values lower than 0.05 were deemed statistically significant. Result: In the current study, 30.4% (95% CI; 25.86, 34.94) of the respondents have inadequate knowledge and 29.9% (95% CI; 25.4, 36.8) have negative attitude toward depression. A vast majority (77.7%) of healthcare professionals have never received any kind of training on mental health. Accordingly, contact with the person with mental illness and mental health training were significantly associated with inadequate knowledge. In addition, perceived cause of depression and mental health training were significantly associated with negative attitude. Conclusion: According to this study, the magnitude of inadequate knowledge and negative attitude in the diagnosis and treatment of depression is comparably high. Therefore, primary healthcare settings should prioritize raising awareness, promoting positive attitudes, and improving detection and treatment of depression cases.

Bullying victimization and its associated factors among adolescents in Illu Abba Bor Zone, Southwest Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Bullying victimization is a repetitive exposure to negative actions from one or more students over time. Bullying victim adolescents have higher levels of mental health problems, worse mental health outcomes, and lowered social status than non-victim adolescents. Literature on bullying among adolescents in Ethiopia is limited. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of bullying victimization and its associated factors among adolescents. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 847 adolescents in Mettu town. A Stratified sampling technique was used to select eligible Study participants from September, 1 to 30, 2020. Linear regression analysis model was used; first bivariate analysis was performed to see the association of each independent variable with bullying victimization. Variables with (P < 0.25) in bivariate analysis were entered into a multivariate linear regression model to identify the association of each independent variable with bullying victimization. The statistical significance was considered at P value < 0.05. RESULTS: From the total of 847 adolescents 819 were voluntarily involved in the study giving the response rate of 96.7%. The prevalence of bullying victimization in this study was 30.4%. Being male (ß = 1.135, p = 0.001), physical abuse (ß = 0.622, p ≤ 0.001), emotional abuse (ß = 0.512, p ≤ 0.001), current substance use (ß = 1.153, p = 0.005), psychological distress (ß = 0.406, p ≤ 0.001) and having medical illness (ß = 3.500, p ≤ 0.001) were significantly associated with bullying victimization. CONCLUSIONS: Bullying victimization is quite common among adolescents and has both short- and long-term consequences. Bullying prevention treatments should focus on male adolescents and those who report being bullied. Anti-bullying policies in schools are critical for educating teachers, parents, and students about bullying.

Factors associated with pregnancy-related anxiety among pregnant women attending antenatal care follow-up at Bedelle general hospital and Metu Karl comprehensive specialized hospital, Southwest Ethiopia.

Pregnancy-related anxiety (PRA) is an anxiety related to the pregnancy, involving labor and delivery, the well-being of the fetus/infant and the mother, the availability of quality of healthcare resources, and the capacity to parent. There is scarcity of study conducted on magnitude of Pregnancy-related anxiety and its associated factors among pregnant women in Ethiopia. The main objective of this research was to assess factors associated with Pregnancy-related anxiety among pregnant women attending ANC follow-up at Bedelle general and Metu Karl comprehensive specialized hospitals, Southwest Ethiopia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was used among pregnant women attending ANC follow-up. Data were collected from 406 sampled pregnant women who were selected through a systematic random sampling technique. Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire-Revised (PRAQ-R2) was used to measure the outcome variable. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26. Logistic regression analyses were done to identify factors associated with Pregnancy-related anxiety and significance level set at p < 0.05. The overall prevalence of PRA in this study was 32.7%. Unwanted pregnancy AOR = 2.77, 95% CI [1.71, 4.54], high perceived stress AOR = 2.39, 95% CI [1.54, 3.62], young age AOR = 2.14, 95% CI [1.49, 2.83], depression AOR = 2.09, 95% CI [1.39, 2.89], low income AOR = 2.01, 95% CI [1.29, 3.14], and poor social support AOR = 1.79, 95% CI [1.14, 3.37] were significantly associated with Pregnancy-related anxiety. The findings of this study showed that the prevalence of Pregnancy-related anxiety was high in the study area and positively associated with young age, low income, poor social support, high perceived stress, depression, and unwanted pregnancy. This finding suggests that clinicians should integrate screening for Pregnancy-related anxiety into clinical standards, more efforts should be made in the future to reduce the anxiety among pregnant women who had an unwanted pregnancy, young women, and poor social support. Also, it is good to encourage the pregnant mother to enhance their social connectedness by creating a self-help group, and increasing early identification of mental health problems throughout their daily ANC follow-up.

Magnitude and factors associated with treatment non-adherence among patients with depressive disorders at St. Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2019: A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Inadequate adherence to treatment is among the main underlying causes of depression becoming a chronic problem. In developing countries due to limited access to health care, inaccurate diagnoses, and scarcity of medications, poor adherence may become an even larger obstacle in the treatment of depression. The current study aims to assess the magnitude and factors related to treatment non-adherence among patients with depressive disorders. OBJECTIVE: To assess the magnitude and factors associated with treatment non adherence among patients with depressive disorders at St. Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2019. METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 415 respondents using systematic random sampling technique. Medication adherence was assessed by using Medication Adherence Rating Scale. Data was entered to Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Binary logistic analysis was done and P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of treatment non-adherence among patients with depressive disorders was 26% (95%CI; 21.2, 32.5). Previous suicide attempt (AOR = 3.05, 95%CI; 1.82, 5.12), medication side effects (AOR = 2.46, 95%CI; 1.47, 4.11), moderate to high self-stigma (AOR = 2.60, 95%CI; 1.45, 4.66), and poor quality of life (AOR = 2.47, 95%CI; 1.42, 4.28) were significantly associated with treatment non-adherence among patients with depressive disorders. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: Treatment non-adherence is a common problem among patients being treated for depressive disorders. Previous suicide attempts, medication side effects, moderate to high self-stigma, and poor quality of life were significantly associated with treatment non-adherence. Appropriate interventions should be developed to promote measures to facilitate adherence in this group of patients, and address the associated factors when applicable.

Internalized Stigma and Associated Factors among Patients with Major Depressive Disorder at the Outpatient Department of Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Internalized stigma has been found to be widespread among patients with major depressive disorder. When internalized stigma exists in patients with depression at a high level, it worsens the treatment outcome and quality of life. So the aim of the study is to assess the magnitude of internalized stigma and associated factors among outpatients with major depressive disorder at Amanuel Mental Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS AND MATERIALS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 415 respondents from May 6 to June 13, 2019. Internalized stigma was assessed by using the internalized stigma of mental illness scale. Data was entered to Epi-data version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic analysis was done, and p values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant with 95% CI. RESULTS: The prevalence of high internalized stigma among patients with major depressive disorder was 33.5% (95% CI: 29.2, 38.3). Being single (AOR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.30, 4.95), having an illness greater than or equal to 2 years of duration (AOR = 3.21, 95% CI: 1.66, 6.19), history of suicidal attempt (AOR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.35, 3.99), nonadherence to treatment (AOR = 2.93, 95% CI: 1.62, 5.29), poor social support (AOR = 4.72, 95% CI: 2.09, 10.64), and poor quality of life (AOR = 3.16, 95% CI: 1.82, 5.49) were significantly associated with high internalized stigma at p value < 0.05. CONCLUSION: The magnitude of internalized stigma was high among patients with major depressive disorder. Reduction of internalized stigma through antistigma campaigns and supports given to patients at the earliest possible time is important to improve treatment outcome and quality of life and minimize suicidal behavior in patients with major depressive disorder.

Prevalence and associated factors of suicidal ideation and attempt among undergraduate medical students of Haramaya University, Ethiopia. A cross sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Suicide is a disastrous act which has a significant effect on the global burden of disease, contributing yearly to 1.4% of the total burden with the foremost role played by a people aged between 15 and 35 years. Medical students are one of the high-risk groups for suicide. This increased risk may begin during medical school and leads to premature death. But, there is a paucity of epidemiologically reliable data on the issue. Therefore, the current study was aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of suicidal ideations and attempt among undergraduate medical students of Haramaya University. METHOD: An institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted from May 13 to June 12, 2019 at College of Health and Medical Science, Haramaya University. Stratified sampling technique was used and a total of 757 participants were selected by using simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Suicidal ideation and attempt were assessed by using suicidal module of world mental health survey initiative version of the World Health Organization, composite international diagnostic interview. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science Version 20. Descriptive results were presented by tables and graphs. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done to identify factors associated with suicidal ideation and attempt. P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant and the strength of association was presented by an adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. RESULT: The study showed that the prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt were 23.7% (95%CI, 20.5-26.8) and 3.9% (95%CI, 2.6-5.5), respectively. Cumulative grade point average (AOR = 0.30, 95% CI: 0.18-0.49), current alcohol use (AOR = 2.26, 95%CI: 1.45-3.55), depression (AOR = 3.58, 95%CI: 2.23-5.76), anxiety (AOR = 3, 95%CI: 1.88-4.77), and poor social support (AOR = 2.57, 95%CI: 1.41-4.68) were the factors statistically associated with the suicidal ideation. Depression (AOR = 5.4, 95%CI: 1.45-20.14) and anxiety (AOR = 3.19, 95%CI: 1.01-10.18) were associated with the suicidal attempts. CONCLUSION: This study showed that the high prevalence of suicidal ideation and attempt as compared to the prevalence of suicidal behavior among other university students who were studying in other fields. Cumulative Grade Point Average, current alcohol use, depression, anxiety and poor social support were the factors statistically associated with the suicidal ideation. Depression and anxiety were the ones associated with the suicidal attempt. Early screening, detection and management of suicidal behavior and associated mental health problems were recommended for undergraduate medical students.