BackgroundLack of latrines remain a widespread health and environmental hazard in many developing countries. Low latrine utilization mostly affects the poor, rural and marginalized communities as the majority of those who do not use improved latrines live in rural areas where 90% of all open defecation takes place. The counterpart to this problem, Community-Led Total Sanitation, and hygiene (CLTSH) is an approach that involves facilitating a process to inspire and empower communities to stop open defecation and to build and use latrines in a participatory manner.ObjectiveThis study was aimed at assessing the Community Led Total Sanitation and Hygiene approach on improvement of latrine utilization in Laelay Maichew District of Central Zone, Northern Ethiopia.MethodsA comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Laelay Maichew District of Central Zone, Northern Ethiopia from November 2016 to January 2017. The study subjects were randomly selected 388 households from CLTSH implemented kebeles and 388 households from CLTSH non-implemented kebeles. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select households among proportionally allocated sample frame of households. Then, Interview of household heads using semi-structured questionnaire was conducted to collect data. Finally, data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Bivariate Logistic regressions model was used to identify candidates of multiple logistic regressions. Those P-values < 0.25 were considered as candidates to multiple logistic regressions to determine independent factors of latrine utilization. Variables with Odds Ratio at 95% CI and P-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The study obtained approval from Aksum University Institutional Review Board before its commencement.ResultThis study indicated that the level of latrine utilization and latrine availability in CLTSH implemented kebeles were greater than that of CLTSH Non-implemented kebeles. The finding of this study revealed that the rate of latrine utilization in the rural community of Laelay-matches district was about 47.4%, 95% CI (42.9%-51.8%). The majority (71.1%) of household in CLTSH implemented kebeles and (93.5%) of households in CLTSH non-implemented kebeles did not have hand washing facility near the latrine. Households which had no fresh excreta in around latrine were significantly 11.5 times higher than [AOR: 11.5, 95% CI (0.18, 50.2)] utilizing their latrine in CLTSH implemented kebeles.ConclusionThe study showed that the level of latrine utilization in CLTSH implemented and that of CLTSH non-implemented kebeles was low. Therefore, concerted efforts should be made by local and national governmental and non-governmental organization to should be used to promote behavioral change in the communities to implement community-led total sanitation and hygiene for improving latrine utilization.

ObjectiveMillions of women want to delay or avoid pregnancy, but they are not using contraception, especially in refugee settings. Due to lack of contraception, one fifth of reproductive age group women suffered from unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion, which accounted for 78% of maternal mortality in refugee camps. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of unmet need for modern contraception and its associated factors among reproductive age group women in Eritrean refugee camps, Tigray, Northern Ethiopia, 2016.Results400 women of reproductive age group interviewed. Prevalence of unmet need for modern contraception in this study was found to be 41.8% (95% CI 36.99%, 46.63%).Respondents’ unfavorable attitude towards modern contraceptive methods [AOR = 0.372, 95% CI 0.170, 0.818] and the availability of modern contraceptive methods [AOR = 3.501, 95% CI 1.328, 9.231] were factors significantly associated with unmet need for modern contraception. Respondents’ attitude towards modern contraceptive methods and availability of modern contraceptives were independent predictors of unmet need. Governmental and non-governmental organizations should design programs to create behavioral change in women’s attitude towards contraceptive use and to secure the availability of contraceptive methods in refugee camp settings.

Objective Absence of latrine remains a common public health problem in most of the Sub-Saharan Africa countries. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the effect of community-led total sanitation and hygiene approach implementation and associated factors among villages of Laelai Maichew District, Tigray, and North Ethiopia. Results This study revealed that the rate of latrine use in the rural community of Laelai-Maichew district was about 46.8%. The majority, 71.1% of households in CLTSH implemented Villages and 93.5% of households in CLTSH non-implemented Villages did not have hand washing facility around their latrine. Community-led to total sanitation and hygiene non-implemented villages were 49% times less likely to utilize their latrine compared to those community-led total sanitation implemented villages [AOR = 0.51 95% CI (0.35, 0.75)]. Households owned latrines for two and above years were 1.5 more likely to utilize their latrine [AOR = 1.50 95% CI (1.21, 2.59)] than those of owning latrines for less than 2 years. In this study, latrine use rate was low. As a result, the local, national governmental and non-governmental organization should design programs to create behavioral changes on the community’s attitude towards latrine utilization. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-019-4519-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objective Food borne diseases are predominant in all parts of the world especially in urban areas and are the main source for food borne illness. The aim of this study is to assess sanitation status and its determinants among food establishments in Adwa town, North Ethiopia from March to June 2017. Results A total of 391 (95.4%) subjects were included in this study. Around 53.3% of food establishments in the study area were in a poor sanitary status. Presence of trained managers on hygiene and sanitation (AOR = 2.6, 95% CI 1.7–4.1); inspection by regulatory personnel (AOR = 1.95, 95% CI 1.36–22.4) and being licensed (AOR = 1.2 95% CI 1.11–2.51) were associated factors which affect sanitary status sanitary of the establishments. The overall sanitary status of the establishments in the study area was found unhygienic. Managers should gain trainings on food hygiene and sanitation to follow and improve the sanitary status of the establishments. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-019-4435-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Introduction: The expansions of labor-intensive investments in a developing countries, especially in textile production create a dusty work environment for workers, and those workers are from the low socio-economic group and need special safety concern. Objective: This study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and associated factors among textile factories workers in Bahir Dar, Amhara region, Ethiopia, 2015. Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study design was employed among randomly selected 384 textile workers using pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire. We stratified workers by their working section in the textile industries. Then the proportional numbers of workers were selected from each working section of the factory by using a random number generator. The identification number of workers from each factory was used for selection. The data were checked, coded, and entered to Epi-info Version 7 and exported to the Statistical Package for Social Science Version 20 for further analysis. Both bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify associated factors. Variables having a P ⩽ .2 were fitted to multivariate logistic regression so as to assess the presence and strength of association with the respiratory symptom. Variables having a P < .05 were considered as significant. Results: Three hundred eighty-three (99.74%) of the study participants responded completely filling the questionnaire. In this study, the prevalence of cough, phlegm, bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, and chest pain among the respondents were 31 (8.1%), 45 (11.7%), 26 (6.8%), 2 (0.5%), and 21 (5.5%), respectively. Generally, 141 (36.81%) of the respondents have either of the above respiratory symptoms in the textile industry. Working in the spinning section (AOR = 3.26, 95% CI: 1.80, 5.89), being in the grade 11 and 12 level and below (AOR = 2.36, 95% CI: 1.50, 3.70) and personal protective equipment (PPE) utilization (AOR = 4.88 95% CI: 1.54-15.45) were significantly associated with respiratory symptoms in the multivariate analysis. Conclusion: The prevalence of respiratory symptoms in Bahir Dar Textile workers was relatively high. Working department, educational status, and PPE use were variables significantly associated with respiratory symptoms in this study. Experience sharing across departments, employing educated workers and provision of personal protective equipment are important tasks to be followed to reduce respiratory symptoms in the industry.