BackgroundUnder nutrition is one of the major causes of health problems among children under five years old in Ethiopia. Though the problem of under nutrition has decreased in the country, it is still continuing as one of the major causes of mortality of children under five. Studies have shown that the magnitude and related factors of under nutrition are varied in different agro-ecological settings of the country. Thus it is indispensable to assess the nature of the problem at community level. The objective of this study was to assess the extent of under nutrition and related factors among children under five years in Haramaya district, eastern Ethiopia.MethodsA community based cross sectional study was conducted in Haramaya district from December 1, 2012 to January 30, 2013 and Multi–stage stratified systematic random sampling technique was used to select the study subjects. A total of 791 study subjects were included in the study. Data were collected using face-to-face interview and anthropometric measurements. World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro software was used to convert nutritional data indices from anthropometric measurement into Z-scores, and Multivariate logistic regression model with an enter method was used to determine the predictors of under nutrition.ResultsThe study indicated that prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight among children under five years old were 45.8 %, 10.7 % and 21 % respectively. Children in rural Kebeles with Adjusted odd ratio (AOR) =2.45, 95 % CI(1.25-6.66), children who were 6 and above birth order (AOR =1.992, 95 % CI( 1.05-3.77)), and children who were used to live with households having two and more under five children (AOR = 1.81, 95 % CI( 1.19-2.7)) were more stunted than their counterparts. Children in the lowland Kebeles, (AOR = 3.29, 95 % CI( 1.2-8.8)) and children having diarrhea, (AOR = 2.48, 95 % CI(1.28-4.78)); mothers with Body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 (AOR = 2.17, 95 % CI(1.17-3.81)); mothers who did not have ANC visit during pregnancy (AOR = 3.47, 95 % CI (1.49-7.8) ) and with birth order of 4 to 5 children (AOR = 3.08, 95 % CI (1.11-8.5)), were more likely to be underweight than their counterparts. Moreover, male children (AOR = 2.37, 95 % CI (1.19-4.7)), children who were served food with family (AOR = 2.3, 95 % CI (1.14- 4.9)), children who had fever, (AOR = 2.9, 95 % CI (1.16-7.2)), were more likely to be wasted than their counterparts.ConclusionsThis study indicated that nearly half of the children under five years in the study area were stunted. Thus, a large number of children had poor nutritional history or growth failure. Furthermore, underweight and wasting were significantly high. The problem can be addressed by targeting children since their early ages and by conducting tailored nutrition education to mothers or caretakers to improve the nutritional status of their children.

Introduction: Vitamin D status is related to risks of influenza and respiratory tract infections. Vitamin D has direct antiviral effects primarily against enveloped viruses, and coronavirus is an enveloped virus. The 2019 coronavirus disease had a high mortality rate and impacted the whole population of the planet, with severe acute respiratory syndrome the principal cause of death. Vitamin D can adequately modulate and regulate the immune and oxidative response to infection with COVID-19. The goal of this systematic review was thus to summarize and decide if there were a link between vitamin D status and COVID-19 infection and prognosis. Methods: The protocol of this study is documented in the Prospero database and can be accessed with the protocol number CRD42020201283. PubMed and Google Scholar were used for a literature search from August 2020 to September 2020. We restricted the year of publication of reviewed articles to 2019-2020, and the selected language was English. Studies that used secondary data, feedback, or analysis of reviews were removed. To assess the standard of studies included, the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) method was used. Results: Of the nine studies reviewed, seven (77.8%) showed that COVID-19 infection, prognosis, and mortality were correlated with vitamin D status. Conclusion: Most of the articles reviewed showed that blood vitamin D status can determine the risk of being infected with COVID-19, seriousness of COVID-19, and mortality from COVID-19. Therefore, maintaining appropriate levels of Vitamin D through supplementation or natural methods, eg, sunlight on the skin, is recommended for the public to be able to cope with the pandemic.

Introduction Antenatal care (ANC) is a medical care and procedure carried out for pregnant women. Data on ANC visits can help policymakers show gaps in service provision. Therefore, this study assessed the factors associated with the number of ANC visits among women in rural Ethiopia. Methods We included a total of 6611 women who gave birth within 5 years preceding the survey from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. A multi-level negative binomial regression analysis was employed to consider the hierarchical nature of the data. In the multivariable analysis, variables with a p-value <0.05 were considered to be significantly associated with the number of ANC visits. Results Overall, 27.3% (95% CI: 14.63, 15.76) of women had at least four ANC visits during pregnancy in rural Ethiopia. Among individual level factors, age group 25–29 years (adjusted incidence rate ratio (AIRR)=1.13,95% CI:1.02,1.26), household rich wealth status (AIRR=1.17, 95% CI:1.04,1.31), women’s educational status (primary, AIRR=1.19,95% CI:1.08,1.32; secondary, AIRR= 1.30,95% CI:1.08,1.55; above secondary, AIRR=1.35, 95% CI:1.07,1.71), partner educational status (primary, AIRR=1.16, 95% CI:1.05,1.28; secondary, AIRR=1.22,95% CI:1.08,1.38), and autonomy to decision to their care (AIRR=1.25,95% CI:1.10,1.42) were positively associated factors whereas having a birth order of five or more (AIRR=0.80,95% CI: 0.69,0.94) was a negative associated with number of ANC visits. Among community-level variables, being in higher community level literacy (AIRR=1.35, 95% CI: 1.14, 1.59) and higher poverty level (AIRR=0.77, 95% CI: 0.64, 0.92) were significant factors with the number of ANC visits. Conclusions and Recommendations Women’s age, wealth status, women’s educational status, partner educational status, autonomy to decision making in health care, and birth order were determinants of the number of ANC visits. Furthermore, poverty and literacy are also important factors at the community level. Addressing economic and educational interventions for rural women should be prioritized.

Background: Globally, preschool children are the most at-risk population groups for vitamin A deficiency (VAD). The 2009 World Health Organization (WHO) report stated that one-third (190 million) of preschool children worldwide are deficient in vitamin A. Both clinical and subclinical VAD have been a long-standing problem in developing countries. In Ethiopia, VAD was recognized as a public health problem 4-5 decades before. Since then, researches conducted in other parts of the country still showed varied and high prevalence, which is 2-8 times higher than WHO cutoff points. This community-based study was therefore conducted on preschool children of rural kebeles in Farta district to determine the prevalence of clinical VAD (Bitot's spot and night blindness) and associated factors. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional mixed quantitative and qualitative study was conducted. Randomly selected 588 preschool children participated in the study. The clinical aspect of the study investigated the presence of Bitot's spots on the children's eye with the aid of a magnifying loop and torch. Data on the history of night blindness were obtained from mothers/caregivers by using WHO standard questions. The qualitative study data were obtained via a key informant interview with the mothers/caregivers whose child has clinical VAD. Quantitative data were entered using Epi Data statistical software and analysed by using SPSS version 20 statistical software package. A bivariable logistic regression was employed, and variables that showed significant association with clinical VAD (P < 0.2) were entered a multivariable logistic regression model to identify independent predictors of clinical VAD. Results: The prevalence of Bitot's spot and night blindness was 0.8% and 1.2%, respectively. Preschool children who were from highland (AOR: 3.71; 95% CI: 1.01-13.68), a mother having antenatal care (ANC) visit during pregnancy of a child (AOR: 8.63; 95% CI: 2.58-28.79), family monthly income (AOR: 8.63; 95% CI: 2.58-28.79) and handwashing frequency were found to be determinants of VAD (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Clinical vitamin A deficiency in the study area is of public health concern because the prevalence of Bitot's and night blindness was above the WHO threshold level. Accordingly, effective preventive measures should be designed to reduce VAD prevalence.

Background: Underweight, wasting, and stunting are the commonest nutritional disorders among children, especially in developing countries. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and determinant factors of underweight, wasting, and stunting among school-age children in 2019. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the five special districts of South Gondar Zone, among 314 school-age children. WHO AnthroPlus software was used to build Z-scores from anthropometric measurement. The data were analyzed by SPSS Version 20. The degrees of association were assessed using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence interval during multivariable logistic regression. A P-value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: Of the total study participants, 232 (77.3%) were from public schools. The mean ±standard deviation (SD) of height of children was 132.9±9.8 cm, and the mean±SD weight of children was 27.7±5.8 kg. The prevalence of stunting, wasting, and underweight was 11%, 6.3%, and 11.4%, respectively. Students who ate their breakfast rarely were 8-times more likely to be underweight than those who ate their breakfast always (AOR=7.9, 95% CI=4.8-14.8). Those who were sick in the past 2 weeks were more likely to be underweight than their counterparts (AOR=7.3, 95% CI=2.8-14.4). Those who never consume milk or milk products were 6.5 (AOR=6.5, 95% CI=1.7-23) times more likely to be stunted than those who consumed this always. Sickness in the past 2 weeks prior to data collection was significantly associated with thinness (AOR=6 0.9, 95% CI=4.1-10.1). Conclusion:The overall prevalence of wasting, stunting, and underweight was a mild public health problem in the study area.