Browsing by Author "Kalkidan Solomon"

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    Health Facility - Household Nexus for Palliative Care among Adult Cancer Patients in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
    (Addis Abeba University, 2020-12) Yonas Abate; Mirgissa Kaba; Kalkidan Solomon
    Background: Based on a world health organization report in 2020, over 56 million people are estimated requiring palliative care every year and of which 76% are from Low and Middle-income countries; where a majority of 67.1% are adults; of those, 69% of palliative care need is associated with non-communicable diseases, and only 14% of people who needs palliative care are currently receive it; mainly cancer accounts for 34% out of the non-communicable diseases in need of palliative care. The critical point in palliative care services is to ensure the continuum of care and address patient needs as they pass through the referral pathways between the community and facility-based palliative care services. Objective: To explore the nexus of health facility and household palliative care for adult cancer patients in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Method: Qualitative study was conducted in Addis Ababa from August 01- September 30, 2020. The investigator conducted an in-depth and key informant interviews through an open ended interview guide. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and finally imported to Open code version 4.02 software for coding and analyzing. Tanahashi framework was adopted to classify and organize data according to the key themes, concepts, and emerging categories. Results: Twenty-five respondents participated in this study. The continuum of palliative care was described as the relation between hospitals and home-based palliative care whereas nongovernmental support the community and health facilities by hosting training; volunteers contributes a lot to the continuum of palliative care starts at household level respondents stated that volunteers, family members, hospital care providers, and neighbors are used as a connective plug for the continuum of palliative care. Conclusion: The continuum of palliative care mainly depends on volunteers, non-governmental organizations based in Addis Ababa which includes hospitals in the loop of continuity. However, volunteers link cancer patients from the community to home-based palliative care. Mainly shortage of pain relief medications, turnover of staff, shortage of educated personnel, was mentioned as a barrier to the continuum of palliative care whereas availability of national palliative care policy, working palliative team/group, and commitment were facilitators.
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    Parents’ and Teachers’ Perspective Towards Inclusive Education for Children with Autism in Pre-Primary and Primary Schools of Addis Ababa: A Qualitative Study.
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-06) Hana Habtu; Adugnaw Berhane; Kalkidan Solomon
    Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. Despite the Salamanca Statement's advocacy for inclusive education as a human right, the reality in Ethiopia shows a stark contrast, with only a small fraction of schools equipped with inclusive education. Objective: To explore the perspective of parents’ and teachers’ towards inclusive education for children with autism in pre-primary and primary schools of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: The study was conducted in Akaki Kality and Arada sub city pre-primary and primary schools, government and private schools. A qualitative content analysis study approach using mixed sampling method was used to select participants. Content analysis was carried out using Atlas Ti software. Result: The study indicated that the concept of inclusive education is not widely recognized by most parents of typical children, it is well-understood and supported by nearly all parents of children with autism. While most typical child parents and teachers support inclusion and recognize its benefits for autistic children, concerns are raised about academic value and disruptions of learning process; some typical child parents and teachers preferring segregated learning. Barriers to IE are multifaceted and categorized as child with autism behavior related factor, parent and teacher related factor, systemic and institutional factor. Among the factors that facilitate IE are typical students and teachers support, parents' positive beliefs on their child with autism, awareness creation programs in schools, and collaboration with different organizations. Conclusion and recommendation: parents’ and teachers' perspective towards inclusive education have mixed views most supporting and highlight the social skill benefit children with autism get. However both participants are concerned about the implementation of IE due to many existing barriers. Therefore, for a better inclusion of children with autism, strategies that best fit our country and laws that mandate schools to implement IE should be settled. In addition capacity building for teachers, human and material resources, special need teachers, and categorizing autistic children according to their level and supping them as per their need is required.
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    Perspective and Experiences of Researchers Regarding Informed Consent for Biorepositories in Ethiopia: A Qualitative Study
    (Addis Ababa University, 2024-07) Siham Mohammed; Ayele Belachew; Lealem Minwuyelet; Kalkidan Solomon
    Background: Informed consent in biorepository-based research is a highly debated issue in the scientific community. Unlike one-time consent for a specific study, broad consent is required for future use of biospecimens. However, providing sufficient information about future research poses ethical challenges, making informed consent complex. Additionally, the use of complex procedures and terminology can make it difficult for individuals to fully comprehend the scope of their consent. As a result, the question of whether informed consent can be considered valid is a contentious and multifaceted issue. Given the significant increase in genomics and biorepository-based studies in Ethiopia, it is crucial to gain insight into the perspectives and experiences of researchers, sample donors, ethics committees, and other stakeholders involved in biorepositories. Objective: This study aims to explore and understand the perspective and experiences of researchers concerning informed consent for biorepository-based studies in Ethiopia. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted among 15 participants recruited using purposive intensity sampling. Face-to-face and virtual in-depth interviews were conducted with the study participants are well-experienced in biomedical research that involved collecting and storing human biospecimens from Addis Ababa University, College of Health Sciences, Ethiopian Public Health Institute, and Armauer Hansen Research Institute. Data were organized using NVivo version 20 and analyzed thematically. Results: The study reveals that while information is clearly stated on the information sheet, the informed consent process is not flawless, due to complexity of the study, lack of scientific knowledge, traditional beliefs, and communication flaws during information delivery. Moreover, the absence of a standardized informed consent model specifically tailored to genetics and other biorepository-based research emerged as another primary challenge. Conclusion: Overall, the researchers viewed the informed consent paper positively, yet the consent process was perceived negatively due to participants' poor comprehension. This informs the need for testing comprehension levels before obtaining consent. Future multi-site studies shall be conducted to generate evidence on the opinions and experiences of ethics committees, study participants, and other key stakeholders on informed consent for biorepositories.
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    Shoe-Wearing Practice for Prevention of Podoconiosis and its Associated Factors in Highly Endemic Areas of the Wolayita Zone, South Ethiopia Regional State: the Application of Health Belief Model
    (Addis Ababa University, 2023-11) Bethelhem Messele; Adugnaw Birhane; Kalkidan Solomon
    Background: Podoconiosis is a chronic, non-communicable, non-infectious, neglected tropical disease that is acquired by walking barefoot in red clay volcanic soils for a long period of time. Although many studies have been conducted on podoconiosis in Ethiopia, most of them have focused on the prevalence of the disease, therapy, and prevention strategies to manage the disease, and the study participants were those who were affected by it. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how households in the Wolayita Zone perceive podoconiosis and shoe-wearing practices to prevent it. Objective: To assess shoe-wearing practices for the prevention of podoconiosis and its associated factors in highly endemic areas of Wolayta Zone, South Ethiopian Regional State, 2023. Methods: A study was conducted in selected woredas of Wolayta Zone using a cross-sectional study design. The study had a total sample size of 617 participants, who were chosen using a multistage cluster sampling technique. Data was collected using Kobo Toolbox software, and SPSS version 27 software was used for the analysis. The association between the variables was identified using bivariable logistic regression with a p-value <0.25, then feed into multivariable logistic regression with a p-value <0.05 and a confidence interval of 95%, which were considered to be significantly associated variables. Result: In this study, out of 617 participants, 594 had participated with a response rate of 96.3%, and 301 (50.7%) of the respondents had good shoe-wearing practice. Out of the 594 participants, 335 (56.4%) were male, 169 (28.5%) were aged between 25 and 34, and 282 (47.5%) had a monthly income between 2751 and 5000 Ethiopian birr. Variables significantly associated with shoe-wearing practice were: residence in rural areas (AOR.210, 95%CI.101,.437); marital status being single (AOR 5.927, 95%CI 2.062, 17.042); occupation status: being a farmer (AOR.392, 95%CI.176,.876); educational status: primary (AOR 3.143, 95%CI 1.298, 7.615), secondary (AOR 7.558, 95%CI 2.998, 19.050); and higher education (AOR 7.933, 95%CI 2.811, 22.390); and among health belief model constructs, perceived barriers (AOR.849, 95% CI.792,.910) and perceived self-efficacy (AOR 1.150, 95% CI 1.000, 1.323) were significantly associated. Conclusion: The study found that only 50.7% of participants had good shoe-wearing practices. To improve this, community leaders and other stakeholders should educate their communities about the importance of good shoe-wearing practices and make shoes more accessible, comfortable, and affordable. This study has the potential to reduce the incidence of podoconiosis by identifying the predictors of shoe wear.
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    The Impact of Social Media on National Security: the case of Ethiopia
    (Addis Ababa University, 2018-12) Kalkidan Solomon; Tigist Yeshiwas (PhD)
    Social medias can be used as a mass communication tools and also connection materials, they are in a day to day growing levels and creating a more globalized world bearing in mind their proximity and flexibility, including their lower expenses. These social media podiums are currently reaching social and security consequences for the citizens of Ethiopia, in considering the socio political implications they have also economic impacts in the country. In order to defend Ethiopia’s freedom, security and prosperity, it is only reasonable that many rational and investigated be done about how the government of Ethiopia can connect online social networking trappings and in equal degree controlling the issues in the impacts they brought as a threat to the national security of Ethiopia. The purpose of this study is to investigate social media and national security threats in Ethiopia. The social media can be said to draw it’s respire from the laws and principles of the traditional mass media and the fundamentals of the freedom of expression. Even though there are no laws particularly on the social media, it still runs freely in Ethiopia without any government restraint. This thesis pursues to analyse freedom of expression and to what extent the social media within the Ethiopian context is free and influencing the social media. Generally, as per their nature social medias are quickly evolving and are able to address every sector and direction rendering the geo-economic, political and socio-cultural elements, the thesis will focus on analysing the factors by the social media on the national security of Ethiopia and response on the government also the social media community accordingly