No abstract

Infections with enteric pathogens have a high mortality and morbidity burden, as well as significant social and economic costs. Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions are the leading risk factors for enteric infections, and prevention in low-income countries is still primarily focused on initiatives to improve access to improved WASH facilities. Rural communities in developing countries, on the other hand, have limited access to improved WASH services, which may result in a high burden of enteric infections. Limited information also exists about the prevalence of enteric infections and management practices among rural communities. Accordingly, this study was conducted to assess enteric infections and management practices among communities in a rural setting of northwest Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1190 randomly selected households in a rural setting of northwest Ethiopia. Data were collected using structured and pretested interviewers-administered questionnaire and spot-check observations. We used self-reports and medication history audit to assess the occurrence of enteric infections among one or more of the family members in the rural households. Multivariable binary logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with enteric infections. Statistically significant association was declared on the basis of adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and p value < 0.05. Out of a total of 1190 households, 17.4% (95% CI: 15.1, 19.7%) of the households reported that one or more of the family members acquired one or more enteric infections in 12 months period prior to the survey and 470 of 6089 (7.7%) surveyed individuals had one or more enteric infections. The common enteric infections reported at household-level were diarrhea (8.2%), amoebiasis (4.1%), and ascariasis (3.9%). Visiting healthcare facilities (71.7%), taking medications without prescriptions (21.1%), and herbal medicine (4.5%) are the common disease management practices among rural households in the studied region. The occurrence of one or more enteric infections among one or more of the family members in rural households in 12 months period prior to the survey was statistically associated with presence of livestock (AOR: 2.24, 95% CI:1.06, 4.75) and households headed by uneducated mothers (AOR: 1.62, 95% CI: (1.18, 2.23). About one-fifth of the rural households in the studied region reported that one or more of the family members had one or more enteric infections. Households in the study area might acquire enteric infections from different risk factors, mainly poor WASH conditions and insufficient separation of animals including their feces from human domestic environments. It is therefore important to implement community-level interventions such as utilization of improved latrine, protecting water sources from contamination, source-based water treatment, containment of domestic animals including their waste, community-driven sanitation, and community health champion.

Objective: This study is aimed to assess the glycemic control and factors associated with it among people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) at Debre Tabor comprehensive specialized hospital, northwest Ethiopia. Materials and methods: Institutional-based cross-sectional study using a systematic sampling technique was conducted among 353 T2D patients from 1 September to 30 November 2021 at Debre Tabor comprehensive specialized hospital. A binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with suboptimal glycemic control. Results: Nearly one-fourth (23.2%) of T2D patients had suboptimal glycemic control. Duration of T2D < 1 year [adjusted odd ratio (AOR): 1.8; 95% CI: 1.33-15.4] and never being counselled about dietary habits (AOR: 1.4; 95% CI: 1.23-11.6) were positively associated whereas no family history of T2D (AOR: 0.5; 95% CI: 0.4-0.8) was negatively associated with suboptimal glycemic control. Conclusions: This study revealed that a higher proportion of T2D patients had suboptimal glycemic control. Duration of T2D < 1 year, no family history of T2D, and never being counselled about diet habits were significantly associated with suboptimal glycemic control. Therefore, the Ethiopian Ministry of Health should design initiatives to provide continuous health education focusing on behavioral lifestyle modification. Implementation of HbA1c measurement for estimation of long-term diabetes control is also highly recommended. (Clin Diabetol 2023; 12; 3: 179-185

No abstract

This community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1190 randomly selected rural households in northwest Ethiopia to assess hand hygiene practice and associated factors. Frequent handwashing with rubbing agents, drying mechanisms; and condition of fingernails were used to assess hand hygiene practice. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with hand hygiene and statistically significant association was declared on the basis of adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) and p-values < 0.05. Results showed that 28.8% (95% CI 26.2, 31.4%) of the households had good hand hygiene practice. Good hand hygiene practice was significantly associated with formal education attended household heads (AOR 1.79, 95% CI 1.33, 2.40), family discussion on sanitation (AOR 1.56, 95% CI 1.08, 2.26), provision of health education (AOR 2.23, 95% CI 1.62, 3.06), and availability of water (AOR 3.51, 95% CI 1.02, 12.05). In conclusion, about one-third of the rural households had good hand hygiene practice and more than two-third had poor hand hygiene practice in the study area, and this may imply that hands in the area may play roles in spreading infections in the community. Therefore, people need to be informed to always keep their hand hygiene good.