Background: Preconception care is a set of interventions that are to be provided before pregnancy, to promrote the health and well-being of womwen and couples. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was employed among a sample of 680 reproductive-aged women in the West Shewa zone, Oromia regional state, from November 2017 until the end of January 2018. The data were collected using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire. The collected data were coded and entered into Epi data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS 22 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to determine factors associated with the outcome variable. The association was presented in odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and significance determined at a P-value less than 0.05. Result: A total of 669 participants had participated with a response rate of 98.3%. Among the respondants, only 179 (26.8%) had a good knowledge of PCC and 97 (14.5%) of them had utilized PCC. Factors that show significant association with good knowledge of PCC are history of institutional delivery (AOR = 1.43 (95%CI (1.31-7.33), PNC service utilization, (AOR = 5.02 (95%CI (3.22-7.84), history of using modern contraceptive, (AOR = 1.44 (95%CI (1.37-6.98) higher educational status (AOR = 4.12 (95%CI (1.22-6.52) and being regularly employed (AOR = 1.8 (95%CI (1.01-3.22). Factors like better family monthly income (AOR = 4.1 (95%CI (1.57-9.35), history of PNC (AOR = 6.33 (95%CI (3.94-10.17) and good knowledge of PCC (AOR = 4.3 (95%CI (2.67-6.98) had shown positive association towards the uptake of PCC. Conclusion and recommendation: This study found that only one-quarter of the women in the study has good knowledge of PCC and low uptake of PCC. History of institutional delivery, PNC service utilization, history of using a modern contraceptive, educational status and being regularly employed were factors that affect knowledge of PCC and family income, having good knowledge about PCC and history of PNC were affect the uptake of PCC.Therefore, PCC needs serious attention from the government and other stakeholders.

Background Cervical cancer (CC) is the 4th most prevalent cancer among females globally. In Ethiopia, around 7,095 new CC cases are diagnosed every year and it is the second common cause of cancer deaths in women. There is limited evidence on survival status as well as about predictors of time to death among CC patients in Ethiopia. Thus, this study investigated the five-year survival status and predictors of time to death among CC patients who had been admitted at Tikur Anbesa specialized Hospital (TASH) from 2014–2019. Methods Facility-based, retrospective-cohort study was conducted at Tikur Anbesa specialized Hospital among 348 patients from June 2014 to June 2019. A systematic random sampling method was employed to select the study participants. Data were extracted from the patient card, and through phone calls. The data was collected using the android version CS-Entry tool. Data was analyzed by SPSS version 23. Kaplan and Meier’s method was used to estimate survival functions and Cox-proportional hazard regression analysis was carried out in order to identify the independent predictors of time to death. Results The overall incidence of death was 31 per 100 person-years of follow up. The median (IQR) follow-up time of the entire cohorts was 18.55 (8.96–49.65) months. The independent predictors for time to death included; age older than 50 years [AHR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.1–1.9], late stage of CC at diagnosis [AHR: 2.2; 95% CI: 1.7–2.9], No CC treatment [AHR: 2.1; 95% CI: 1.5–3.1] and HIV positive [AHR: 2.3; 95% CI: 1.4–3.8]. Conclusion and recommendation The death rate of CC patients was high. The significant predictors associated with shorten time to death of CC patients were older age, advanced cancer stage at diagnosis, HIV infection and not receiving cancer treatment. Therefore, improving early detection and initiation of treatment for all CC patients is necessary in order to improve patient’s survival status. The government needs to strengthen the routine CC screening programs to address high-risk women such as elderly and HIV positive women in Ethiopia.

Background. Cost sharing between beneficiaries and government is critical to attain universal health coverage. The government of Ethiopia introduced social health insurance to improve access to quality health services. Hence, HCP are the ultimate frontline service provider; their WTP for health insurance could influence the implementation of the scheme directly or indirectly. However, there is limited evidence on willingness to pay (WTP) for social health insurance (SHI) among health professionals. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from May 1st to August 15th, 2019. A total sample of 480 health care providers was selected using a multistage sampling method. The collected data were entered into Epi Info version 7.1 and analyzed with SPSS version 23. Binary and multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify the associated factor outcome variable. The association was presented in odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and significance determined at a P value less than 0.05. Result. A total of 460 health care providers responded to the questionnaire, making a 95.8% response rate. Of the respondents, only 132 (28.7%) were WTP for SHI. Higher educational status [AOR=2.9, 95% CI (1.2-7.3)], higher monthly income [AOR=2.2, 95% CI (1.2-4.3)], recent family illness [AOR=2.4, 95% CI (1.4-4.4)], and a good awareness about SHI [AOR=4.4, 95% CI (2.4-7.8)] showed significant association with WTP for SHI. The main reasons for not WTP were thinking the government should cover the cost, preferring out-pocket payment and the provided SHI scheme does not cover all the health care costs health care providers lost interest in pay for SHI. Conclusion and Recommendation. The majority of health care providers were not willing to pay for the introduced SHI scheme. The provided SHI scheme should be clear and provide special consideration for health care providers as the majority of them receives free health care service from their employer health care institution. Also, the government, health professional associations, and other concerned stakeholders should provide awareness creation programs by targeting low and middle-level health professionals in order to increase WTP for SHI among health care providers.

Background. Neonatal sepsis is the cause of substantial morbidity and mortality, mostly affecting the developing countries including Ethiopia. Previously conducted studies also highlighted the high prevalence of neonatal sepsis in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the determinants of neonatal sepsis in the central Ethiopia. Method. Institution based un-matched case control study was conducted among 192 cases (neonates with sepsis) and 384 controls (without sepsis) in public hospitals in Central Ethiopia. The data were collected through face-to-face interview using structured questionnaire and extraction from maternal and neonatal charts. Binary logistic regression (bi-variable and multi-variable) model was fitted. Adjusted odds ratio with respect to 95% confidence interval was employed for the strength and directions of the association. Results. Younger maternal-age; 30 to 34 years (AOR = 0.41, 95%CI: 0.19-0.85) and 25 to 29 years (AOR = 0.38, 95%CI: 0.17-0.84), not having antenatal care (ANC) follow-ups (AOR = 1.89, 95%CI: 1.02-3.49), place of delivery; home (AOR = 12.6, 95%CI: 5.32-29.82) and health center (AOR = 2.74, 95%CI: 1.7, 4.41), prolonged duration of labor (AOR = 1.90, 95%CI: 1.22, 2.96), prolonged rupture of membrane 12 to 17 hours (AOR = 3.26, 95%CI: 1.46, 7.26) and ≥18 hours (AOR = 5.18, 95%CI: 1.98, 13.55) were maternal related determinants of neonatal sepsis. Whereas, prematurity (AOR = 2.74, 95%CI: 1.73, 4.36), being resuscitated (AOR = 1.93, 95%CI: 1.22, 3.06) and not having meconium aspiration syndrome (AOR = 2.55, 95%CI: 1.34, 4.83) were identified as neonatal related determinants of neonatal sepsis. Conclusion. Younger maternal age, not having antenatal care follow-up, home, and health center delivery, prolonged duration of labor, prolonged duration of rupture of membrane, prematurity, had resuscitation, and neonates without meconium aspiration syndrome were found to be determinants of neonatal sepsis. Therefore, the concerned stakeholders should consider those identified determinants during an intervention for improvement of neonatal health.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic affects the public overall psychological status including anxiety. Assessing the perceived risk and preventive behaviors and COVID-19induced anxiety of every individual is crucial to be more effective in handling the outbreak. Purpose: This study intends to determine the status of perceived risk, preventive behavior, and induced anxiety regarding COVID-19 among urban residents in Ethiopia. Methods: In this research a population-based, cross-sectional design was employed among 801 urban residents in West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia from June to October 2020. COVID-19 Induced Anxiety Scale (CIAS) was used, with CIAS score ≥80% taken as having anxiety. A Preventive Behavior towards COVID-19 Scale (PBCS) was used to measure the level of protective behavior. The data were gathered using CS Entry and analyzed with SPSS version 23.0. Basic descriptive analysis was conducted, and binary logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine the predictors associated with anxiety. Results: Most of the study population, 716 (89.4%), had moderate risk perception, and around 497 (62.0%) of them had moderate preventive behavior against the pandemic. The proportion of COVID-19-induced anxiety disorder was found to be 18.1%. The identified predictors associated with COVID-induced anxiety were: being widowed (AOR=3.5; 95% CI: 1.7-7.6), lacking formal education (AOR=1.9; 95% CI: 1.3-3.3), having history of psychoactive substance use (AOR=3.0; 95% CI: 1.6-5.8), high protective behavior (AOR=2.2; 95% CI:1.5-3.3), low perceived risk (OR=3.7; 95% CI: 1.5-12.4), and family history of mental illness (AOR=1.6; 95% CI:0.7-3.8). Conclusion and Recommendation: COVID-19-induced anxiety prevalence was 18.1%. Risk perception regarding COVID was moderate. However, only 38.0% of the population had high preventive behavior against the pandemic. Hence, it is important to provide the continuous public health education necessary to promote preventive measures and minimize risky behaviors. Basic psychosocial help should be also provided for individuals suffering with COVID-19-induced anxiety.