Browsing by Author "Bezawit Girma"

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    Assessment of Prevalence of Chronic Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function among Fuel Station Workers in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
    (Addis Abeba University, 2019-10) Bezawit Girma; Abera Kumie; Samson Wakuma
    Background: Fuel station workers are continuously exposed to organic and inorganic chemicals present in the petrol and diesel fuel. Occupational exposure of petroleum product and its exhaust are causing significant health damage to the airways and the lung tissue. Respiratory health study among exposed fuel station workers is not available in Ethiopia. Objective: To assess prevalence of chronic respiratory symptoms and associated factors and determining the lung function status among fuel station and security service giving agency workers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: Comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from February–April 2019. A total of 394 workers from fuel station and security service giving agency were interviewed using standard questionnaire to assess chronic respiratory symptoms. Spirometer test was performed for 100 workers. Four companies; National Oil Ethiopia, Total Ethiopia, Libiya Oil Ethiopia and Yetebaberut were identified to select study unit. The sample size of the study proportionally distributed to each of the company’s based on their number of workers they had at the time of the data collection. Individual gas stations were selected randomly by each stratum of Oil Company. All workers, from the selected station, those fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in the study population. For the comparison group; one security service giving agency was selected and study participant was selected by using systematic random sampling from the pay roll list. Data was entered using Epi info version 7.2. Data cleaning and analysis was performed by using SPSS version 23. Result: The mean age of fuel station and security service giving agency workers were 34.47±8.2 and 32.98 ±9.94 respectively. Fuel station workers had significantly higher prevalence rate of chronic respiratory symptoms than security service giving agency workers (48.7%; PR= 2.1, 95 % CI, 1.43-3.1). Chronic respiratory symptoms among study participant were associated significantly with past exposure to dust and petrol vapour (AOR= 2.4, 95 % CI = 1.24-4.7), history of past respiratory illness (AOR = 9.54, 95 % CI, 3.91-23.28) and passive smoking (AOR = 4.21, 95 %CI, 1.19-14.86). Significant reduction in the lung function parameter value of FEV1 and FVC were observed among fuel station workers compared to security service giving agency workers. Conclusion and recommendation: prevalence of chronic respiratory symptom among fuel station workers was higher when compared with security service giving agency workers. Past exposure to dust and petrol vapour, past respiratory illness and passive smoking significantly associated with development of at least one chronic respiratory symptom. Lung function parameters; forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume at one second (FEV1) also decrease significantly among fuel station workers relative to comparative group. The results suggest that there is need to improve health status and reduce the exposure level of the workers.
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    The Effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Anxiety and Depression Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College
    (Addis Ababa University, 2025) Bezawit Girma; Moges Ayele
    Breast cancer remains a major public health challenge in Ethiopia, with women often experiencing significant levels of anxiety and depression that adversely affect their quality of life and treatment outcomes. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) has been recognized as a promising approach to address these psychological burdens. This study explored the effectiveness of CBT in reducing anxiety and depression among women with breast cancer at St. Paul’s Hospital Millennium Medical College in Addis Ababa. A randomized controlled trial design was employed, comparing an intervention group that received CBT with a control group that received standard care. Baseline measures of anxiety and depression were collected, and post-intervention outcomes were analyzed using standardized instruments. The findings revealed that CBT led to a significant reduction in both anxiety and depression symptoms compared to standard care. Women in the intervention group showed greater improvement, with a mean reduction of -6.8 in depression scores versus -3.9 in the control group, and a decrease in anxiety scores of -4.3 compared to -2.8. The odds of high post-intervention anxiety were reduced by 52%, and depression was lowered by 8% in the intervention group, underscoring the cross-cultural applicability and effectiveness of CBT. These results highlight the feasibility and acceptability of integrating structured, culturally adapted CBT into oncology care in Ethiopia. The study recommends the inclusion of CBT as part of routine cancer treatment, supported by capacity building, policy integration, and further research to evaluate long-term outcomes and scalability in low-resource settings. Keywords: Breast cancer, anxiety, depression, cognitive behavioral therapy, randomized control design, Ethiopia