The effect of mHealth on childhood vaccination in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Vaccine-preventable diseases are the public health problems in Africa, although vaccination is an available, safe, simple, and effective method prevention. Technologies such as mHealth may provide maternal access to health information and support decisions on childhood vaccination. Many studies on the role of mHealth in vaccination decisions have been conducted in Africa, but the evidence needs to provide conclusive information to support mHealth introduction. This study provides essential information to assist planning and policy decisions regarding the use of mHealth for childhood vaccination. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis for studies applying mHealth in Africa for vaccination decisions following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analysis [PRISMA] guideline. Databases such as CINAHL, EMBASE, PubMed, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Global Health, HINARI, and Cochrane Library were included. We screened studies in Endnote X20 and performed the analysis using Revman 5.4.1. RESULTS: The database search yielded 1,365 articles [14 RCTs and 4 quasi-experiments] with 21,070 participants satisfied all eligibility criteria. The meta-analysis showed that mHealth has an OR of 2.15 [95% CI: 1.70-2.72; P<0.001; I2 = 90%] on vaccination rates. The subgroup analysis showed that regional differences cause heterogeneity. Funnel plots and Harbord tests showed the absence of publication bias, while the GRADE scale showed a moderate-quality body of evidence. CONCLUSION: Although heterogeneous, this systematic review and meta-analysis showed that the application of mHealth could potentially improve childhood vaccination in Africa. It increased childhood vaccination by more than double [2.15 times] among children whose mothers are motivated by mHealth services. MHealth is more effective in less developed regions and when an additional incentive party with the messaging system. However, it can be provided at a comparably low cost based on the development level of regions and can be established as a routine service in Africa. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO: CRD42023415956.

Assessing the effect of mHealth on child feeding practice in African countries: systematic and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Poor child feeding practice is a public health problem in Africa. Mobile health (mHealth) is a supportive intervention to improve this problem; however, the evidence available in the current literature is inconsistent and inconclusive in Africa. Some studies state that exclusive breastfeeding is not different between controls and mHealth interventions in the first month. Other studies state that health providers need additional training for the success of mHealth interventions. OBJECTIVE: This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to provide the summarized effect of mHealth on child-feeding practices in Africa to improve future planning and decisions. METHOD: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis based on the published and unpublished evidence gathered from PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase databases between January 1, 2000, and March 1, 2022. Studies included were randomized control trials and experimental studies that compared mHealth to standards of care among postpartum women. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis guidelines followed for the reporting. RESULTS: After screening 1188 studies, we identified six studies that fulfilled the study criteria. These studies had 2913 participants with the number of total intervention groups 1627 [1627/2913 = 56%]. Five studies were completed within 24 weeks while one required 12 weeks. We included two RCTs, two cluster RCTs, and two quasi-experimental studies all used mHealth as the major intervention and usual care as controls. We found significant improvement in child-feeding practices among intervention groups. CONCLUSION: This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that the application of mHealth improved child-feeding practices in Africa. Although the finding is compelling, the authors recommend high-quality studies and mHealth interventions that consider sample size, design, regional differences, and environmental constraints to enhance policy decisions. The place of residence, access, low socioeconomic development, poor socio-demographic characteristics, low women empowerment, and low women's education might cause high heterogeneity in the included regions and need consideration during interventions. REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO: CRD42022346950.

Satisfaction of health informatics professionals with Ethiopian health system: the case of three zones in Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: The importance of the health information system faces multiple challenges such as supply, acceptance, and pressure from other professions in Ethiopia. Work-related challenges might cause low professional satisfaction and hinder service provision. There is a paucity of evidence for policy decisions to improve these challenges. Therefore, this study aims to assess Health Informatics professional satisfaction in the Ethiopian health system and associated factors to provide evidence for future improvements. METHODS: We conducted an institutions-based cross-sectional study on health informatics professionals in three zones in Southern Ethiopia in 2020. We used a simple random sampling technique to select 215 participants. The local health officials were contacted regarding the research questions, and letters of permission were collected for data collection. RESULTS: Out of 211(98%) Health Informatics professionals who accepted the interview, 50.8% (95%CI: 47.74%-53.86%) were satisfied. Age (AOR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.53, 0.95), experience (AOR = 5; 95% CI: 1.50, 19.30), working time (AOR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.70), working as HMIS officers (AOR 2.30; 95% CI: 3.80, 13), single marital status (AOR = 9.60; 95% CI: 2.88, 32), and urban residence (AOR = 8.10; 95% CI: 2.95, 22) were some of the associated factors. CONCLUSIONS: We found low satisfaction among health informatics professionals compared to other studies. It was suggested that the responsible bodies must keep experienced professionals and reduce pressure from other professions through panel discussions. Work departments and working hours need consideration, as they are the determinants of satisfaction. Improving educational opportunities and career structure is the potential implication area.

Determinants of childhood vaccination among children aged 12-23 months in Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: Childhood vaccination is a cost-effective, essential service to reach a larger population globally. Due to unclear reasons, new emergence and resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases increase. Thus, the aim of this study is to identify prevalence and determinants of childhood vaccination in Ethiopia. DESIGN: Community-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: We used data from 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey. The survey included all the nine regional states and two city administrations of Ethiopia. PARTICIPANTS: A weighted sample of 1008 children 12-23 months of age was included in the analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A multilevel proportional odds model was fitted to identify determinants of childhood vaccination status. In the final model, variables with a p value of less than 5% and an adjusted OR (AOR) with a 95% CI were reported. RESULT: The full childhood vaccination coverage of Ethiopia was 39.09% (95% CI: 36.06%-42.28%). Mothers who attended primary (AOR=2.16; 95% CI: 1.43-3.26), secondary (AOR=2.02; 95% CI: 1.07-3.79) and higher education (AOR=2.67; 95% CI: 1.25-5.71); being in union (AOR=2.21; 95% CI: 1.06-4.58); kept vaccination cards (AOR=26.18; 95% CI: 15.75-43.53); children receiving vitamin A1 (AOR=4.14; 95% CI: 2.9-5.9); living in Afar (AOR=0.14; 95% CI: 0.04-0.45), Somali (AOR=0.19; 95% CI: 0.06-0.60), Gambela (AOR=0.22; 95% CI: 0.06-0.77), Harari (AOR=0.14; 95% CI: 0.04-0.52) and Dire Dawa (AOR=0.23; 95% CI: 0.06-0.79) regions; and rural residents (AOR=0.53; 95% CI: 0.30-0.93) were factors significantly associated with childhood vaccination. CONCLUSION: The full childhood vaccination coverage in Ethiopia was low and remained unchanged since 2016. The study identified that both the individual-level and community-level factors affected the vaccination status. Accordingly, public health interventions targeted to these identified factors can increase childhood full vaccination status.

Understanding the association of mass media with the timing of antenatal care in Ethiopia: an impression from the 2016 Ethiopia demographic and health survey.

INTRODUCTION: Although the timing of antenatal care has a high potential of reducing maternal and child health problems and can be improved through different mass media exposure, it has been overlooked and remained a major life-costing delinquent issue. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify the relationship between mass media exposure and ANC for further insight. METHODS: We used the 2016 Ethiopian Health and Demography (EDHS) data. EDHS is a community-based cross-sectional survey that applies a two-stage stratified cluster sampling and it is a country-representative. We included 4740 reproductive-age women with complete records in EDHS dataset in this study. We excluded records with missing data from the analysis. We used ordinal logistic regression followed by generalized ordinal logistic to examine mass media relationships with timely antenatal care (ANC). We presented data using numbers, mean, standard deviations, percent or proportions, coefficient of regression, and 95% confidence interval. All analyses were performed using STATA version 15. RESULT: We examined the data of 4740 participants for the history of timely initiation of ANC and found 32.69% (95% CI = 31.34, 34.03) timely ANC. Factors such as watching television (TV) less than once a week [coef. = -0.72, CI: -1.04, -0.38], watching TV at least once a week [coef. = -0.60, CI: -0.84, -0.36], listening to radio [coef. = -0.38, CI: -0.84, -0.25], and use internet every day[coef. = -1.37, CI: -2.65, -0.09], are associated with the timely ANC. CONCLUSION: Despite its association with improving the timing of ANC, our findings showed mothers need additional support on the use of the media and the timing of ANC. In addition to the mass media, other covariates such as educational status, family size, and husband's desire affected the timely ANC imitation. These need attention during implementation to avert the current. This is also an essential input for policy and decision-makers.

Understanding Child Wasting in Ethiopia: Cross-sectional Analysis of 2019 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey Data Using Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Models.

BACKGROUND: Wasting is an immediate, visible, and life-threatening form of undernutrition in children aged <5 years. Within a short time, wasting causes recurrent sickness, delayed physical and mental growth, impatience, poor feeding, and low body weight. The long-term consequences of wasting and undernutrition are stunting, inability to learn, poor health status, and poor work performance. Wasting remains a public health problem in Ethiopia. According to the World Health Organization, countries have to reduce undernutrition including child wasting to below 5% by 2025. Ethiopia is attempting to attain national and international targets of undernutrition while struggling with many problems. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify the prevalence and associated factors of wasting to provide information for further renewing policy commitments. METHODS: We used community-based, cross-sectional data from the Ethiopian Mini Demographic and Health Survey. The survey was conducted in 9 regions and 2 city administrations. Two-stage cluster sampling was used to recruit study participants. In the first stage, enumerations areas were selected, and 28-35 households per enumeration area were selected in the second stage. Our analysis included 2016 women with children aged <5 years from the 2019 EMDHS data set. We dropped incomplete records and included all women who fulfilled the eligibility criteria. We used multilevel ordinal regression using Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Models (GLLAMM) and predicted probability with log-likelihood ratio tests. Fulfilling the proportional odds model's assumption during the application of multilevel ordinary logistic regression was a cumbersome task. GLLAMM enabled us to perform the multilevel proportional odds model using an alternative method. RESULTS: In our analysis, wasting was 7.68% (95% CI 6.56%-8.93%). Around 26.82% of mothers never used antenatal care for their current child. Most mothers (52.2%) did not have formal education, and 86.8% did not have postnatal care for their children. Additionally, half (50.93%) of the mothers have ≥6 household members. Wasting was associated with feeding diverse foods (coefficient 4.90, 95% CI 4.90-4.98), female sex of the household head (-40.40, 95% CI -40.41 to -40.32), home delivery (-35.51, 95% CI -35.55 to -35.47), first (16.66, 95% CI, 16.60-16.72) and second (16.65, 95% CI 16.60-16.70) birth order, female child (-12.65, 95% CI -12.69 to -12.62), and household size of 1 to 3 (10.86, 95% CI 10.80-10.92). CONCLUSIONS: According to the target set by World Health Organization for reducing undernutrition in children aged <5 years to below 5% by 2025, child wasting of 7.68% in Ethiopia should spark an immediate reaction from the government and stakeholders. Informed policy decisions, technology-based child-feeding education, and food self-sufficiency support could improve the current challenges. Additional effort is important to improve low maternal education, family planning, awareness of sex preferences, women empowerment, and maternal health services.

Determinants of timely initiation of complementary feeding among children aged 6-23 months in Ethiopia.

Introducing complementary feeding either early or later than 6 months is associated with future negative health outcomes. However, many women in Ethiopia do not follow WHO standard time to feed their children, which might be due to various demographic, economic, access, and availability of services. Thus, we aimed to identify factors attributing to the problems to assist future interventions. We used cross-sectional EMDHS 2019 for this analysis. We cleaned the data and 4061 women with under 2 years children were identified. We applied multilevel binary logistic regression in Stata v.15. Model comparison was based on log-likelihood ratio, deviance, and other criteria. We presented data using mean, percent, 95% CI, and adjusted odds ratio (AOR). The timely complementary feeding was 36.44% (34.93-37.92%). Factors like preceding birth intervals (AOR = 1.97 95% CI 1.62-1.39), primary education (AOR = 2.26 95% CI 1.40-3.62), secondary above education (AOR = 1.62 95% CI 1.10-2.38), and rich wealth index (AOR = 1.25 95% CI 1.03-1.52) were some of the associated factors. The magnitude of timely initiation of complementary feeding was diminutive. Authors suggest that interventions considering maternal education, empowering mothers economically, equity access to health services, and birth planning a good remedy.

Determinants of early initiation of breast feeding among mothers of children aged less than 24 months in Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to assess the prevalence of early initiation of breast feeding (EIBF) and associated factors among mothers having children less than 2 years of age in Ethiopia. DESIGN: Community-based cross-sectional study. SETTING: In this analysis, data from 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey (EMDHS) was used. The survey included all the nine regional states and two city administrations of Ethiopia. PARTICIPANTS: We extracted data of 2054 mothers who had last-born children and those mothers who ever breast fed or still breast feeding their children during the survey from the 2019 EMDHS datasets. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We performed a two-stage multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression to identify individual and community-level determinants of EIBF. In the final model, variables with a p-value less than 5% and an adjusted OR with a 95% CI were reported as statistically significant variables with EIBF. RESULT: The prevalence of EIBF among mothers having children aged 0-23 months was 73.56% (95% CI: 71.65% to 75.47%). Women who delivered at a health facility (adjusted OR (AOR)=1.98; 95% CI: 1.39 to 2.79) and have children with birth order second-fourth (AOR=1.76; 95% CI: 1.24 to 2.49) were more likely to initiate early breast feeding than their counterparts. On the other hand, women who gave birth by caesarean section (AOR=0.21; 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.33), had multiple births (AOR=0.35; 95% CI: 0.13 to 0.92) and had postnatal check-up (AOR=0.62; 95% CI: 0.44 to 0.91) were less likely to practise EIBF as compared with their counterparts. Region of residence of women was also significantly associated with EIBF. CONCLUSION: In this study, the overall prevalence of EIBF was good. Place of delivery, mode of delivery, postnatal check-up, type of birth, birth order and region were factors significantly associated with EIBF. Therefore, government and stakeholders need to show commitment to improve access and utilisation of basic maternal health services to increase the practice of EIBF.

Stunting and Associated Factors Among 6-23 Months Age Children in Ethiopia: Application of Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Modeling.

Low height/length-for-age (stunting) is a public health problem in Ethiopia. Efforts that have been made to evaluate factors affecting national and international strategies related to the problem are very limited and poorly achieved. The present study aimed to evaluate low length/height-for-age (stunting) and its associated factors among children 6 to 23 months of age in Ethiopia. We used cross-sectional data collected for 2019 EMDHS. We cleaned, processed, and analyzed in Stata v.15. Socio-demographic, socio-economic parameters, and nutritional (wasting, diet frequency, breast milk, and animal milk) factors were used in the analysis. We fitted Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Model (GLLAMM) to examine the associations. We analyzed the data of 2,037 children aged 6-23 months and found stunting of 933.07(45.80%). Some factors such as home delivery [coef. = -4.58, 95% CI:-7.81,-1.34] and household size of ≥6 [coef. = -5.53, 95% CI:-10.36,-7.10] were positively associated. No current breastfeeding [coef. = 10.70, 95% CI: 2.16, 19.23] and still breastfeed [coef. = 10.68, 95% CI: 2.62, 18.74] were negatively associated with stunting. Stunting among 6-23 months aged children in Ethiopia is very high above all the national, regional, and international targets. Feeding practice, socio-economic, and psychosocial-support for mothers need revised commitment for pragmatic solution.

Routine Health Information Utilization and Associated Factors among Health Professionals Working in Public Health Facilities of the South Region, Ethiopia.

Background: Routine health information is the pillar for planning and management of health services and plays a vital role in effective and efficient health service delivery, decision making, and the improvement of programs. Therefore, this study aimed to assess routine health information utilization and associated factors among health professionals working in public health facilities of the south region. Methods: Institution based cross-sectional study design was employed. Data was collected from randomly selected 719 participants using a pre-tested, interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were carried out. Result: The overall utilization of routine health information was 63.1. Place of residence, HMIS personnel, HMIS code, overwhelming data source, population based data, data quality control, feedback, monitoring chart, 8.467) and data transfer policy were factors significantly associated with utilization of routine health information. Conclusion: Six out of ten health professionals had utilized routine health information. Place of residence, HMIS personnel, HMIS code, overwhelming data source, population based data, data quality control, feedback, monitoring chart and data transfer policy had significant associations with routine health information utilization. Therefore, concerned health authorities need to work on these factors to improve the utilization.

Prelacteal feeding practice and associated factors among mothers of children less than two years of age in Ethiopia: A multilevel analysis.

Background: Prelacteal feeding is the main obstacle for exclusive breastfeeding and the major causes of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The practice is one of a deep-rooted public health problem of Ethiopia that needs further investigation. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and independent predictors of prelacteal feeding practice in Ethiopia. Methods: This study used data from the 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey. A two-stage multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression model was conducted to identify individual and community-level predictors of prelacteal feeding practice of mothers. In the multivariable analysis, variables with a p-value less than 5% and an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval were reported as statistically significant variables with prelacteal feeding practice. Result: The prevalence of prelacteal feeding practice among mothers of children less than 2 years old in Ethiopia was 16.31% (95% CI: 14.7%, 17.9%). Women who had multiple births [AOR = 4.62; 95%CI: 1.63, 13.08], delivered through cesarean section [AOR = 2.66; 95%CI: 1.63, 4.33], initiated breastfeeding after 1 hour of delivery [AOR = 3.16; 95%CI: 2.25, 4.47] and mothers who were from pastoralist region [AOR = 2.12; 95%CI: 1.22, 3.68] were more likely to practice prelacteal feeding than their counterparts. Conclusion: This study revealed that the prevalence of prelacteal feeding practice remained a great public health concern of the country. Type of birth, mode of delivery, initiation of breastfeeding and geographic region where the mothers reside were factors that were positively associated with prelacteal feeding practice. Therefore, behavior change communication need to be applied using a variety of communication channels to halt this harmful traditional practice. In addition, promotion of institutional delivery and early initiation of breastfeeding practice using the existing strategies need to be strengthened with special emphasis given to marginalized women in order to diminish the practice in Ethiopia.

Knowledge, Perception and Preparedness Related to COVID-19 among Adult Rural Population in Konso, Southern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: According to the world health organization, the COVID-19 outbreak has currently affected millions of people worldwide. Since the start of the pandemic in China, everything countries have thrown at the virus turned unsuccessful. As there is no established vaccine to halt the virus transmission, it might be very difficult for developing countries like Ethiopia even after vaccine development. Thus, focusing on improving knowledge, perception, and preparedness related to the virus might be very vital. METHODS: A community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted using the questionnaire applied in most countries which is suitable to apply in the Konso zone in South Nations Nationalities Region (SNNPR) from April.2020 to July 2020. Data were collected, cleaned, coded, checked, and entered into Epi Info and then exported and analyzed in STATA 15. We fitted a binary logistic regression model. Categorical variables were presented using figure tables, and proportion and for continuous variables, mean and standard deviation were used. The results were also presented using Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% CI. RESULTS: From 636 respondents expected, 615(97%) were participated and possessed the knowledge of 39%, and 64% perception and preparedness each. Measurements related to the policy and interventions like restrictions to movement, self-isolation, wearing a face mask, & the need for more tests was not supported by most participants. CONCLUSION: The poor knowledge, perception, and preparedness were correlated with the unavailability of water and electricity, less education, and informal source of information which could be improved through area appropriate health education interventions.

Individual and community-level factors associated with modern contraceptive use among adolescent girls and young women in Ethiopia: a multilevel analysis of 2016 Ethiopia demographic and health survey.

BACKGROUND: The importance of contraception use is immense for young girls of age 15-24 years. In literatures, there were significant attempts made to study factors associated with adolescent and young women contraception use in Africa. Despite the resulting interventions followed those studies, the contraception uses among youth population in Africa remained below average. Thus, this study is aimed to assess individual and community-level factors associated with contraceptive use in Ethiopian context to support further interventions. METHODS: Our analysis was based on the secondary data from Ethiopia Demography and Health Survey (EDHS) 2016. Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) aged 15-24 years were the target population. Means, standard deviations, and proportions were used to describe the study population. To control for the variations due to the differences between clusters, a series of multilevel logistic regression modeling steps were followed and determinants of contraceptive use were outplayed. All variables with bivariate p-value < 0.25 were included in the models and p-value < 0.05 was used to declare associations. RESULTS: The prevalence of modern contraceptive use among AGYW in Ethiopia was 34.89% [95% CI, 0.32, 0.36]. Married adolescents were 2.01 times [AOR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.39,3.16], having work was 1.36 times [AOR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.06,1.71], living in urban areas was 1.61 times [AOR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.16,2.45], being in middle wealth status was 1.9 times [AOR = 1.90, 95% CI = 1.32,2.65], being in rich wealth quintile was 1.99 time [AOR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.35,2.68], and having TV exposure was 1.61 times [AOR = 1.6, 95% CI = 1.17,2.20] more likely associated with modern contraceptive uses. CONCLUSION: The use of modern contraception among AGYW in the country remained appealing and factors like region, residence, marital status, wealth index, religion, working status, parity, husband desire children, ever aborted AGYW, and the television exposures were attributed for the poor improvements. Therefore, the enhancements that consult those factors remained remarkable in improving contraception use, while further increasing in educational engagement, access to health services, and economic empowerment of the AGYW might be the good advantages for the improvements.