Physical activity status among adolescents in Southern Ethiopia: A mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Adolescents physical activity is associated with current and future health benefits, reduction of cardio-vascular risk factors, improved bone mineral density, and mental health. The aim of the current study is to assess physical activity status and its factors among adolescents in Arba Minch and Jinka towns, Southern Ethiopia. METHODS: The study was conducted on 1255 randomly selected schools adolescents of Arba Minch and Jinka town by employing a mixed method. The qualitative data was obtained by Focus Group Discussion. Multiple linear regressions were done to identify factors affecting physical activity. Codes, sub-categories, and main categories were derived from the transcripts and presented in narrative ways to describe adolescent student's perception on physical activity, its barriers and facilitators by comparing with quantitative findings. RESULTS: The mean physical activity level was 2.08 (95% CI: 2.04-2.12). A student's self-perception about being physically active, being a member of a sport or fitness team, and engaging in after-school activity to earn money, being older, sex, a self-perception of being healthy, higher levels of vegetable and fruit consumption, having someone who encouraged physical activity, perceiving one's family as being active, self-perception of not being overweight and attending schools that have a sports/playground were factors associated with physical activity. The qualitative finding showed a related finding. Poor awareness on the recommended physical activity, benefits of physical activity, lack of interest, restrictions from family members, peers and the community, uncomfortable environment were barriers to physical activity. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The physical activity level of adolescents was low. Age, sex, a positive self-perception about PA and general health, and perception about one's family PA, healthy eating practice, and the presence of role model were associated factors. Lack of self-motivation, interest and family restrictions were barriers to physical activity. PA promotion should be made by incorporating PA into school health programs and strengthening the existing school curriculum.

Bacteriological Quality and Antimicrobial Resistant Patterns of Foodborne Pathogens Isolated from Commonly Vended Street Foods in Arba Minch Town, Southern Ethiopia.

Background: Ready-to-eat foods sold by street vendors act as potential sources for the spread of various foodborne infectious diseases. Thus, local determination of the level of foodborne bacterial pathogens and their antimicrobial resistance pattern is essential. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from September 5th, 2022 to December 31th, 2022. The required data were collected by a structured questionnaire and observation checklist. Randomly selected street-vended foods were aseptically collected, and the bacteriological quality was assessed by using culture techniques. Different biochemical tests were used to identify and characterize bacterial isolates. The antimicrobial-resistant test for isolated foodborne bacterial pathogens was carried out by using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Results: A total of 34.2% (113/330) with a 95% CI of 29.1-39.4 of commonly consumed street-vended foods were identified as having unsatisfactory total mean aerobic bacterial counts (>105 CFU/g; 4.3 × 105 CFU/g). The mean total Enterobacteriaceae, coliform, and staphylococcal counts were found to be 1.4 × 105 CFU/g, 2.4 × 104 CFU/g, and 3.4 × 104 CFU/g, respectively. A total of 12.7% (42/330) of foodborne pathogens were recovered attributed to Staphylococcus aureus (31, 9.4%), Salmonella species (6, 1.8%), and E. coli O157:H7 (5, 1.5%). 6.5% and 16.1% of isolated S. aureus were found to be methicillin-resistant and multidrug-resistant (MDR), respectively. Additionally, 33.3% of Salmonella isolates and 40% of E. coli O157:H7 isolates were found to be MDR. Conclusion: Street-vended foods in this setting have a considerable number of unsatisfactory bacterial qualities, along with drug-resistant foodborne pathogens. Thus, more effective health education and training for vendors, regular inspections of vending sites, and regular surveillance of drug resistance patterns of foodborne pathogens are all essential.

Early cessation of breastfeeding and the associated factors among mothers with children aged 2 to 3 years in rural Southern Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Breast milk is the first natural food for babies. It has nutritional, immunological, developmental, psychological, societal and environmental advantages. Failing to feed children for twenty-four months has so many negative consequences to children. Though studies have well documented the duration of breast feeding in the first six months, the proportion of women completing the recommended duration and factors associated with it has not been well investigated in rural places of Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap in evidence among mothers with children aged 2 to 3 years in Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in 2021 E.C. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in all kebeles of the surveillance site by employing multi-stage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics was done to summarize findings and binary logistics regression model was used to identify factors significantly associated with early breast-feeding cessation respectively. OR with its 95% CI was obtained to quantify the degree of association between explanatory variables and early breastfeeding cessation. RESULT: The proportion of early cessations of breast feeding was 29.30% (25.02, 33.64%). Being from a household with no fathers 'education or primary education [AOR=0.22; 95%CI (0.07, 0.74)] and [AOR=0.30; 95%CI (0.12, 0.76)], farmer mothers [AOR=6.40; 95%CI: (1.38, 29.74)], birth interval of less than 2 years [AOR=2.07; 95%CI: (1.03, 4.16)], and with mothers' one or two to three antenatal care visits [AOR = 2.73; 95%CI: (1.27,5.88)] were factors significantly associated with early cessations of breast feeding. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The proportion of early cessations of breast feeding was high. Father's education, being farmer, birth interval and ante natal care visit were significant factors. Health education about proper breast feeding practice and improving ante natal care attendance might improve premature cessation of breast feeding among women.

Sexual violence and risk factors among night shift female college students in Hawassa city, South Ethiopia, 2020.

BACKGROUND: Sexual violence is any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, against a person's sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting. Several studies were undertaken on sexual violence among students in general. Nevertheless, there is paucity of information about sexual violence among night shift students in particular; even if they are more vulnerable to sexual violence due to the nature of the class time. The government has embraced legal and policy frameworks to discourse the problem of sexual violence in Ethiopia; nevertheless, the problem still is quite pervasive. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to assess the prevalence of sexual violence and risk factors among night shift female college students in Hawassa city. METHODS: Institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from 345 study participants. Systematic random sampling technique was used to choice study participants. Epi data version 3.1statistical software and Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 22.0 were used to enter and analysis the data. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to recognize risk factors. P values < 0.05 with 95% confidence level were used to state statistical significance. RESULTS: A total of 330 students were participated in the study making a response rate of 95.6% with a mean age of 24.9. The prevalence of last 12 month sexual violence was 202 (61.2%) 95% CI (55.8, 66.4) which includes rape, attempted rape and sexual harassment. The 12 month prevalence of each form of violence was 46 (13.9%) 95% CI (10.6, 17.9), 23 (6.9%) 95% CI (3.6, 10.9) and 163 (49.4%) 95% CI (46.2, 53.6) of rape, attempted rape and sexual harassment respectively. The independent predictors of sexual violence having a father with no formal education (AOR = 2.39, 95% CI 1.04, 5.33) presence of multiple sexual partners (AOR = 3.44, 95% CI 1.64, 7.2), having sexual partner (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI 1.03, 3.5), and consuming alcohol (3.55, 95% CI 1.84-6.85) by the victims. CONCLUSION: This study shown that the prevalence of sexual violence is high among night shift female college students in Hawassa city. Having a father with no formal education, drinking alcohol, having multiple sexual partners and having sexual partner were more likely to have sexual violence within the last 12 month. Thus, students should prevent themselves from health risky behaviors and Hawassa educational bureau should be work on awareness creation concerning women empowerment with in marriage and Further broad and longitudinal studies are needed to determine the predictors of the problem among female students at Hawassa and Ethiopia as a whole.

Laryngeal Actinomycosis -A Case of 36 Year Old Female at Hawassa University Comprehensive Specialized Hospital in Hawassa, Sidama, Ethiopia, Ethiopian Patient.

Background: Actinomycosis is a granulomatous infection produced by filamentous, gram-positive anaerobic bacteria. Due to its rarity, ambiguous symptoms, and resemblance to more frequent disorders, including cancer, Crohn's disease, and tuberculosis, it is a challenging disease to identify preoperatively. Case Presentation: Our case was a case of a 36-year-old woman from the Oromia region's West Arsi zone, who presented with a 6-month history of snoring, dysphonia, and cough, as well as significant but unquantified weight loss, fatigue, and low-grade and intermittent fever, for which she had visited various health facilities with no noticeable improvements in her symptoms. She has had diabetes for the past 5 years and is on Metformin 500 mg twice a day with poor glycemic control. The physical findings at the presentation, including the throat examination, were unremarkable. The random blood sugar level was 300 mg/dl at the time of presentation (elevated). Laryngoscopy revealed an irregular tumor on the anterior one-third of the vocal cord bilaterally, involving the anterior commissure. The biopsy result revealed actinomycotic granules with abscess formation. The patient was then started on Penicillin G, and there was a resolution of her symptoms during follow-up, and then on put on Amoxicillin for the next 6 months, which was discontinued when she had fully recovered from her symptoms and the mass had been cleared on follow-up laryngoscopy. Conclusion: Laryngeal actinomycosis closely resembles laryngeal cancer and other common inflammatory conditions like laryngeal tuberculosis. It is recommended that clinicians, particularly otolaryngologists, be aware of such rare but eerily similar disease conditions so that unnecessary interventions can be avoided on time.

Predictive capacity of obesity indices for high blood pressure among southern Ethiopian adult population: a WHO STEPS survey.

BACKGROUND: World Health Organization (WHO) consultation experts recommend countries to have guidance to identify public health action points suitable for their country. The objective of the study was to evaluate different obesity indices to predict high blood pressure and its optimal cutoff values among the adult population. METHOD: A total of 3368 individuals age from 25 to 64 years were included in this study. Data was collected based on the WHO Stepwise approach. Body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WstC), waist to hip ratio (WHpR) and waist to height ratio (WHtR) were measured and calculated. High blood pressure was considered for those with systolic blood pressure above 135 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure above 85 mmHg or taking antihypertensive medications. To generate cutoff values, the receiver operator characteristic curve was generated with the maximum Youden index. RESULT: Women had a significantly higher hip circumference (P = 0.003), BMI (P = 0.036) and WHtR (P < 0.001) than men. Men had significantly higher WHpR (P = 0.027) than women. There were significantly higher BMI, WstC, WHpR, and WHtR among those with high blood pressure. The cutoff values for BMI, WstC, WHpR and WHtR were 22.86 kg/m2, 84.05 cm, 0.91 and 0.50 for men and 24.02 kg/m2, 79.50 cm, 0.91 and 0.51 for women, respectively. CONCLUSION: BMI, WstC, WHpR, and WHtR are a useful predictor of high blood pressure among adults' rural residents of southern Ethiopia. As the sensitivity for the cutoff values of most of indices were low, further surveys in different settings may need to be done before a conclusion can be drawn on whether or not to review the anthropometric cut offs for high blood pressure in Ethiopia.

Tuberculosis infection control practices and associated factors among healthcare workers in hospitals of Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia, institution-based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis infection control is a combination of measures designed to minimize the risk of tuberculosis transmission within populations. Healthcare workers are not sufficiently protected from tuberculosis infection in healthcare facilities where infection control protocols are not followed completely. Studies conducted in Ethiopia about tuberculosis infection control practices were self-report. OBJECTIVE: To assess tuberculosis infection control practices and associated factors among health care workers in hospitals of Gamo Gofa Zone, Southern Ethiopia. METHOD: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 6 to April 2, 2019. The sample size was 422. The sample was proportionally allocated to each hospital and the respective discipline. Simple random sampling was used to select participants from each discipline. Data were entered into EpiData version 4.4.2.1 and analyzed using SPSS Version 21 software. Multicollinearity and Model goodness-of-fit was checked. A multivariate logistic regression model at 95% CI was used to identify the predictors. RESULT: The response rate was 97.4%. The proportion of good tuberculosis infection control practice was 39.9% [95% CI (35.5, 44.9)]. Knowledge on tuberculosis infection control measures [AOR = 3.65, 95% CI (2.07, 6.43)], educational level of degree and above [AOR = 2.78, 95% CI (1.7, 4.53)] and ever having tuberculosis-related training [AOR = 2.02, 95% CI (1.24, 3.31)] were significantly associated with good tuberculosis infection control practice. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION: The proportion of good tuberculosis infection control practice among healthcare workers in hospitals of the Gamo Gofa Zone was 39.9%. The good practice of tuberculosis infection control was determined by educational level, working department, knowledge on tuberculosis infection control measures, and having tuberculosis-related training. Hence, training of healthcare workers, targeting diploma-holders in upgrading educational level programs, developing knowledge on tuberculosis infection control measures, and qualitative research to explore reasons for not practicing infection control measures is recommended.

Socio-demographic correlates of availability of adequate iodine in household salt: a community-based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the availability of adequately iodized salt at a household level and associated factors in Arba Minch town, South Ethiopia using the gold standard technique, the iodometric titration. RESULTS: 41.8% (95% CI (confidence interval) 38.6 to 45.1) of households had inadequately iodized salt, and 9.3% (95% CI 7.5 to 11.4) had an iodine content below 10 ppm (parts per million). Compared to households with a monthly income of greater than 2000 ETB (Ethiopian Birr), households with a monthly income between 1000 ETB to 2000 ETB (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.52, 95% CI 0.390.36 to 00.77) and main food handlers aged 30 years or above compared to those aged less than 20 years of age (aOR = 0.55, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.91) had higher odds of having adequately iodized salt. Food handler's knowledge and practice were not found to be correlated with the availability of adequately iodized salt in household salt.

Antimicrobial resistance profile of staphylococcus aureus isolates isolated from ear discharges of patients at University of Hawassa comprehensive specialized hospital.

BACKGROUND: Drug-resistant microorganism are a growing global danger. Strains of S. aureus have developed resistance to many commonly used antimicrobials due to indiscriminate use of antimicrobials, and treatment becoming a challenge. Studies assessing pattern and determinants of S. aureus resistance in ear infection in Ethiopia are very scarce. This study presents overview of pattern and determinants S. aureus resistance from samples of ear discharge in Ethiopia. METHOD: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on patients who visit ENT clinic of University of Hawassa comprehensive specialized hospital from February 1, 2016 to November 1, 2016. 117 specimens were collected with sterile applicator cotton swab from 117 patients with ear discharge visiting the clinic. Data was fed and then edited, cleared, entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20. RESULT: The prevalence of S.aureus infection was 28.2%. S. aureus isolates revealed up to 97.0% level of resistance pattern to the antimicrobials tested. In the determination of the susceptibility of S. aureus on nine selected antibiotics by disk diffusion technique, 97.0% of the isolates were resistant to cloxacilin and 74.2% showed resistance to vancomycin. The overall rate of MDR was 100%, all of the isolates were found to be resistant to more than two tested antimicrobials. CONCLUSION: S. aureus has gotten frighteningly resistant to many of common antimicrobials. Resistance rate to vancomyin is terrifyingly high. It urges us to take measures to delay resistance. Emergence of resistance highlights the value of prudent prescribing of antimicrobials and avoiding their irrational use. Further researches focusing on identifying dynamics promoting resistance, identifying high risk strains and molecular basis of resistance are required.