Browsing by Author "Shiferaw, Solomon (PhD))"

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    The effect of Iodine Deficiency on the Academic Performance of School Children in Sodo Town, Southern Ethiopia
    (Addis Abeba Universty, 2011-05) Wolka, Eskinder; Shiferaw, Solomon (PhD))
    Background: There are many reasons for children to underperform at school because of poor nutritional status, below average intelligence, socio-cultural environment and other environmental factors. Iodine deficiency disorder is a public health problem worldwide including Ethiopia and it is the major cause of preventable brain damage in children. Although there are studies on iodine deficiency in the country, its effect on academic performance is not well documented. Objective: This study intended to assess effect of Iodine Deficiency on academic performance of school children in Wolaita Sodo town, Southern Ethiopia. Methods: School based comparative cross sectional study on a sample population of 270 children with goiter and 264 without goiter was conducted in a purposively selected primary school in Sodo town, Southern Ethiopia from Dec. 2010 to Feb 2011. Total students in each class were examined for the presence of goiter and classified based on WHO recommendation. For every child with goiter, next child without goiter was selected from the same class. Pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic factors and information on students’ academic performance was obtained from the school record. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to see the effect of independent variables on the outcome variable. Ethical clearance was obtained from Research Ethics Committee of School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University. Result: Among children with goiter higher proportion (54.8%) were females and proportion increase with age. Consuming foods (cabbage and cassava) was significantly associated with goiter (AOR=1.9; 95%CI=1.2, 2.9). The odds of scoring low school performance was higher among, children whose fathers were illiterate (AOR=1.9; 95%CI=1.1, 3.5) and absenteeism of more than four days (AOR=1.5; 95%CI=1.1, 2.21). Goiter was significantly associated with low academic performance (AOR=1.8; 95%CI=1.2, 2.5). Conclusion and recommendation: Goiter rate is significantly associated with consumption of goiterogens. Presence of goiter has negative effect on academic performance. Awareness on endemic goiter and its impact on school performance and emphasis on prevention and control by concerned bodies is recommended to alleviate the problem
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    Effect of nutrition education by health professionals on pregnancy specific nutrition knowledge and practice of pregnant women
    (Addis Abeba Universty, 2016-06) Zelalem, Ashenafi; Shiferaw, Solomon (PhD))
    Background: Evidence show that nutrition counseling during pregnancy has significant impact on dietary habit of pregnant women, and on maternal and birth outcome of pregnancy. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that health care providers need to give adequate, specific and acceptable nutrition related advice to pregnant women during every visit of antenatal care (ANC).However, studies show that health professionals working at antenatal clinics have insufficient knowledge level and do not provide proper nutrition education. As a result, pregnant women are generally ill equipped when it comes to decisions on appropriate nutrition during pregnancy. Objective: Toassess the effect of training health professionals on the knowledge and practice of pregnant women on appropriate nutrition during pregnancy in Akaki Kality Sub-city, Addis Ababa. Methodology: A before-after cohort study was conducted on 406 pregnant women and 24 ANC providers in Akaki Kality Sub-city, Addis Ababa.A training was given to 24 health professionals in 8 health institutions based on prepared module after which they provided ANC clients with nutrition counseling. Knowledge and counseling practice of Health professionals was assessed before training while knowledge and practice of pregnant women on pregnancy specific nutrition was assessed before and after receiving counseling from their trained providers. Data was managed using SPSS 20. Change in knowledge and practice of pregnant women on nutrition during pregnancy was analyzed by using paired t-test and 95% Confidence Interval of proportions. Results: The response rate of this study was 92.3% for health professionals and 95.3% for pregnant women. Two third of ANC providers were knowledgeable on nutrition during pregnancy but only 4.2% practiced good nutrition counseling to their clients. Other pregnant women were the source of information for pregnant women on Nutrition during pregnancy (59.1%). The mean knowledge and practice score of pregnant women was 5.5 (SD +2) out of9 and 6.2 (SD + 2) out of 11 respectively. After the implementation of the nutrition education program the proportion of pregnant women with knowledge on nutrition during pregnancy increased from 53.9 (95%CI: 48.9, 58.8) to 97% (95%CI: 94.8, 98.5) while the pregnancy specific dietary practice of the pregnant women increased from 46.8% (95%CI 41.8, 51.7) to 83.7% (95%CI: 79.8, 87.2). iv Conclusions and Recommendations: ANC providers have fair knowledge on nutrition during pregnancy but were not providing nutrition counseling to pregnant women on ANC follow up visits. Nutrition counseling to pregnant women with trained ANC providers improves knowledge and practice of ANC attendants. So attention should be given to promoting nutrition education at the ANC for pregnant women to get reliable and accurate information from health professionals
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    Factors Affecting Acceptance of Voluntary HIV Counceling and Testing among Pregnant women Attending Antenatal care in Mekelle public Health Facilities, Mekelle,Ethiopia
    (Addis Abeba Universty, 2009-06) Gebrekidan, Atsbha; Shiferaw, Solomon (PhD))
    Back ground: - Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is by far the largest source of HIV infection children below the age of 15 years. Globally there were an estimated 33 million people living with HIV in 2007. An estimated 370, 000 children under age 15 became infected with HIV in 2007 globally. Almost 90% live in sub-Saharan Africa. Around 90% of all children living with HIV acquired the infection from their mothers during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding. For women to take advantage of measures to reduce transmission, they need to know their HIV status. Despite this fact many women are not willing to take voluntary HIV counseling and testing. Objective: - To assess factors that contribute to the low uptake of HCT acceptance among pregnant women attending antenatal care services in public facilities in Mekelle Town Methodology: - A health facility based cross sectional survey was conducted using structured questionnaire among 384 pregnant women following antenatal care (ANC) at selected health facilities of Tigray region, Mekelle town from February 2009-March 2009. Results: - A total of 384 pregnant women fulfilling the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study with 100% of response rate. 353 (91.9%) knew that a mother with HIV can pass the virus to her child. 309 (80.5%) of the pregnant women had heard the existence of PMTCT in the health facilities and 75 (19.5%) didn't know the existence of the program. 252 (65.6%) believed they were at risk for getting HIV. 330(85.9%) discus freely about HIV testing with their husbands which had a significant association with accepting of HIV testing[(AOR (95%CI) = 7.1 (2.78-18.09)]. And of those participants who had been tested 253 (74.6%) were during the current pregnancy. 335(87.2%) of those who were tested received their test result. Both the bivariate and the multivariate have shown that as the number of ANC visits increase the likelihood of accepting HCT among the pregnant women increases [(AOR (95%C.I = 0.14(0.24-0.79)]. Getting pre-test counseling had a significant association with acceptance of HIV testing among the pregnant mothers [(AOR (95%C.I) = 7.01 (2.77- 17.71)]. Conclusions: - Increasing frequency of antenatal care visits had a major role in spreading information on HIV/AIDS, MTCT and appears to be a significant factor to increase of HCT acceptance. Discussing freely about HIV sero status with partner is crucial for the acceptance of HCT and successful management of the present and future pregnancies. Despite higher VIII knowledge of HIV prevention still there are misconceptions influencing HCT/PMTCT uptake like as trust on God, self confidence, husbands faithfulness, fear of stigma and discrimination, they do not want to know their status , could not tolerate the positive result and because of uncertainty about the partners response on HIV testing result. Such factors affected acceptance of HCT among pregnant mothers. Recommendations: - The health facilities should strengthen ANC services utilization and decrease missed opportunities for counseling and testing. To increase acceptance rate of HCT the government, Regional health bureau, zonal health office and the facilities should prepare more sources of information to be accessed by all the families and community members to educate on HIV/ AIDS, MTCT and PMTCT issues. Religious leaders, community leaders and other member of the society should play their role through awareness creation and sensitization activities to reduce the misconceptions of HIV infection among pregnant mothers.
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    Sexual Risk Behaviours and Associated Factors among Under Graduate Students, in Madawalabu University, South East Ethiopia
    (Addis Abeba Universty, 2015-04) Wordofa, Debebe; Shiferaw, Solomon (PhD))
    Background: As the number of higher learning institutions increase in number and size in Ethiopia, their HIV risk perception and behaviours have become an indispensible part of the national HIV prevention and control program. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of sexual risk behaviour and associated factors among undergraduate students. Objectives: To assess prevalence of sexual risk behaviour and associated factors in undergraduate students, of Madawalabu University. ix Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 634 randomly selected students in Madawalabu University, Ethiopia from February 1st to 30th, 2014 using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Data was entered and cleaned using SPSS version 16.00 statistical software. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to measure the strength and significance of the association. Results: Overall a total 604 students participated in the study making the response rate at 95.3%. Three hundred thirty (54.6%) students reported to have ever had sexual activity of which 173 (70.9%) and 116 (35.2%) reported having inconsistent condom use and multiple sexual partners, respectively. In this study, predictors of sexual risk behaviours were; male sex (OR = 2.8 95%CI; 1.35, 5.80), more years of study (OR = 5.55 95%CI; 2.16, 14.24), accept to have premarital sex (OR = 2.58 95%CI; 1.26, 5.27) drinking alcohol (OR = 3.62 95%CI; 2.02, 6.53). Those respondents who accept to have premarital sex were nearly two and half times more likely to use condom inconsistently as compared to none accept (OR= 2.58 95%CI; 1.26, 5.27). 4th year students were nearly five times more likely to ever have multiple sexual partners as compared to first year students (OR= 5.55 95%CI; 2.16, 14.24) and those respondents who ever drunk alcohol were nearly three and half times more likely to have multiple sexual partner as compared to abstainers (OR= 3.62 95%CI; 2.02, 6.53). Conclusions and Recommendations: The study indicated that a significant segment of sexual risk behaviours among undergraduate students of Madawalabu University which are proven by having multiple sexual partners and inconsistent condom use. Therefore, the needs of youth reproductive health in the university through strengthening BCC on risk perception; life skill training, peer-education, availing services and working with all stalk holders, NGOs, and the surrounding community is recommended
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    A Single 24 hour Recall is inaccurate in Assessing Exclusive Breast Feeding among Infants under six months of age, Butajira, Ethiopia.
    (Addis Abeba Universty, 2016-06) Habtemariam, Esete; Shiferaw, Solomon (PhD))
    Background:Indicators are developed to measure the feeding practice of a child. WHO has developed an indicator to asses exclusive breast feeding which is obtained by using single 24 hour recall. Single 24 hour recall only captures the current status. A single day dietary history may be misleading in determining a usual intake of an infant if there is a day to day variation in the feeding pattern, and this might lead to an over estimation and misclassification. Objective:To assess how accurate a single 24 hour dietary recall, multiple 24 hours recall and recall since birth is as compared to 7 repeated 24 hour recall in assessing exclusive breastfeeding among infants less than 6 months, Butajira, Ethiopia. Method:Community based cross sectional study was conducted from March to April 2016. A total of 422infant mother pairsless than 6 months who resides in Butajira were selected by simple random sampling method. Data on duration of EBF was collected by using a single 24 hour recall, multiple 24 hour recall and recall since birth.Mcnemar’s test was done to asses if there was a significant difference in rate of EBF. P-value less than 0.05 was considered to indicate a statistically significant difference in proportion. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were computed by using 7 repeated 24 hour recall as a reference. Result: exclusive breast feeding rate varied across different methods.The highest prevalence 76.7% was obtained by single 24 hour recall. 7 repeated 24 hour recall and recall since birth resulted in EBF rate of 53.2% and 50.2% respectively. Single 24 hour recall overestimates EBF prevalence by 23.54%;by increasing the number of recall we can decrease the degree of overestimation significantly. Taking seven repeated 24 hour recall as a gold standard, single 24 hour recall was observed to have the lowest specificity of 49.7% and positive predictive value of 69.3%. An increase in specificity as high as 94.8% was observed by increasing the number of observation days. Recall since birth was found to have a high specificity 93.8% and positive predictive value 94.2. Conclusion:Single 24 hour recall overestimated EBF prevalence and had the lowest specificity. By increasing observation days we can improve accuracy of estimates of EBF. Recall since birth presented estimates of EBF that is close to reality. The use of recall since birth could be a feasible alternative to assess EBF practice.