Multilevel analysis of early initiation of breastfeeding in Ethiopia.

Introduction: Breast milk is the ideal food for the infant and is associated with various public health benefits for both the infant and the mother. The recommended time for early initiation of breastfeeding is within one hour after birth. The prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding was lower than the plan of the Ethiopian Ministry of Health Sector Development program. Thus, the main objective of this study was to identify individual and group-level factors associated with the early initiation of breastfeeding in Ethiopia. Methods: Secondary data on children was obtained from the 2019 Ethiopia mini-demographic and health survey. The survey was a population-based cross-sectional study and was downloaded from the Measure Demographic and Health Survey website (http://www.measuredhs.com). The study included a random sample of 2,125 last-born infants who were born within 24 months before the survey. A multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the factors associated with the early initiation of breastfeeding in Ethiopia. Statistical data was analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS 9.4). Results: The prevalence of early breastfeeding initiation was 72%. The higher preceding birth interval (AOR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.1076, 1.5451), the higher gestational age of infants (AOR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.2796, 1.4782), the higher number of antenatal care visits (AOR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.2340, 1.2934), delivery at a health facility (AOR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.4585, 1.7515), vaginal delivery (AOR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.1019, 1.1123), mothers with primary education (AOR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.0204, 1.2738), mothers with secondary education (AOR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.4678, 1.6190), and mothers with higher education (AOR = 2.62, 95% CI: 2.2574, 3.0526) were associated with higher odds of early initiation of breastfeeding. Being a rural dweller (AOR = 0.63, 95% CI: 0.5684, 0.7038) and the age of mothers (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.3921, 0.4894) were associated with lower odds of early initiation of breastfeeding. Conclusion: Since the prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding was minimal among rural mothers who delivered their child by caesarean section, this study strongly suggests special supportive care for these mothers.

Effects of automated teller machine service quality on customer satisfaction: Evidence from commercial bank of Ethiopia.

The banking industry has seen the emergence of numerous service delivery channels, automated teller machines (ATMs), telephone banking, and online banking. Global financial systems and mature competition have been compelled to research the importance of consumer satisfaction. Thus, this study aimed to examine the effects of automated teller machine service quality on customer satisfaction in commercial banks of Ethiopia in the Afar regional state, Northeast Ethiopia. To this end, cross-sectional data were collected through a questionnaire from a sample of three hundred forty-six (346) ATM users selected from Semera-logia City, Asyaita, and Awash Town. To identify the dimensions of automated teller machine service quality and their relationship with customer satisfaction, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM)) through SPSS and AMOS 23.0 data analysis software were used. The findings indicate that convenience, reliability, ease of use, fulfillment, and security/privacy of ATM service quality dimensions are positively and significantly associated with customer satisfaction. The results of this study can help banks' management improve the quality of their ATM services to increase overall customer satisfaction. To ensure continued customer satisfaction, banks are encouraged to make the ATM service more convenient, reliable, user-friendly, secure, and fulfilling. They should also constantly update and differentiate their ATM service quality aspects to build a competitive advantage and boost their profitability.

Status and determinants of saving behavior and intensity in pastoral and agro-pastoral communities of Afar regional state, Ethiopia.

Saving is a crucial tool for enhancing the livelihoods of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, but due to a number of factors, its status and intensity are still in their infancy. Because of this, the current state of saving practices, their causes, and the size of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities are all examined in this study. A multi-stage sampling process was used to determine the 600 typical selected households. In order to assess the data, a double hurdle model was used. From the descriptive analysis result, only 35% of pastoral and agro-pastoral groups were savers. In comparison to their counterparts, households who have access to credit, are financially literate, engage in non-farm activities, cultivate crops in addition to livestock husbandry, use informal financial institutions, are educated, and wealthier are more likely to be savers and eager to save a larger amount of property. Households with more livestock and who live far away from formal financial institutions, on the other hand, are less likely to be savers and save only a small fraction of their income. Male-headed families are more likely to participate in saving decisions, whereas female-headed households must save more than their male counterparts once they have opted to save. Instead of relying on ineffective monetary policy (changing interest rates), any concerned bodies should emphasize mixed farming practices, establish financial institutions nearby to improve saving habits, provide non-farm training, and empower women in order to close the gap between savers and non-savers and mobilize resources to save and invest. Furthermore, raise awareness of financial institutions' products and services, as well as provide credit.