RESUMEN
Background: Depression in the elderly is becoming a major public health problem worldwide. It is a major public health problem associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs in low- and middle-income countries, including Ethiopia. However, especially in developing countries, they usually go undetected and untreated. There is little evidence of depressive symptoms among older people in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors among the elderly population in the Gamo zone of southern Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 840 randomly selected elderly individuals. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to recruit participants. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) screening tool. Data collection was performed through face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics were initially computed. Subsequently, logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify independent factors associated with the outcome variable. Result: The finding of the study showed that the prevalence of depressive symptoms among older people living in the Gamo zone was 424(50.48%) (95% CI=47.09-53.86). Age 70-74 years [AOR=2.81, 95% CI 1.64-4.81], 75 years and above [AOR=5.09, 95% CI 3.00-8.64], age 65-69 years [AOR=2.43, 95% CI 1.62-3.66]; being widowed [AOR=2.73, 95% CI 1.69-4.42], ever chewing khat [AOR=5.89, 95% CI 1.17-29.53], being poor economic status [AOR=9.35, 95% CI 3.58-24.45], being average economic status [AOR=5.36, 95% CI 2.15-13.37], having 1-2 stressful life events [AOR=5.13, 95% CI 3.35-7.86], having 3 and above stressful life events [AOR=11.02, 95% CI 6.59,18.41], living alone [AOR=2.65, 95% CI 1.43-4.93] and those who lived with children [AOR=3.16, 95% CI 1.70-5.88] were significantly associated with depression. Conclusion: Half of the study participants exhibited depressive symptoms. Urgent interventions are essential to enhance psychological well-being and mitigate the impact of various modifiable risk factors associated with depression symptoms in elderly individuals. This includes increasing social support, particularly for those who have experienced stressful life events, live alone, or have low economic status. Healthcare providers should implement routine screening for depressive symptoms and offer supportive counseling. Policymakers and stakeholders should prioritize improving access to mental health services.
RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Even though childhood vaccination is a common and cost-effective public health intervention in preventing and reducing childhood disease and death, significant numbers of children do not complete vaccination within the first year of life. Studies indicated that user satisfaction influences service utilization and used as a key indicator of quality care. However, evidence on the level of mothers' satisfaction with immunization service are limited in urban and accessible places and not well investigated among remote and pastoral communities. As such, this study aimed to address this gap and investigated mothers' satisfaction towards child vaccination in a pastoralist and agrarian community of the South Omo zone in Southern region of Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1221 randomly selected mothers with children eligible for childhood vaccination using a structured, pretested, and interviewer-administered questionnaire. Maternal positive evaluations of the overall vaccination service were measured using 5-point Likert scale questions. Data were entered into Epi data version 3.5.1 and analyzed using IBM SPSS statistical package version 25. Exploratory factor analysis was used for Likert scale questions to extract factor scores which facilitate treatment of variables as continuous for further analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factors associated with the outcome variable. A P-value < 0.05 and adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI respectively were used to declare statistical significance and degree of association. RESULT: A total of 849 (69.53%) study participants were satisfied with the vaccination care provided for their children. Factors associated with mother's satisfaction with child vaccination care include maternal age less than 30 years (AOR = 2.12; 95% CI = 1.61-2.79), infants age between 8 and 12 months (AOR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.28, 2.62), not having history of adverse events following immunization (AOR = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.01-2.45), having 1 child under the age of 5 years (AOR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.02-1.76), waiting 30 min or less to get the service (AOR = 1.39; 95% CI = 1.05-1.85), traveling 30 min or less to the vaccination center (AOR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.08-1.98), having poor knowledge about the importance of vaccination (AOR = 1.51; 95% CI = 1.06-2.16), and having moderate knowledge about the importance of vaccination (AOR = 1.52; 95% CI = 1.06-2.18). CONCLUSION: Interestingly, mothers' satisfaction with their children's vaccination service was relatively higher in a predominantly pastoral community compared with most of previous studies conducted in Ethiopia. Maternal and child age, number of children under the age of 5 years, history of adverse events following immunization, distance to the vaccination center, waiting time to get service and maternal knowledge were factors significantly associated with mothers' satisfaction. Proactive measures with focus on increasing access to vaccination service, improving waiting time and raising awareness among mothers were recommended.