Frequency of digital vaginal examination and associated factors among mothers admitted to labor and delivery wards in public health facilities of Arba Minch town, southern Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the frequency of digital examination and its associated factors among laboring mothers in public health facilities in Arba Minch town, southern Ethiopia. Digital vaginal examination (DVE) is the commonly applied clinical assessment method used to discover the progress of labor and delivery. However, frequent DVE may not be free of risk for maternal and neonatal health, and pain during intrapartum care. METHODS: An institution-based descriptive cross-sectional study was employed from May 3 to July 6, 2022. Study participants were selected by a serial sampling method. Data were entered into epi data version 7.2 and exported to SPSS v.25 for data analysis. Binary and multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to assess associations between study variables. Statistical significance was declared at a P value less than 0.05. RESULTS: A total of 374 women responded to the interview, making a response rate of 98.4%. In all, 230 (61.5%) of the laboring mothers underwent five or more DVE. Being a primipara, being in latent phase at admission, having augmentation of labor, prolonged labor, being admitted with intact membranes, and vacuum delivery showed significant associations with frequent DVE. CONCLUSION: Frequency of DVE among laboring mothers is relatively high in the study area. The frequent DVE were mainly caused by healthcare provider's interventions to shorten the time of labor. Emphasis on training and monitoring the practice of healthcare givers would be helpful to mitigate this problem.

Near miss road traffic accidents and associated factors among truck drivers in Gamo zone, southern Ethiopia by using a contributory factors interaction model.

Background: Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are among the leading causes of injuries, fatalities, and the resulting increase in financial burdens worldwide. Every year, RTAs cause numerous serious injuries and fatalities in Ethiopia. it is important to understand how prevalent near-miss crash accidents are, and which by definition could have injured the victim but did not result in an actual accident. The determinants of these near-misses are essential in road crash accident reduction strategies. In spite of the fact that near-miss accidents are much more common than actual losses or injuries, very little research has been conducted on them. Thus, this study was intended to assess the near-miss accidents and associated factors among truckers in Gamo zone, southern Ethiopia. Methodology: The community-based cross-sectional study was employed from May 12 to July 10,2022, using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. A simple random sampling technique was used to select participants. The data were analyzed using the statistical package for social sciences. A binary and multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the determinants of near-miss accidents. A statistical significance level was set at p < 0.05. Results: About 72.5% of truckers had experienced near-miss road traffic accidents. The majority of the near-miss accidents were caused by speeding, followed by driving on the wrong side of the road and skidding, 65 (22.6%), 39 (13.5%), and 38 (13.2%), respectively. Driving frequency per week, location of accidents, condition of the road, sleeping status, and weather conditions were significantly associated with near-miss accidents. Conclusion: The prevalence of near-miss accidents is high in the Gamo zone. Being a younger and less educated driver, high driving frequency per week, driving on major roads and junctions, foggy weather, and inadequate sleep all contribute to the occurrence of accidents. Road safety measures that could address these identified factors are required to mitigate potential RTAs.

Perceived Social Support and Associated Factors Among Adults Living with HIV/AIDS Attending ART Clinic at Public Hospitals in Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia 2021.

Background: HIV/AIDS remains one of the world's serious public health challenges. Patients with limited support from their family and community often experience social damage, poor adherence, compliance and are prone to additional psychosocial problems. This study aimed to assess the level of perceived social support and factors among adults living with HIV/AIDS. Methods: Facility-based mixed study (sequential explanatory) design was conducted among 423 adults living with HIV/AIDS attending chronic care follow-up at public hospitals in Gamo zone, southern Ethiopia. Respondents were selected by systematic sampling technique. The bivariable and multivariable ordinal logistic regression was used to determine associated factors. All assumptions applied to ordinal logistic regression including multicollinearity, proportional odds, model fitness and pseudo R2 were checked. Level of significance was declared at p-values <0.05 and 95% CI. Results: Proportion of perceived social support of participants was 128 (30.7%), 197 (47.2%) and 92 (22.1%) with low, moderate and high levels of perceived social support, respectively. Females [(APOR = 2.42, 95% CI:(1.63-3.58), P < 0.001)], no formal education [(AOR = 0.49, 95% CI: (0.30-0.789), P = 0.004)], fair adherence [(APOR = 2.07, 95% CI: (1.17-3.49), P = 0.006)], no comprehensive knowledge about HIV [(APOR = 0.40, 95% CI: (0.26-0.62), P < 0.001)], and no disclosure status [(APOR = 0.64, 95% CI: (0.43-0.95), P = 0.028] were significantly associated with perceived social support. Qualitative findings revealed that disclosure and adherences involving income generation activities are beneficial to perceived social support. Conclusion: This study showed that one from three of the participants had low perceived social support. Low perceived social support was associated with adherence, disclosure status of individual, educational status and knowledge about HIV/AIDS. Family, friends, health care providers and significant others should provide necessary support and inform people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) about social support.

Determinants of intrauterine contraceptive device utilization at primary health care facilities in Mekelle City, northern Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Each year, the current level of modern contraceptive use averts 188 million unintended pregnancies, which in turn results in 112 million fewer abortions. Of the 867 million women in the developing world who are sexually active and want to avoid becoming pregnant, approximately 222 million of them have an unmet need for modern contraception. In spite of several advantages and potential effectiveness of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device, its utilization still too low in Sub Saharan African countries including Ethiopia. OBJECTIVES: To identify the determinant factors for utilization of intra uterine contraceptive device among women visiting primary health care facilities in Mekelle city. METHOD: Facility based unmatched case-control study design was conducted among 234 women (78 cases and 156 controls). Data was collected by structured questionnaire. Data entry and cleaning was done using EPI- Info version 5.3.1 and analysis done using SPSS version 20.0 statistical software. During analysis the variables were defined, categorized and the difference in variables was determined. Odds ratio used to show degree of association between independent variables with Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device. RESULT: Marital status ([AOR (95%CI) =8.59(2.60-28.43)], number of pregnancies (AOR (95%) CI = 5.69(1.020-31.802), number of alive children [AOR (95%CI) =3.5 (1.03-11.9) are variables continued to have statistically significant association with use of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device. Other determinants found to have significant association includes awareness about Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device, visual exposure to Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device, and participants told about availability of health care provider able to insert Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device. CONCLUSION: This study has identified marital status, Gravidity, number of alive children and awareness to Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device as major determinants for use of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device. Thus, it is vital at addressing the aforementioned determinants will be vital to improve utilization of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device. Among long acting reversible modern contraceptive methods, Intra Uterine Contraceptive Devices (IUCDs) are the most reliable and effective as well as with fewer side effects. Despite these advantages and cost effective potential of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device its utilization is still too low in Sub Saharan countries like Ethiopia. Thus, this study intended to identify the factors that limit the utilization of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device among women of Ethiopia in Mekele City. The study identify that the utilization of Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device was determined by the marital status of the women, the number of previous pregnancy and recent alive children and the level of awareness about Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device of the women. Therefore, providers training that focus on promoting Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device, centering on increasing awareness and practice about Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device is very important.