Correction: Adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation measures and its associated factors among Gondar City residents: A community-based cross-sectional study in Northwest Ethiopia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244265.].

Knowledge and attitude of the communities towards COVID-19 and associated factors among Gondar City residents, northwest Ethiopia: A community based cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 is the novel coronavirus responsible for the ongoing global outbreak of acute respiratory disease and viral pneumonia. In order to tackle the devastating condition of the virus, countries need to attack the virus with aggressive and targeted tactics. Thus, to strengthen the COVID-19 mitigation measures and to give rapid response, there is an urgent need to understand the public's knowledge and attitude about of the pandemic at this critical moment. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of communities about COVID-19 and associated factors among Gondar City residents. METHODS: A community based cross-sectional study was done among 623 respondents in Gondar city from April 20-27/2020. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from different literatures. The data were entered using Epi data version 3.1 and then exported into STATA version 14 for analysis. Bi-variable and multivariable binary logistic regression were performed. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI was used to declare statistically significant variables on the basis of p value less than 0.05 in the multivariable binary logistic regression model. RESULTS: The overall knowledge and attitude of the community towards COVID19 was 51.85% [95% CI (47.91%-55.78%)] and 53.13% [95% CI (49.20, 57.06%)], respectively. In this study, being married [AOR = 0.60 at 95% CI: (0.42, 0.86)], educational level; primary [AOR = 3.14 at 95% CI: (1.78,5.54)], secondary [AOR = 2.81 at 95% CI: (1.70,4.63)], college and above [AOR = 4.49 at 95% CI: 7.92, 13.98)], and family size [AOR = 1.80, at 95% CI: (1.05, 3.08)] were emerged as statistically significant factors impacting the knowledge of the community about COVID-19. Besides, educational level; primary [AOR = 1.76 at 95% CI: (1.03, 3.01)], secondary [AOR = 1.69 at 95% CI: (1.07, 2.68)], and college & above [AOR = 2.38 at 95% CI: (1.50, 3.79)], and family size; four to six members [AOR = 1.84 at 95% CI (1.27, 2.67)], above seven members [AOR = 1.79 at 95% CI (1.08, 2.96)] were factors identified as significantly attribute for positive attitude of the communities towards COVID-19. CONCLUSION: More than half of the respondents had better knowledge and attitude regarding COVID-19. Higher educational level and larger family size were significant factors predominantly affecting the knowledge and attitude of the communities towards COVID-19.

Khat Chewing Practice and Associated Factors among Medical Students in Gondar Town, Ethiopia, 2019.

BACKGROUND: Globally, khat chewing practice becoming an alarming and common among the youth generation, especially in higher educational institutions. It may also lead to frequent misbehavior, poor academic performance, and memory impairment among students. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of khat chewing practice and associated factors among medical students in Gondar town, Ethiopia, 2019. METHOD: A cross-sectional study was employed on 422 medical students. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 20 software. Stratified followed by random sampling was employed to select the samples. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify the predictors. P ⩽ .05 was used to select statistically significant factors. RESULT: The current prevalence of khat chewing practice among medical students was 21.5%. The odds of khat chewing practice was higher among males (AOR = 3.353; 95%CI [1.460-7.701]), Muslims (AOR = 6.390; 95%CI [1.903-21.460]), fifth and 6 year students (AOR = 3.391; 95%CI [1.354-8.488]), smokers (AOR = 5.081; 95%CI [1.898-13.601]), alcohol users (AOR = 4.872; 95%CI [2.094-11.332]), students who had khat chewer close friends (AOR = 30.645; 95%CI [12.261-76.589]). CONCLUSION: Since a significant proportion of students were found to be khat chewers, continuous awareness creation on the impact of khat chewing and counseling services are recommended.

Food Safety Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of College Students, Ethiopia, 2019: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Since the dawn of human history, foodborne diseases have been a problem for all societies, and it is an increasing public health issue worldwide. The objective of this study is to examine knowledge, practice, and attitude in food safety among college students in the city Gondar, northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 430 randomly selected college students in Gondar City, northwest Ethiopia, from October 8 to November 30, 2019. The data was gathered through a self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were checked for completeness, coded manually, and entered into Epi Info version 7, then exported to SPSS version 26 for more data checking, cleaning, and analysis. One-way ANOVA was done for examining sociodemographic variable association with KAP, and Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to measure the association among food safety knowledge, attitude, and practice scores. The p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for both tests. RESULTS: The number of females was higher among the study participants (65.5%). The mean age of participates was 21.1 ± 9.14 (SD) years. The higher percentage (45.7%) of the participants were students in the second year. The overall scores of the food safety knowledge, attitude, and practices of the respondents were 35.7% (good), 38.0% (good), and 29.1% (positive), respectively. Participants with differences in gender, year of study, and food safety training had a substantial variation in overall food safety knowledge (p value < 0.05). The findings have clearly shown that knowledge of food safety does not directly affect the attitude towards food safety (p value > 0.05). On the other hand, overall food safety practice differed in terms of sex, year of schooling, and knowledge of food safety (p value < 0.05) among participants. Training and knowledge score had significant correlation among respondents (p value < 0.05). CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the overall knowledge, practices, and attitude towards food safety among college students were very low. There was a significant association between knowledge and practice while food safety practices were independent with an attitude among the students. Such results indicated that there could be problems with foodborne diseases. Therefore, the findings of this study proposed that strength should be done to improve the existing food safety knowledge, practice, and attitude in college students in addition to their normal education.

Adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation measures and its associated factors among Gondar City residents: A community-based cross-sectional study in Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Considering its pandemicity and absence of effective treatment, authorities across the globe have designed various mitigation strategies to combat the spread of COVID-19. Although adherence towards preventive measures is the only means to tackle the virus, reluctance to do so has been reported to be a major problem everywhere. Thus, this study aimed to assess the community's adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation strategies and its associated factors among Gondar City residents, Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was employed among 635 respondents from April 20-27, 2020. Cluster sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Epi-Data version 4.6 and STATA version 14 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Binary logistic regressions (Bivariable and multivariable) were performed to identify statistically significant variables. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI was used to declare statistically significant variables on the basis of p < 0.05 in the multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of good adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation measures was 51.04% (95%CI: 47.11, 54.96). Female respondents [AOR: 2.39; 95%CI (1.66, 3.45)], receiving adequate information about COVID-19 [AOR: 1.58; 95%CI (1.03, 2.43)], and favorable attitude towards COVID-19 preventive measures were significantly associated with good adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation measures. Whereas, those respondents who had high risk perception of COVID-19 were less likely to adhere towards COVID-19 mitigation measures [AOR: 0.61; 95% CI (0.41, 0.92)]. CONCLUSIONS: The findings have indicated that nearly half of the study participants had poor adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation measures. Sex, level of information exposure, attitude towards COVID-19 preventive measures, and risk perception of COVID-19 were factors which significantly influenced the adherence of the community towards COVID-19 mitigation measures. Therefore, it is crucial to track adherence responses towards the COVID-19 preventive measures, scale up the community's awareness of COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies through appropriate information outlets, mainstream media, and rely on updating information from TV, radio, and health care workers about COVID-19.

Community's perceived high risk of coronavirus infections during early phase of epidemics are significantly influenced by socio-demographic background, in Gondar City, Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional -study.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies during the early phase of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemics reported different level of people's risk perception in different countries. There is a paucity of data on perceived high risk of COVID-19 and associated factors in Ethiopia. We sought to assess the prevalence of community's perceived high risk about COVID-19 infections and associated factors among Gondar town community. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out from April 20 to 27, 2020 in Gondar town community, Northwest Ethiopia. Multistage cluster sampling technique was used to recruit 635 participants. Structured and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression were used to summarize the results. RESULTS: A total of 623 participants were considered in the analysis with a response rate of 98.1%. The prevalence of coronavirus high risk perceptions of the respondents was found to be 23.11% (95% CI; 19.80%-26.43%). Age above 45 years (AOR = 1.41, 95%CI; 1.19-2.66), college and above educational level (AOR = 0.28, 95%CI; 0.21-0.98), and poor knowledge towards COVID-19 virus (AOR = 1.57, 95%CI; 1.09-2.23) were significantly associated with perceived high risk about COVID-19. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of perceived high risk of COVID-19 was found to be low. Factors such as age, educational status, and knowledge about COVID-19 virus were found to be independent predictors of perceived high risk towards COVID-19. Government and non-government organizations should use formal and informal means of educating the community.

Community Level of COVID-19 Information Exposure and Influencing Factors in Northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an emerging respiratory infection, and the crisis has become a worldwide issue, and society has become concerned in various aspects. Good information exposure related to transmission, prevention, and risk factors of COVID-19 can be the best means to reduce the risk of disease exposure and mitigate further spread. The countries that have well practiced this strategy (society information exposure) were controlling disease progression, but there is a low practice in sub-Saharan countries, including Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the information exposure level about COVID-19 and influencing factors among northwest community of Ethiopia. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Community-based cross-sectional study design was employed among the community of Gondar city from April 20 to 27, 2020. A total of 623 study participants were involved in this interview, and a systematic sampling technique was applied to select the households. Data were entered into EpiData version 4.6 and then exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. A multivariable binary logistic regression was employed to identify factors associated with good information exposure about COVID-19. The adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was estimated to show the strength of association. A p-value <0.05 was a cut-off point to declare statistical significance. RESULTS: The overall rate of information exposure about COVID-19 was 44.9%. Age 18-26 years [AOR=0.53; 95% CI (0.28-0.99)] and 34-45 years [AOR=0.44; 95% CI (0.24-0.80)], elementary school [AOR=2.48; 95% CI (1.20-5.15)], secondary school [AOR=3.98; 95% CI (1.99-7.99)], college and above [AOR=8.38; 95% CI (4.10-17.26)], browsed or follow social media [AOR=2.21; 95% CI (1.44-3.38)] and those having a discussion with their family members [AOR=2.37; 95% CI (1.44-3.90)] and friends [AOR=2.15; 95% CI (1.38-3.34)] were the factors significantly associated with good information exposure towards COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Communities total level of good information exposure from different information platforms about COVID-19 in this study area remains low. Age, high level of education, browsing social media, and those having interpersonal (family and friends) discussion were the factors that significantly influence communities who have good information exposure related to COVID-19. Therefore, efforts on community mobilization through regional/national mass media and other information conveying platforms are recommended.

Pneumonia among Under-Five Children in Northwest Ethiopia: Prevalence and Predictors-A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Acute respiratory infections in particular pneumonia constitutes the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among children under five years of age throughout the world. In Ethiopia, pneumonia continues to be the major childhood problem and killer, particularly in the study area. However, evidence dealing with the problem is still unavailable. The current study is aimed at determining the magnitude and risk factors of childhood pneumonia in Gondar City. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was employed in five randomly selected clusters/subcities of Gondar City. A total of 792 child-mother/caregiver pairs in the selected subcities/clusters were included. A pretested and validated questionnaire was used by trained supervisors through house-to-house visits to collect the data. Binary logistic regression (bivariable and multivariable) was employed. An adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to declare statistically significant variables on the basis of p < 0.05 in the multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: The prevalence of pneumonia among under-five children in the current study was found to be 12% with 95% CI: 10% to 14.4%. The presence of unpaved road within 100 m of the house (AOR = 2.27, 95% CI: 1.41-3.66), living within 100 m of heavy traffic (AOR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.19-3.16), the habit of not opening doors while cooking (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.01-2.62), the presence of cockroach infestation (AOR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.25-3.14), and new carpet in the house (AOR = 1.75, 95% CI: 1.01-3.03) were statistically significant variables associated with childhood pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that the prevalence of childhood pneumonia is still high. As such, enhancing strategies that would address unpaved roads within 100 m of the house, living within 100 m of heavy traffic, the habit of not opening doors while cooking, cockroach infestation, and new carpet in the house to reduce the burden of childhood pneumonia needs to be advocated.

Community's misconception about COVID-19 and its associated factors among Gondar town residents, Northwest Ethiopia.

Background: Despite the implementation of various strategies such as the declaration of COVID-19 emergency state, staying at home, lockdown, and massive protective equipment distribution, still COVID-19 is increasing alarmingly. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the community's perception of COVID-19 and its associated factors in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was employed among 635 Gondar administrative town residents, from April 20 to April 27, 2020. Study participants were selected using a cluster sampling technique. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Epi-Data version 4.6 and STATA 14 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Logistic regressions (bivariable and multivariable) were performed to identify statistically significant variables at p < 0.05. Results: Of the 635 study participants, 623 have completed the study with a 98.1% response rate. The mean age of participants was 36.32 years (SD ± 13.24). The overall magnitude of the community's misconception about COVID-19 stood at 56.9% (349). Age and religion showed a negative association with misconceptions. To be specific, being in the age group of 27-33 (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI 0.32, 0.86) and being a Muslim (AOR 0.51, 95% CI 0.34, 0.78) were negatively associated with the misconception of COVID-19, whereas occupation and awareness showed positive associations with the misconception. To be specific, having an unemployed occupational status (AOR = 1.79, 95% CI 1.14, 2.82) and being unaware of the number of cases of COVID-19 (AOR 1.66, 95% CI 1.05, 2.62) were positively associated with the community's misconception on COVID-19. Conclusion: The magnitude of the community's misconception about COVID-19 among Gondar town residents was high. Age, religion, unemployment, and unawareness about the number of COVID-19 cases were significant factors of misconception about COVID-19. Thus, stakeholders ought to build community perceptions about COVID 19. To resolve misinformation about COVID-19, accurate and relevant information should be provided to the community using appropriate communication media.

Sick building syndrome and associated risk factors among the population of Gondar town, northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Sick building syndrome (SBS) consists of a group of mucosal, skin, and general symptoms temporally related to residential and office buildings of unclear causes. These symptoms are common in the general population. However, SBS symptoms and their contributing factors are poorly understood, and the community associates it with bad sprits. This community-based cross-sectional study was, therefore, conducted to assess the prevalence and associated factors of SBS in Gondar town. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2017. A total of 3405 study subjects were included using multistage and systematic random sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire and observational checklists were used to collect data. SBS was assessed by 24 building-related symptoms and confirmed by five SBS confirmation criteria. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with SBS on the basis of adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and p < 0.05. The Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness of fit test was used to check model fitness, and variance inflation factor (VIF) was also used to test interactions between variables. RESULTS: The prevalence of SBS in Gondar town was 21.7% (95% CI = 20.3-23.0%). Of this, the mucosal symptoms account for 64%, the general symptoms account for 54%, and the skin symptoms account for 10%. From study participants who reported SBS symptoms, 44% had more than one symptom. Headache (15.7%), asthma (8.3%), rhinitis (8.0%), and dizziness (7.5%) were the commonest reported symptoms. SBS was significantly associated with fungal growth in the building [AOR = 1.25, 95% CI = (1.05, 1.49)], unclean building [AOR = 1.26, 95% CI = (1.03, 1.55)], houses with no functional windows [AOR = 1.35, 95% CI = (1.12, 1.63)], houses with no fan [AOR = 1.90, 95% CI = (1.22, 2.96)], utilization of charcoal as a cooking energy source [AOR = 1.40, 95% CI = (1.02, 1.91)], cooking inside the living quarters [AOR = 1.31, 95% CI = (1.09, 1.58)], and incensing and joss stick use [AOR = 1.48, 95% CI = (1.23, 1.77)]. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of SBS in Gondar town was high, and significant proportion of the population had more than one SBS symptom. Headache, asthma, rhinitis, and dizziness were the commonest reported SBS symptoms. Fungal growth, cleanliness of the building, availability of functional windows, availability of fan in the living quarters, using charcoal as a cooking energy source, cooking inside the quarters, and incensing habit or joss stick use were identified as factors associated with SBS. Improving the sanitation of the living environment and housekeeping practices of the occupants is useful to minimize the prevalence of SBS.

Childhood intestinal parasitic infection and sanitation predictors in rural Dembiya, northwest Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Intestinal parasites are a common problem in the world. The greater proportion of infections is associated with poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). This study was conducted to assess intestinal parasites, WASH condition, and their association in rural Dembiya, northwest Ethiopia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was employed. Two hundred twenty-five children aged 6-59 months were included. Mothers were interviewed using a structured questionnaire, and the living environment was observed using checklists. Kato-Katz technique was used to determine the intensity of parasitic infections. Escherichia coli (E. coli) was used as a biological indicator for drinking water quality. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify WASH predictors of parasites on the basis of adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and p < 0.05. RESULTS: The prevalence of intestinal parasites was 25.8% (95% CI = 20.3-32.0%). Ascaris lumbricoides (78%), hookworm (12%), Hymenolepis nana (7%), Enterobius vermicularis (5%), Schistosoma mansoni (3%), Giardia lamblia (3%), and Trichuris trichiuria (2%) were identified infections. Intestinal parasites were associated with poor child hand washing practice [AOR = 3.86, 95% CI = 1.53, 9.75], unprotected water sources [AOR = 7.79, 95% CI = 3.30, 18.40], access to water below 20 l/c/d [AOR = 3.05, 95% CI = 1.28, 7.23], poor food safety[AOR = 4.33, 95% CI = 1.62, 11.58], and poor sanitation [AOR = 5.01, 95% CI = 1.56, 16.16]. CONCLUSION: A. lumbricoides, hookworm, H. nana, E. vermicularis, S. mansoni, G. lamblia, and T. trichiuria were identified. Child hand washing practice, service level of water supply, water sources, food safety, and sanitation were associated with intestinal parasites. WASH promotion is needed to prevent infections.