Background Considering its pandemicity and absence of effective treatment, authorities across the globe have designed various mitigation strategies to combat the spread of COVID-19. Although adherence towards preventive measures is the only means to tackle the virus, reluctance to do so has been reported to be a major problem everywhere. Thus, this study aimed to assess the community’s adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation strategies and its associated factors among Gondar City residents, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was employed among 635 respondents from April 20–27, 2020. Cluster sampling technique was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Epi-Data version 4.6 and STATA version 14 were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Binary logistic regressions (Bivariable and multivariable) were performed to identify statistically significant variables. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI was used to declare statistically significant variables on the basis of p < 0.05 in the multivariable logistic regression model. Results The overall prevalence of good adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation measures was 51.04% (95%CI: 47.11, 54.96). Female respondents [AOR: 2.39; 95%CI (1.66, 3.45)], receiving adequate information about COVID-19 [AOR: 1.58; 95%CI (1.03, 2.43)], and favorable attitude towards COVID-19 preventive measures were significantly associated with good adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation measures. Whereas, those respondents who had high risk perception of COVID-19 were less likely to adhere towards COVID-19 mitigation measures [AOR: 0.61; 95% CI (0.41, 0.92)]. Conclusions The findings have indicated that nearly half of the study participants had poor adherence towards COVID-19 mitigation measures. Sex, level of information exposure, attitude towards COVID-19 preventive measures, and risk perception of COVID-19 were factors which significantly influenced the adherence of the community towards COVID-19 mitigation measures. Therefore, it is crucial to track adherence responses towards the COVID-19 preventive measures, scale up the community’s awareness of COVID-19 prevention and mitigation strategies through appropriate information outlets, mainstream media, and rely on updating information from TV, radio, and health care workers about COVID-19.

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) are the major threats to public health, with a significant impact on workers, employers, and the general population. Musculoskeletal disorder related to work not only results in adverse health effects such as physical injury, disability, and a reduction in workers' quality of life, but it also places immense burdens on the use of healthcare facilities and a substantial loss of productivity. The purpose of this research was to discover the prevalence and associated factors of work-related MSDs among hairdressers in Oromia Special Zone Surrounding Finfine, Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out between March and April 2019. We included a total of 699 hairdressers with a systematic random sampling technique. Work-related MSDs was evaluated with the standardized Nordic Musculoskeletal survey, and the survey was administered by the interviewer. We employed SPSS version 20 software to perform a bivariate and multivariate analysis. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered a significant association. Results: In total, 652 hairdressers were interviewed with a response rate of 93.2%. Participants' mean age was 33.19 (SD ± 9.639) years. The prevalence of work-related MSDs was 70.2% (N = 458) [95% CI (66.7, 73.9)] and 55.7% in the past 12-months and 7 days, respectively. The study showed the highest prevalence rate was observed in shoulder 53.7% (n = 350) followed by 53.4% (n = 348) neck and 53.2% (n = 347) low back. Of the participants, 33.4% (n = 153) perceived their pain to be severe whereas 28% (n = 128) a high disabling. Almost one-third (n = 187) of the respondents used healthcare services. Age [AOR = 2.73; 95% CI (2.55, 5.46)], work experience [AOR = 1.51; 95% CI (1.03, 2.20)], number of customers served per day [AOR = 2.35; 95% CI (1.35, 4.11)], and hours spent standing to make hair [AOR = 3.4; 95% CI (2.49, 7.77)] were significantly associated factors.

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BackgroundSick building syndrome (SBS) consists of a group of mucosal, skin, and general symptoms temporally related to residential and office buildings of unclear causes. These symptoms are common in the general population. However, SBS symptoms and their contributing factors are poorly understood, and the community associates it with bad sprits. This community-based cross-sectional study was, therefore, conducted to assess the prevalence and associated factors of SBS in Gondar town.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2017. A total of 3405 study subjects were included using multistage and systematic random sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire and observational checklists were used to collect data. SBS was assessed by 24 building-related symptoms and confirmed by five SBS confirmation criteria. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with SBS on the basis of adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and p < 0.05. The Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness of fit test was used to check model fitness, and variance inflation factor (VIF) was also used to test interactions between variables.ResultsThe prevalence of SBS in Gondar town was 21.7% (95% CI = 20.3–23.0%). Of this, the mucosal symptoms account for 64%, the general symptoms account for 54%, and the skin symptoms account for 10%. From study participants who reported SBS symptoms, 44% had more than one symptom. Headache (15.7%), asthma (8.3%), rhinitis (8.0%), and dizziness (7.5%) were the commonest reported symptoms. SBS was significantly associated with fungal growth in the building [AOR = 1.25, 95% CI = (1.05, 1.49)], unclean building [AOR = 1.26, 95% CI = (1.03, 1.55)], houses with no functional windows [AOR = 1.35, 95% CI = (1.12, 1.63)], houses with no fan [AOR = 1.90, 95% CI = (1.22, 2.96)], utilization of charcoal as a cooking energy source [AOR = 1.40, 95% CI = (1.02, 1.91)], cooking inside the living quarters [AOR = 1.31, 95% CI = (1.09, 1.58)], and incensing and joss stick use [AOR = 1.48, 95% CI = (1.23, 1.77)].ConclusionThe prevalence of SBS in Gondar town was high, and significant proportion of the population had more than one SBS symptom. Headache, asthma, rhinitis, and dizziness were the commonest reported SBS symptoms. Fungal growth, cleanliness of the building, availability of functional windows, availability of fan in the living quarters, using charcoal as a cooking energy source, cooking inside the quarters, and incensing habit or joss stick use were identified as factors associated with SBS. Improving the sanitation of the living environment and housekeeping practices of the occupants is useful to minimize the prevalence of SBS.

Background Epidemiological studies during the early phase of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemics reported different level of people’s risk perception in different countries. There is a paucity of data on perceived high risk of COVID-19 and associated factors in Ethiopia. We sought to assess the prevalence of community’s perceived high risk about COVID-19 infections and associated factors among Gondar town community. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out from April 20 to 27, 2020 in Gondar town community, Northwest Ethiopia. Multistage cluster sampling technique was used to recruit 635 participants. Structured and pre-tested questionnaire was used to collect the data. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression were used to summarize the results. Results A total of 623 participants were considered in the analysis with a response rate of 98.1%. The prevalence of coronavirus high risk perceptions of the respondents was found to be 23.11% (95% CI; 19.80%–26.43%). Age above 45 years (AOR = 1.41, 95%CI; 1.19–2.66), college and above educational level (AOR = 0.28, 95%CI; 0.21–0.98), and poor knowledge towards COVID-19 virus (AOR = 1.57, 95%CI; 1.09–2.23) were significantly associated with perceived high risk about COVID-19. Conclusions The prevalence of perceived high risk of COVID-19 was found to be low. Factors such as age, educational status, and knowledge about COVID-19 virus were found to be independent predictors of perceived high risk towards COVID-19. Government and non-government organizations should use formal and informal means of educating the community.