Dr. Endalew G E M E C H U Sendo | Addis Ababa University (original) (raw)

Papers by Dr. Endalew G E M E C H U Sendo

Background: Health-related knowledge is among the essential factors to enable women to be aware o... more Background: Health-related knowledge is among the essential factors to enable women to be aware of their rights to seek health services. However, little is known about knowledge of safe abortion care services among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia. The main purpose of the study was to assess knowledge of safe abortion care services and associated factors among women of reproductive age in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April-June 2019 among 432 respondents. Bivariate statistics including correlation coefficients, student t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and linear regressions, and multiple linear regression analyses were used. A significant statistical test was determined at a 95% confidence interval and p-value <0.05. Results: About 65.5% had heard about safe abortion care services; media being the main source of information for 79.5%. The finding from an independent-sample t-test shows that the place where the respondents gr...

International Journal of Women's Health, 2021

SAGE Open Medicine

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the major noncommunicable public health problems among wome... more Background: Cervical cancer is one of the major noncommunicable public health problems among women globally. About 500,000 women develop cervical cancer each year, with an estimated 85% or more occurring in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Objective: The main objective of the study was to assess the knowledge of cervical cancer screening and its associated factors among women attending maternal health services at Aira hospital, West Wollega, Ethiopia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 421 reproductive-age women. A systematic sampling method was used for the study. Data were collected using a pretested and structured questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and the statistical association between the outcome variable and the explanatory variables tested by the binary logistic regression. Multivariable logistic regression was used to control confounding factors, the magnitude of the association between the dif...

Objective The purpose of this study was to explore why some women who attend focused antenatal ca... more Objective The purpose of this study was to explore why some women who attend focused antenatal care (FANC) fail to deliver in health facilities from slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Setting Public health facilities (three health centres and one district hospital). Study design A qualitative exploratory and descriptive research design was used. Study participants Study participants comprised women of reproductive age (18–49 years) living in slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We used 20 in-depth audio-recorded interviews. Data were analysed concurrently with data collection. Thematic analysis was done for the study. A multilevel life-course framework of facility-based delivery in low-income and middle-income countries developed by Bohren et al was used to frame the current study and link the findings of the study to the body of knowledge. Results From the analysis of in-depth interview data, four themes emerged, namely, perceived benefits of home delivery, knowledge deficit about hea...

Background: Disclosure of HIV status has become an entry criterion for prevention of mother to ch... more Background: Disclosure of HIV status has become an entry criterion for prevention of mother to child transmission programs in resource-constrained countries. However, little has been explored about the prevalence of, barriers to, outcomes and factors associated with HIV status disclosure among HIV positive pregnant women in Ethiopia. Method: Cross-sectional study was conducted among 107 pregnant women who were attending antenatal care in public centers from April to June 2011 in Addis Ababa capital city of Ethiopia. Data was collected using interviewer administered pretested structured questionnaire and entered and was analyzed using SPSS-15 version. Results presented in tables. Result: Seventy three percent of women had disclosed their HIV status to their partner. Discussion about testing and a smooth relationship with the partner were independently associated with their disclosure. Women who disclosed to their partners were almost five times more likely to participate in Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission programs than their counterparts (AOR = 4.74; 95% CI 1.24-18.14). Conclusions: Although most participants disclosed their HIV sero-positive status, lack of disclosure by some women might result in a limited ability to participate in PMTCT programs. Thus, assertiveness and improved communication skills training should be offered to HIV positive pregnant mothers and be reinforced during ongoing counseling.

BMJ Open

ObjectiveThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore clients’ and midwives’ perceptions ... more ObjectiveThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore clients’ and midwives’ perceptions of compassionate and respectful care during facility-based delivery in Bishoftu District, the regional state of Oromia, Ethiopia.SettingPublic health facilities (two health centres and one district hospital).Study designA qualitative exploratory descriptive research design was used.Study participantsThe research population included purposely sampled women who had given birth in a health facility in the previous 2 weeks and midwifery experts who provided maternity care in the health facility’s labour and delivery wards. Data were gathered through an individual interview (with 10 midwives and 12 women in labour). Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed immediately. For the research, thematic analysis was performed manually. Both a priori codes (from the query guide) and emerging inductive codes were used in the study. In the thematic data analysis, three inter-related stages were in...

Background: Sexual harassment has posed a tremendous challenge to African women both in the workp... more Background: Sexual harassment has posed a tremendous challenge to African women both in the workplace and educational setting, and this problem has impacted women's self-esteem as well as their academic, social, and psychological wellbeing. One in five college women are victims of acquaintance rape during their academic career and less than 5% of college women who are victims of sexual assault report their victimization. However, there is limited data on sexual violence in the context of higher education in Ethiopia particularly in the study setting. This study, therefore, determined the prevalence and its associated factors among female students of Hawassa University in Ethiopia. Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from April to June 2013. A multistage sampling technique was used. A total of 336 female students registered as 2nd year and above were involved in the study. Data was collected using anonymous self-administered structured questionnaire. Results: A total of 336 female students took part in the study. Majority of the study participants (N = 298; 88.7%) were in the age range of 20-34 years. The mean age and standard deviation of the respondents were 21.3 ± 1.7 years. Regarding the marital status of the respondents, 307 (91.4%) of them were single. We found that, while 14.3% reported having experienced completed rape since being admitted to the university, 3% had the experience in the past years. Conclusions: This study showed a high prevalence of sexual violence against female students of Hawassa University in Ethiopia. Interventions are, therefore, required by university authorities and other stakeholders, to create a safe learning environment for female students through primary prevention of sexual violence and rehabilitation programs for the victims.

Background: Increasing the access and availability of modern contraceptives with emergency contra... more Background: Increasing the access and availability of modern contraceptives with emergency contraceptives prevent unplanned pregnancy. In Ethiopia, the rate of unintended pregnancy is high among adolescents. The role of the Emergency contraceptive is confirming in the prevention of unplanned pregnancy and its sequels. However, the use of emergency contraceptives in cities like Addis Ababa is verylow. Given that unsafe abortion is the leading cause of maternal mortality, appropriate use of emergency contraceptives as back up for regular contraceptive is therefore needed.

Introduction Pregnant women who disclose their HIV-positive status to their sexual partners have ... more Introduction Pregnant women who disclose their HIV-positive status to their sexual partners have played an important role in reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission to the baby during the antepartum, intrapartum, and postnatal periods. Studies are limited in the current study area in a similar arena. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the proportion of HIV-positive status disclosure and its associated factors among pregnant women.

Background: Hepatitis B infection is among the most common public health concerns globally, parti... more Background: Hepatitis B infection is among the most common public health concerns globally, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. The prevalence of hepatitis B infection is more common among most vulnerable populations, including pregnant women. However, there are limited studies on hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women in low-income countries, including Ethiopia, and the previous studies focused on the general population rather than the pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and examine factors associated with hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women in the Northern Ethiopia. Methods: nstitution-based cross-sectional study design and a structured face-to-face interview were used to collect data from the study participants. Simple random sampling method was used to select eligible study participants. Data were entered using EpiData version 3.1, and SPSS version 20 was used for the data analysis. We analyzed the data to examine factors associated with hepatitis B virus infection using binary and multivariable logistic regression models. Results: The overall prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among the study participants was 9.2%. The majority (46.7%) of the study participants infected by hepatitis B were in the age group 25-34 years. The study found that married study participants were more likely to be infected by hepatitis B when compared to the unmarried study participants. Having history of abortion [OR = 0.12 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.47), P < 0.01] and having history of tattooing [OR = 0.21 (95% CI: 0.07, 0.62), P < 0.01] were found to be statistically significantly associated with the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women. Conclusion: A significant number of pregnant women participating in the study were infected by the hepatitis B virus which needs efficient intervention to reduce the infection rate. Further, educational status, having history of surgery, dental procedure, ear piercing, abortion and tattooing were found statistically to be significant before controlling for confounders. But, after controlling for confounders, only having history of tattooing and having history of abortion were found to be independent factors affecting the prevalence of the infection.

Background. Congenital anomalies affect millions of babies worldwide with prevalence of 3%, and i... more Background. Congenital anomalies affect millions of babies worldwide with prevalence of 3%, and it is estimated that, globally, 303,000 newborns die within the first 4 weeks of life due to this problem. Objective. is study aimed to assess congenital anomalies and their associated factors among newborns in Bishoftu General Hospital, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Setting. Bishoftu General Hospital, Oromia, Ethiopia. Study Design. A retrospective cross-sectional study was employed. Participants. All birth records from September 14, 2018, to March 14, 2019, were reviewed. A census method was applied for this study. e data were collected from birth registration books through structured checklist. We used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 for data analysis. Crude and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was computed. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Result. Out of 2,218 live births, 23 newborns were diagnosed with congenital malformations, making the prevalence rate of 1% (i.e., 10/1000 live births in the specified time period). Maternal age above 35 years (AOR � 6.5; 95% CI � 2.4-18), birth order above 3 (AOR � 8.4; 95% CI � 3.4-20.7), birth weight less than 2.5 kg (AOR � 0.3; 95% CI � 0.1-0.9), and singleton pregnancy (AOR � 6.4; 95% CI � 2-18.9) had a significant association with the incident of congenital anomalies, while iron folate use before and/or during early pregnancy and urban residence (AOR � 0.3; 95% CI � 0.1-1) had a protective effect against congenital anomalies (AOR � 0.036; 95% CI � 0.008-0.15). Conclusion. e findings of this study showed that there is a burden of congenital anomalies in the study area. Sustainable surveillance and registry systems are thus required for intervention programs and it is crucial to include them under Ethiopian demographic health survey (EDHS) report.

Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, 2020

Background: Studies show that rates of breast milk feeding are much lower among preterm infants t... more Background: Studies show that rates of breast milk feeding are much lower among preterm infants than term infants, and breast milk feeding at discharge varies widely between countries. However, research examining factors associated with exclusive breast milk feeding at discharge among preterm neonates in Ethiopia is limited. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of exclusive breast milk feeding at discharge and associated factors among preterm neonates at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in public hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: This facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2017 among preterm infants discharged from the NICU of public hospitals. Data were collected using pretested structured questionnaires. Purposive sampling technique was used. Factors associated with exclusive breast milk-fed infants at discharge among preterm neonates were determined using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Statistically significant associations were declared at P<0.05. Results: The study assessed 263 mother-preterm dyads. The findings from this study revealed that 71.9% of exclusive breast milk-fed infants at discharge at NICU of the selected Public hospitals in Addis Ababa. Factors associated with exclusive breast milk-fed infants at discharge included duration of hospital stay for 7-14 days (AOR 0.19, 95% CI 0.049-0.808) and more than 14 days (AOR 0.20, 95% CI 0.046,0.891), Initiation of breast milk expression later than 48 hrs postpartum (AOR 0.10, 95% CI 0.032-0.365) and receiving hospital support (AOR 39.00, 95% CI 11.676-130.290). Conclusion: In this study, nearly ¾ of the NICU premature population exclusively breast milk fed at discharge, which designates to establish exclusive breastfeeding in the majority of preterm infants in this cohort. Thus, support for exclusive breast milk fed should be at the forefront of maternity practice in hospital and mothers of preterm infants to be guided to initiation of early breast milk expression as soon after delivery as possible and frequent expression thereafter.

Background: The study was conducted in public health centers of East Gojjam Zone, Amhara region, ... more Background: The study was conducted in public health centers of East Gojjam Zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, and use of labour pain relief methods and associated factors among obstetric caregivers in the study setting. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from March 1-30, 2018. The study was conducted among three hundred and nine sampled obstetric caregivers. Structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were entered into Epi-data version 4.2 Software for cleaning and exported to SPSS version 23.0 for data analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was carried out for variables with a p-value < 0.25 in bivariate logistic regression to determine significant relationships between the dependent and independent variables. Statistical significance was determined at 95% confidence interval (CI) and p-value below 0.05. Result: The overall use of labour pain relief methods reported was 34.4%, (30.4% non-pharmacological and 8.4 pharmacological, respectively). More than half of the study participants (54.2%) had adequate knowledge about labour pain relief methods. In multivariate analysis, being a midwifery profession [AOR =2.814, 95% CI = (1.574-5.031)], having positive attitude [AOR = 4.370, 95% CI = (2.523-7.567)], and professionals with a medium level of education [AOR = 3.450, 95% CI = (1.993-5.971)] were factors significantly associated with knowledge of obstetric caregivers about labour pain relief methods. In multivariate analysis, knowledge of obstetric caregivers [AOR = 3.821, 95% CI = (2.091-6.980)], positive attitude of obstetric caregivers [AOR = 2.455, 95% CI = ((1.358-4.436))] and experience of obstetric caregivers [AOR = 2.56, 95% CI = (1.350-4.845) were factors significantly associated with the use of labour pain relief methods.

Background: Global strategies to target high maternal mortality ratios are focused on providing s... more Background: Global strategies to target high maternal mortality ratios are focused on providing skilled attendance at delivery along with access to emergency obstetric care. Research that examines strategies to increase facility-based skilled birth attendance among slum residents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is limited. Objective: The study aimed to explore women's perspectives on the measures that need to be taken to increase the use of the facility-delivery service among slums women, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Methods: Qualitative exploratory and descriptive research designs were used. Participants in the study were women in the reproductive age group (18-49 years of age) living in the slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select study participants. Potential participants' names were gathered from health facilities and followed to their homes for the study. Four audio-recorded focus group discussions [FGDs] were conducted with 32 participants from the three public health centers and one district hospital. The number of participants in FGDs was between 6 and 10 women. Data were analyzed simultaneously with data collection. Thematic analysis was used in data analysis, which entails three interconnected stages: data reduction, data display, and data conclusion. In addition, thematic analysis entailed evaluating the structure and content of textual data, identifying data themes, coding the themes, and then interpreting the structure and content of the themes. A codebook was first devised, discussed, and adopted by the writers before they could use this technique. Using the codebook, the theme codes were then manually produced. To explain the study results, verbatim excerpts from participants were given. The researcher used Techs' eight steps of qualitative data analysis method for analyzing the data. A multi-level life-course framework of facility-based delivery in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) developed by Bohren et al. was used to frame the current study and link the findings of the study to the body of knowledge. Results: The FGDs included a total of 32 participants. The mean age of the overall sample was 32.6 years (± SD = 5.2). Participants' educational characteristics indicate that the majority (24 out of 32) was found to have no formal education, and two-thirds of participants were found to have one to five children. Three-fourths of them attended the ANC

Background: In the latest report of Ethiopia Demography and Health Survey (EDHS) 2011, the Matern... more Background: In the latest report of Ethiopia Demography and Health Survey (EDHS) 2011, the Maternal Mortality Ratio was estimated at 676/100,000 live births. Most of these deaths are preventable. Increasing the proportion of women who deliver in a health facility can be an important means in reducing maternal mortality in low-income settings including Ethiopia. We aimed to identify factors determining choice of delivery place among child bearing age women. Method: A community based cross sectional survey was conducted in Dega Damot District from April-May, 2014. Mixed methods were employed in the study. Multistage sampling method was used. The primary outcome variable for this study was women who delivered their most recent baby in a health facility. Result: Three hundred sixty one women who gave birth in the past 1 year were included in the study. The mean age of the respondents was 30.9 [SD ±6.006]. One hundred seven (29.6 %) of the respondents were in the age range of 25-29 years. In our study, the proportion of women assisted by skilled health workers during institutional delivery was 89.1 % followed by Health extension workers (8.0 %). Most women (87.4 %) who did not deliver in health facilities were assisted by families, friends or neighbors followed by Health extension workers (7.2 %), and traditional birth attendants (5.4 %), respectively. The qualitative data has described and gave an insight of the contributing factors that influence the women using the health institutions for delivery. These included: ANC attendance, Positive attitude of Health workers and complications during labor and delivery. The preference for a health facility delivery was largely due to the understanding that if complications occurred either during labor or delivery, this was the only place where they could be managed. Conclusion: The study revealed that women's institutional delivery service utilization in the study area is low. Based on these findings, improving the utilization of health facility for delivery through educating women and health promotion have been recommended. This would help reduce the complications and dangers that often characterized home-based, unsupervised delivery.

BMJ Open

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore why some women who attend focused antenatal car... more ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore why some women who attend focused antenatal care (FANC) fail to deliver in health facilities from slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.SettingPublic health facilities (three health centres and one district hospital).Study designA qualitative exploratory and descriptive research design was used.Study participantsStudy participants comprised women of reproductive age (18–49 years) living in slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We used 20 in-depth audio-recorded interviews. Data were analysed concurrently with data collection. Thematic analysis was done for the study. A multilevel life-course framework of facility-based delivery in low-income and middle-income countries developed by Bohren et al was used to frame the current study and link the findings of the study to the body of knowledge.ResultsFrom the analysis of in-depth interview data, four themes emerged, namely, perceived benefits of home delivery, knowledge deficit about health facil...

International Journal of Scientific Reports

Background: Planned vaginal birth after cesarean section is appropriate for and offered to the ma... more Background: Planned vaginal birth after cesarean section is appropriate for and offered to the majority of women with a singleton pregnancy of cephalic presentation at 37 weeks or beyond. The main purpose of the study was to assess factors associated with successful vaginal birth after cesarean section and its outcome in Asella Referral and Teaching Hospital. Methods: An institutional based case-control study conducted to identify factors associated with successful vaginal birth after cesarean section and its outcome in a two years period. The data was collected from patients’ charts after tracing a patient’s number, a double proportion sampling technique was used to determine sample size using EPI info version 7.1.4.0, and multivariate regression analysis of independent variables associated with successful vaginal birth after cesarean section was performed with unmatched case control. Results: Two hundred eighty-eight (288) mothers with history of one previous cesarean delivery ...

Therapeutic Advances in Reproductive Health

Background: Family planning helps to reduce the number of high-risk births and prevent unplanned ... more Background: Family planning helps to reduce the number of high-risk births and prevent unplanned pregnancies and mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The main purpose of this study was to determine the usage of family planning and its associated factors among women living with HIV who attended care and treatment clinics. Methods: This was a health facility–based cross-sectional study conducted among 332 sexually active reproductive-age women living with HIV who visited care and treatment clinics from 15 April and 15 June 2017. We used a systematic sampling technique for sample selection. The data were collected using pretested and structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. Seriously ill women living with HIV who were unable to respond to the questionnaire and refused to participate were excluded from this study. Logistic regression was fitted, and an odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval with a p value less than 0.05 was used to identify factors associated with m...

Background: Health-related knowledge is among the essential factors to enable women to be aware o... more Background: Health-related knowledge is among the essential factors to enable women to be aware of their rights to seek health services. However, little is known about knowledge of safe abortion care services among women of reproductive age in Ethiopia. The main purpose of the study was to assess knowledge of safe abortion care services and associated factors among women of reproductive age in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from April-June 2019 among 432 respondents. Bivariate statistics including correlation coefficients, student t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and linear regressions, and multiple linear regression analyses were used. A significant statistical test was determined at a 95% confidence interval and p-value <0.05. Results: About 65.5% had heard about safe abortion care services; media being the main source of information for 79.5%. The finding from an independent-sample t-test shows that the place where the respondents gr...

International Journal of Women's Health, 2021

SAGE Open Medicine

Background: Cervical cancer is one of the major noncommunicable public health problems among wome... more Background: Cervical cancer is one of the major noncommunicable public health problems among women globally. About 500,000 women develop cervical cancer each year, with an estimated 85% or more occurring in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Objective: The main objective of the study was to assess the knowledge of cervical cancer screening and its associated factors among women attending maternal health services at Aira hospital, West Wollega, Ethiopia. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 421 reproductive-age women. A systematic sampling method was used for the study. Data were collected using a pretested and structured questionnaire. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and the statistical association between the outcome variable and the explanatory variables tested by the binary logistic regression. Multivariable logistic regression was used to control confounding factors, the magnitude of the association between the dif...

Objective The purpose of this study was to explore why some women who attend focused antenatal ca... more Objective The purpose of this study was to explore why some women who attend focused antenatal care (FANC) fail to deliver in health facilities from slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Setting Public health facilities (three health centres and one district hospital). Study design A qualitative exploratory and descriptive research design was used. Study participants Study participants comprised women of reproductive age (18–49 years) living in slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We used 20 in-depth audio-recorded interviews. Data were analysed concurrently with data collection. Thematic analysis was done for the study. A multilevel life-course framework of facility-based delivery in low-income and middle-income countries developed by Bohren et al was used to frame the current study and link the findings of the study to the body of knowledge. Results From the analysis of in-depth interview data, four themes emerged, namely, perceived benefits of home delivery, knowledge deficit about hea...

Background: Disclosure of HIV status has become an entry criterion for prevention of mother to ch... more Background: Disclosure of HIV status has become an entry criterion for prevention of mother to child transmission programs in resource-constrained countries. However, little has been explored about the prevalence of, barriers to, outcomes and factors associated with HIV status disclosure among HIV positive pregnant women in Ethiopia. Method: Cross-sectional study was conducted among 107 pregnant women who were attending antenatal care in public centers from April to June 2011 in Addis Ababa capital city of Ethiopia. Data was collected using interviewer administered pretested structured questionnaire and entered and was analyzed using SPSS-15 version. Results presented in tables. Result: Seventy three percent of women had disclosed their HIV status to their partner. Discussion about testing and a smooth relationship with the partner were independently associated with their disclosure. Women who disclosed to their partners were almost five times more likely to participate in Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission programs than their counterparts (AOR = 4.74; 95% CI 1.24-18.14). Conclusions: Although most participants disclosed their HIV sero-positive status, lack of disclosure by some women might result in a limited ability to participate in PMTCT programs. Thus, assertiveness and improved communication skills training should be offered to HIV positive pregnant mothers and be reinforced during ongoing counseling.

BMJ Open

ObjectiveThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore clients’ and midwives’ perceptions ... more ObjectiveThe purpose of this qualitative study was to explore clients’ and midwives’ perceptions of compassionate and respectful care during facility-based delivery in Bishoftu District, the regional state of Oromia, Ethiopia.SettingPublic health facilities (two health centres and one district hospital).Study designA qualitative exploratory descriptive research design was used.Study participantsThe research population included purposely sampled women who had given birth in a health facility in the previous 2 weeks and midwifery experts who provided maternity care in the health facility’s labour and delivery wards. Data were gathered through an individual interview (with 10 midwives and 12 women in labour). Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed immediately. For the research, thematic analysis was performed manually. Both a priori codes (from the query guide) and emerging inductive codes were used in the study. In the thematic data analysis, three inter-related stages were in...

Background: Sexual harassment has posed a tremendous challenge to African women both in the workp... more Background: Sexual harassment has posed a tremendous challenge to African women both in the workplace and educational setting, and this problem has impacted women's self-esteem as well as their academic, social, and psychological wellbeing. One in five college women are victims of acquaintance rape during their academic career and less than 5% of college women who are victims of sexual assault report their victimization. However, there is limited data on sexual violence in the context of higher education in Ethiopia particularly in the study setting. This study, therefore, determined the prevalence and its associated factors among female students of Hawassa University in Ethiopia. Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from April to June 2013. A multistage sampling technique was used. A total of 336 female students registered as 2nd year and above were involved in the study. Data was collected using anonymous self-administered structured questionnaire. Results: A total of 336 female students took part in the study. Majority of the study participants (N = 298; 88.7%) were in the age range of 20-34 years. The mean age and standard deviation of the respondents were 21.3 ± 1.7 years. Regarding the marital status of the respondents, 307 (91.4%) of them were single. We found that, while 14.3% reported having experienced completed rape since being admitted to the university, 3% had the experience in the past years. Conclusions: This study showed a high prevalence of sexual violence against female students of Hawassa University in Ethiopia. Interventions are, therefore, required by university authorities and other stakeholders, to create a safe learning environment for female students through primary prevention of sexual violence and rehabilitation programs for the victims.

Background: Increasing the access and availability of modern contraceptives with emergency contra... more Background: Increasing the access and availability of modern contraceptives with emergency contraceptives prevent unplanned pregnancy. In Ethiopia, the rate of unintended pregnancy is high among adolescents. The role of the Emergency contraceptive is confirming in the prevention of unplanned pregnancy and its sequels. However, the use of emergency contraceptives in cities like Addis Ababa is verylow. Given that unsafe abortion is the leading cause of maternal mortality, appropriate use of emergency contraceptives as back up for regular contraceptive is therefore needed.

Introduction Pregnant women who disclose their HIV-positive status to their sexual partners have ... more Introduction Pregnant women who disclose their HIV-positive status to their sexual partners have played an important role in reducing the risk of HIV/AIDS transmission to the baby during the antepartum, intrapartum, and postnatal periods. Studies are limited in the current study area in a similar arena. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the proportion of HIV-positive status disclosure and its associated factors among pregnant women.

Background: Hepatitis B infection is among the most common public health concerns globally, parti... more Background: Hepatitis B infection is among the most common public health concerns globally, particularly in low-and middle-income countries. The prevalence of hepatitis B infection is more common among most vulnerable populations, including pregnant women. However, there are limited studies on hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women in low-income countries, including Ethiopia, and the previous studies focused on the general population rather than the pregnant women. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and examine factors associated with hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women in the Northern Ethiopia. Methods: nstitution-based cross-sectional study design and a structured face-to-face interview were used to collect data from the study participants. Simple random sampling method was used to select eligible study participants. Data were entered using EpiData version 3.1, and SPSS version 20 was used for the data analysis. We analyzed the data to examine factors associated with hepatitis B virus infection using binary and multivariable logistic regression models. Results: The overall prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among the study participants was 9.2%. The majority (46.7%) of the study participants infected by hepatitis B were in the age group 25-34 years. The study found that married study participants were more likely to be infected by hepatitis B when compared to the unmarried study participants. Having history of abortion [OR = 0.12 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.47), P < 0.01] and having history of tattooing [OR = 0.21 (95% CI: 0.07, 0.62), P < 0.01] were found to be statistically significantly associated with the prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women. Conclusion: A significant number of pregnant women participating in the study were infected by the hepatitis B virus which needs efficient intervention to reduce the infection rate. Further, educational status, having history of surgery, dental procedure, ear piercing, abortion and tattooing were found statistically to be significant before controlling for confounders. But, after controlling for confounders, only having history of tattooing and having history of abortion were found to be independent factors affecting the prevalence of the infection.

Background. Congenital anomalies affect millions of babies worldwide with prevalence of 3%, and i... more Background. Congenital anomalies affect millions of babies worldwide with prevalence of 3%, and it is estimated that, globally, 303,000 newborns die within the first 4 weeks of life due to this problem. Objective. is study aimed to assess congenital anomalies and their associated factors among newborns in Bishoftu General Hospital, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. Setting. Bishoftu General Hospital, Oromia, Ethiopia. Study Design. A retrospective cross-sectional study was employed. Participants. All birth records from September 14, 2018, to March 14, 2019, were reviewed. A census method was applied for this study. e data were collected from birth registration books through structured checklist. We used Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0 for data analysis. Crude and adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was computed. Statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Result. Out of 2,218 live births, 23 newborns were diagnosed with congenital malformations, making the prevalence rate of 1% (i.e., 10/1000 live births in the specified time period). Maternal age above 35 years (AOR � 6.5; 95% CI � 2.4-18), birth order above 3 (AOR � 8.4; 95% CI � 3.4-20.7), birth weight less than 2.5 kg (AOR � 0.3; 95% CI � 0.1-0.9), and singleton pregnancy (AOR � 6.4; 95% CI � 2-18.9) had a significant association with the incident of congenital anomalies, while iron folate use before and/or during early pregnancy and urban residence (AOR � 0.3; 95% CI � 0.1-1) had a protective effect against congenital anomalies (AOR � 0.036; 95% CI � 0.008-0.15). Conclusion. e findings of this study showed that there is a burden of congenital anomalies in the study area. Sustainable surveillance and registry systems are thus required for intervention programs and it is crucial to include them under Ethiopian demographic health survey (EDHS) report.

Pediatric Health, Medicine and Therapeutics, 2020

Background: Studies show that rates of breast milk feeding are much lower among preterm infants t... more Background: Studies show that rates of breast milk feeding are much lower among preterm infants than term infants, and breast milk feeding at discharge varies widely between countries. However, research examining factors associated with exclusive breast milk feeding at discharge among preterm neonates in Ethiopia is limited. The study aimed to assess the prevalence of exclusive breast milk feeding at discharge and associated factors among preterm neonates at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in public hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Methods: This facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2017 among preterm infants discharged from the NICU of public hospitals. Data were collected using pretested structured questionnaires. Purposive sampling technique was used. Factors associated with exclusive breast milk-fed infants at discharge among preterm neonates were determined using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models. Statistically significant associations were declared at P<0.05. Results: The study assessed 263 mother-preterm dyads. The findings from this study revealed that 71.9% of exclusive breast milk-fed infants at discharge at NICU of the selected Public hospitals in Addis Ababa. Factors associated with exclusive breast milk-fed infants at discharge included duration of hospital stay for 7-14 days (AOR 0.19, 95% CI 0.049-0.808) and more than 14 days (AOR 0.20, 95% CI 0.046,0.891), Initiation of breast milk expression later than 48 hrs postpartum (AOR 0.10, 95% CI 0.032-0.365) and receiving hospital support (AOR 39.00, 95% CI 11.676-130.290). Conclusion: In this study, nearly ¾ of the NICU premature population exclusively breast milk fed at discharge, which designates to establish exclusive breastfeeding in the majority of preterm infants in this cohort. Thus, support for exclusive breast milk fed should be at the forefront of maternity practice in hospital and mothers of preterm infants to be guided to initiation of early breast milk expression as soon after delivery as possible and frequent expression thereafter.

Background: The study was conducted in public health centers of East Gojjam Zone, Amhara region, ... more Background: The study was conducted in public health centers of East Gojjam Zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to assess knowledge, and use of labour pain relief methods and associated factors among obstetric caregivers in the study setting. Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from March 1-30, 2018. The study was conducted among three hundred and nine sampled obstetric caregivers. Structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. The data were entered into Epi-data version 4.2 Software for cleaning and exported to SPSS version 23.0 for data analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was carried out for variables with a p-value < 0.25 in bivariate logistic regression to determine significant relationships between the dependent and independent variables. Statistical significance was determined at 95% confidence interval (CI) and p-value below 0.05. Result: The overall use of labour pain relief methods reported was 34.4%, (30.4% non-pharmacological and 8.4 pharmacological, respectively). More than half of the study participants (54.2%) had adequate knowledge about labour pain relief methods. In multivariate analysis, being a midwifery profession [AOR =2.814, 95% CI = (1.574-5.031)], having positive attitude [AOR = 4.370, 95% CI = (2.523-7.567)], and professionals with a medium level of education [AOR = 3.450, 95% CI = (1.993-5.971)] were factors significantly associated with knowledge of obstetric caregivers about labour pain relief methods. In multivariate analysis, knowledge of obstetric caregivers [AOR = 3.821, 95% CI = (2.091-6.980)], positive attitude of obstetric caregivers [AOR = 2.455, 95% CI = ((1.358-4.436))] and experience of obstetric caregivers [AOR = 2.56, 95% CI = (1.350-4.845) were factors significantly associated with the use of labour pain relief methods.

Background: Global strategies to target high maternal mortality ratios are focused on providing s... more Background: Global strategies to target high maternal mortality ratios are focused on providing skilled attendance at delivery along with access to emergency obstetric care. Research that examines strategies to increase facility-based skilled birth attendance among slum residents in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is limited. Objective: The study aimed to explore women's perspectives on the measures that need to be taken to increase the use of the facility-delivery service among slums women, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Methods: Qualitative exploratory and descriptive research designs were used. Participants in the study were women in the reproductive age group (18-49 years of age) living in the slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A purposive sampling strategy was used to select study participants. Potential participants' names were gathered from health facilities and followed to their homes for the study. Four audio-recorded focus group discussions [FGDs] were conducted with 32 participants from the three public health centers and one district hospital. The number of participants in FGDs was between 6 and 10 women. Data were analyzed simultaneously with data collection. Thematic analysis was used in data analysis, which entails three interconnected stages: data reduction, data display, and data conclusion. In addition, thematic analysis entailed evaluating the structure and content of textual data, identifying data themes, coding the themes, and then interpreting the structure and content of the themes. A codebook was first devised, discussed, and adopted by the writers before they could use this technique. Using the codebook, the theme codes were then manually produced. To explain the study results, verbatim excerpts from participants were given. The researcher used Techs' eight steps of qualitative data analysis method for analyzing the data. A multi-level life-course framework of facility-based delivery in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) developed by Bohren et al. was used to frame the current study and link the findings of the study to the body of knowledge. Results: The FGDs included a total of 32 participants. The mean age of the overall sample was 32.6 years (± SD = 5.2). Participants' educational characteristics indicate that the majority (24 out of 32) was found to have no formal education, and two-thirds of participants were found to have one to five children. Three-fourths of them attended the ANC

Background: In the latest report of Ethiopia Demography and Health Survey (EDHS) 2011, the Matern... more Background: In the latest report of Ethiopia Demography and Health Survey (EDHS) 2011, the Maternal Mortality Ratio was estimated at 676/100,000 live births. Most of these deaths are preventable. Increasing the proportion of women who deliver in a health facility can be an important means in reducing maternal mortality in low-income settings including Ethiopia. We aimed to identify factors determining choice of delivery place among child bearing age women. Method: A community based cross sectional survey was conducted in Dega Damot District from April-May, 2014. Mixed methods were employed in the study. Multistage sampling method was used. The primary outcome variable for this study was women who delivered their most recent baby in a health facility. Result: Three hundred sixty one women who gave birth in the past 1 year were included in the study. The mean age of the respondents was 30.9 [SD ±6.006]. One hundred seven (29.6 %) of the respondents were in the age range of 25-29 years. In our study, the proportion of women assisted by skilled health workers during institutional delivery was 89.1 % followed by Health extension workers (8.0 %). Most women (87.4 %) who did not deliver in health facilities were assisted by families, friends or neighbors followed by Health extension workers (7.2 %), and traditional birth attendants (5.4 %), respectively. The qualitative data has described and gave an insight of the contributing factors that influence the women using the health institutions for delivery. These included: ANC attendance, Positive attitude of Health workers and complications during labor and delivery. The preference for a health facility delivery was largely due to the understanding that if complications occurred either during labor or delivery, this was the only place where they could be managed. Conclusion: The study revealed that women's institutional delivery service utilization in the study area is low. Based on these findings, improving the utilization of health facility for delivery through educating women and health promotion have been recommended. This would help reduce the complications and dangers that often characterized home-based, unsupervised delivery.

BMJ Open

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore why some women who attend focused antenatal car... more ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to explore why some women who attend focused antenatal care (FANC) fail to deliver in health facilities from slums of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.SettingPublic health facilities (three health centres and one district hospital).Study designA qualitative exploratory and descriptive research design was used.Study participantsStudy participants comprised women of reproductive age (18–49 years) living in slum areas of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. We used 20 in-depth audio-recorded interviews. Data were analysed concurrently with data collection. Thematic analysis was done for the study. A multilevel life-course framework of facility-based delivery in low-income and middle-income countries developed by Bohren et al was used to frame the current study and link the findings of the study to the body of knowledge.ResultsFrom the analysis of in-depth interview data, four themes emerged, namely, perceived benefits of home delivery, knowledge deficit about health facil...

International Journal of Scientific Reports

Background: Planned vaginal birth after cesarean section is appropriate for and offered to the ma... more Background: Planned vaginal birth after cesarean section is appropriate for and offered to the majority of women with a singleton pregnancy of cephalic presentation at 37 weeks or beyond. The main purpose of the study was to assess factors associated with successful vaginal birth after cesarean section and its outcome in Asella Referral and Teaching Hospital. Methods: An institutional based case-control study conducted to identify factors associated with successful vaginal birth after cesarean section and its outcome in a two years period. The data was collected from patients’ charts after tracing a patient’s number, a double proportion sampling technique was used to determine sample size using EPI info version 7.1.4.0, and multivariate regression analysis of independent variables associated with successful vaginal birth after cesarean section was performed with unmatched case control. Results: Two hundred eighty-eight (288) mothers with history of one previous cesarean delivery ...

Therapeutic Advances in Reproductive Health

Background: Family planning helps to reduce the number of high-risk births and prevent unplanned ... more Background: Family planning helps to reduce the number of high-risk births and prevent unplanned pregnancies and mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The main purpose of this study was to determine the usage of family planning and its associated factors among women living with HIV who attended care and treatment clinics. Methods: This was a health facility–based cross-sectional study conducted among 332 sexually active reproductive-age women living with HIV who visited care and treatment clinics from 15 April and 15 June 2017. We used a systematic sampling technique for sample selection. The data were collected using pretested and structured questionnaires through face-to-face interviews. Seriously ill women living with HIV who were unable to respond to the questionnaire and refused to participate were excluded from this study. Logistic regression was fitted, and an odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval with a p value less than 0.05 was used to identify factors associated with m...