BackgroundBirth weight is an important determinant of child survival and development. So far, the prevalence and traditional maternal feeding practice correlates of low birth weight have not been explored well in Ethiopia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and associated factors of low birth weight among mothers who delivered at governmental hospitals, Northern, Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional mixed study design was carried out in 3 zonal hospitals among 308 mothers and their respective live born baby consecutively using interviewer administered piloted questionnaire and 3 focus group discussions were conducted for the qualitative part. The mothers were interviewed and assessed within 6 hours of delivery; all babies were weighed on standard beam balance from Aug 2 to Sep 12. Data were entered, cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression was employed to identify the predictors at p < 0.05. For the qualitative study design, following iterative hearing of the discussions verbatim interpretation was done & categorized in to themes and finally triangulated with the quantitative results.ResultsThe prevalence of low birth weight was found to be 14.6 % (95 % CI = 12.56-16.61) and the mean and standard deviations of the birth weights were 3094.9 ± 587.6 grams. Low birth weight was associated with rural place of residence (AOR = 4.34 (95 % CI = 1.99-9.48)), preterm birth/gestational age less than 37 weeks (AOR = 18.5 (95 % CI = 4.94-69.4)), presence of any chronic medical illness (AOR = 5.3 (95 % CI = 1.12-25.45) and maternal weight <50 kg (AOR = 2.26 (95 % CI = 1.06-4.80)). It was found that tradition of selection and preference of nutritionally poor food items during pregnancy was deep-rooted in the community.ConclusionThe prevalence of low birth weight was found to be high and it was associated with rural place of residence, gestational age <37 wks, presence of any chronic medical illness & maternal weight <50 kg. Emphasis should be given to nutritional counseling and disease specific ANC provision by skilled health professionals; Discussions with the community and religious leaders are mandatory aspect on the tradition of feeding of pregnant mothers to tackle the problem. This study also calls for community based further studies.

ObjectiveThe study was conducted on 313 model and 313 non model households to assess latrine utilization and factors affecting among model and non-model families.ResultAbout 225 (71.9%) model and 144 (46%) non-model participants declared that they utilize their latrine which gave the overall utilization rate of 369 (58.9%). Households with primary and above education were two times (AOR = 2.03, 95% CI 1.427, 4.638) more likely to utilize latrine as compared with illiterate households. Cleanness of the latrine was also found to be associated with latrine utilization in both model and non-model families. Age, type of latrine, latrine supper structure, cleanness and observable soap near the latrine in model families and age, educational status, occupation, latrine privacy and cleanness in non-model families were identified as a statistical significant factor for latrine utilization.

BackgroundLong acting and permanent contraceptive methods are the most effective family planning (FP) methods to prevent pregnancy and thereby averting adverse consequences of too many and ill-timed pregnancies. However, long acting and permanent contraceptive methods (LAPMs) are underutilized in Ethiopia for little documented reasons. Therefore, this study is aimed to assess magnitude and factors associated with desire for birth spacing for at least 2 years or limiting child bearing and non-use of LAPMs among married women of reproductive age in Aksum town, Northern Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Aksum town, North Ethiopia from May to June, 2015 among 779 randomly selected married women of reproductive age. Data were collected using interviewer administered pre-tested questionnaire. Data were entered using Epi-Info version 6.04 and exported to SPSS version 16 for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with desire for birth spacing or limiting and not using LAPMs.ResultsThe total desire for birth spacing or limiting was 69 % and amongst those women 85.2 % were not using LAPM. Education, occupation, husband’s attitude towards LAPMs, age, number of pregnancy, regular media exposure and decider on the number of children to bear were significantly associated with desire for birth spacing or limiting. Moreover; education, occupation, husband’s attitude towards LAPMs, discussion on family planning with husband, knowledge, attitude and intention to use LAPMs were significantly associated with not using LAPMs.ConclusionDesire for birth spacing or limiting and not using LAPMs is very high in the study area. Therefore, increasing access to family planning information and services with special emphasis on LAPMs and male involvement in the program are very important.

Objective: Acute post streptococcus glomerulonephritis is reported from all over the world with higher rates among children than in adults. The objective of this study was to assess the magnitude and associate factors of acute post streptococcal glomerulonephritis among pediatric patients in Aksum city public hospitals, Tigray, Ethiopia. Methods: Institution based cross sectional study was conducted to retrieve data from 384 medical records of pediatric patients admitted to pediatric wards of Aksum city public hospitals between 2016 and 2018. The collected data were entered in to SPSS version 21 database for analysis. Finally, multivariate logistic regression was employed to identify determinants of adverse birth outcome at P value<0.05. Results: Acute post streptococcal glomerulonephritis was diagnosed in 31.51% of pediatrics patients. Nutritional status [AOR=2.37, 95%CI (1.28–4.41)], previous history of sore throat and skin infection [AOR=7.23; 95%CI (1.12–46.50)], duration of sore throat infection [AOR=0.35; 95%CI (0.18–0.66)], and season of infection [AOR=9.93; 95%CI (4.78–20.62)] were factors significantly associated with the development of acute post streptococcal glomerulonephritis among children. Conclusion: There is high burden of acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis among pediatric age group patients in Aksum public hospitals. Focus should be given to the early diagnosis and treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis.