Browsing by Author "Tefera Tigist"

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    Assessment of Reproductive Health Service Utlization and Associated Factors Among High School Youths in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2015
    (Addis Ababa University, 2015-02) Tefera Tigist; Tachbele Erdaw
    Background: According to WHO, youths is between 15-24 years of age. Reproductive health(RH) is critical for youths and adults because it does not only set the stage for health beyond thereproductive years; it also affects the health of the next generation. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine factors affecting reproductive health serviceutilization among high school youths in Addis Ababa. Methodology: School-based quantitative cross sectional study was carried out among selectedsecondary and preparatory students, in Addis Ababa city. Using the random sampling a total of694 school youths (aged 15-24 years) were proportionally allocated and interviewed. Total ofTen facilitators and a nurse supervisor was recruited to assist the data collection process. Apretested structured questionnaire was employed to obtain the necessary information after gettingboth written and verbal consent from the concerned bodies. The collected data was interred in toEpidata and analysed using SPSS version 20 statistical package and the degree of associationbetween dependent and independent variables were assessed using bivariate and multivariateanalysis. Result: From the total of 694 school youths responded, 199(28.7%) of the respondents utilizedreproductive health services in the past one year. Voluntary counselling testing of HIV andFamily planning were utilized by 127(18.3%) and 124 (17.9%) of youths respectively. The likelyhood of RH service utilization was 2.04 times higher among male‟s than female‟s [AOR=2.04(1.41, 3.00)]. Youths with age of 15 to 17, youth who prefer to get service during usual workinghour and who prefer getting service by any provider were 0.60[AOR 0.60(0.41,0.89)], 0.61[AOR 0.61(0.41, 0.90)] and 0.39 [AOR= 0.39(0.20,0.76)] times less likely to utilize RH servicesrespectively Conclusion: Proportion of youths reporting RH services were generally low, slight higher thanone fourth. Sex, Age, preference of the same sex service provider and convenience of service time were significant predictors of youth RH services.
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    Investigation of Toxicity of Cigarette Butts Collected in Addis Ababa to Swiss Albino Mice
    (Addis Ababa University, 2016-01) Tefera Tigist; Ashall Frank
    Background: Cigarette butts are the most common form of litter in the world; approximately 5.6 trillion cigarettes are smoked yearly worldwide. Over 7000 chemicals may be introduced to the environment in cigarette butts and smoke constituents. These include chemicals such as nicotine, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heavy metal ions, nitrosamines, ammonia, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, benzene, phenol and acetone, over 70 of which are carcinogenic to humans. Environmental cigarette butts are toxic to microorganisms, fish, other marine organisms and birds, but no studies have been done on their toxicity to mammals. Methods: In this study the toxicity of cigarette butt leachates to Swiss albino mice was investigated, and the effects of cigarette butts with and without associated tobacco were compared. Cigarette butt leachates were made by soaking different numbers of cigarette butts in 250 mL of tap water overnight, and leachates were given to mice to drink. The weights of mice as well as amounts of food and fluids consumed were followed over time. Necropsies were performed and tissues were weighed and evaluated by histological staining with eosin and hematoxylin. Blood glucose and liver function tests (ALT, AST and ALP) were also measured. Results: Mice given high-concentration cigarette butt leachates during their growth from 6 weeks to 16 weeks preferred water over any of the leachates, whereas mice given lower butt concentrations of leachates representative of the relative frequencies of butt types in the environment drank butt leachates as well as water. Food intake was not affected by cigarette butt leachates. Mean fasting blood glucose and activities of serum liver enzymes were not different between mice given leachates or water to drink. The weights of the mice, as well as tissues (liver, lung, spleen, heart, kidney, epididymal fat pads) were significantly lower in mice that drank leachates with associated tobacco than in mice that drank water alone or leachates made from butts without associated tobacco. This suggests that a component(s) of tobacco is/ are responsible for reducing weight gain during mouse growth. Cigarette butt leachates had no effect on histopathology of liver, heart and kidney, whereas lung tissue of the mice that drank leachates made with tobacco associated butts showed increased air space volumes and alveolar fibrosis, compatible with pulmonary emphysema. Conclusions: Cigarette butts are toxic to laboratory mice, causing reduced weight gain during growth, reduced mass and size of tissues and organs, and pulmonary emphysematous changes. An average cigarette butt thrown into the environment contains 1.5 mg of nicotine, enough to potentially kill 15 mice. The implications of these studies to environmental animals in Ethiopia and elsewhere are discussed.