BackgroundAdequate nutrition during infancy and early childhood is essential to ensure the health, growth and development of children. However, infant feeding practice is suboptimal in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia. The slum area is a heavily populated urban informal settlement characterized by substandard housing, squalor, with a lack of reliable sanitation services, supply of clean water, reliable electricity, law enforcement and other basic services. Residents of the slum area were poor and less educated. This further compromises infant feeding practice. The aim of this study was to assess infant and young child feeding practice among mothers with 0–24 month old children in the study area.MethodsA community based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 mothers with 0–24 month old children from June 01-30 / 2016. Simple random sampling technique was used to select the respondents. Infant and young child feeding practice was assessed using the fifteen World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria.ResultsThe prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding practice was 113 (84%). Sixty (15%) mothers gave prelacteal feeds and, 96 (23%) mothers used a bottle to feed their index child. Appropriate complementary feeding practice was only 20 (7%). Thirty nine out of forty mothers introduced complementary food timely, 131 (47%) of mothers gave the minimum meal frequency, and 20 (7%) children took the minimum food diversity and acceptable diet. Independent predictors for complementary feeding practice were having secondary and above education of the mother, receiving postnatal care, possession of radio and giving birth at hospital.ConclusionIn this study infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practice was poor. Therefore, there is a need for strengthening the promotion on IYCF practice during postnatal care and using mass media to giving emphasis for optimal complementary feeding practices, especially for mothers with a lower educational status.

BackgroundPatient compliance is a key factor in treatment success. Satisfied patients are more likely to utilize health services, comply with medical treatment, and continue with the health care providers. Yet, the national tuberculosis control program failed to address some of these aspects in order to achieve the national targets. Hence, this study attempted to investigate patient satisfaction and adherence to tuberculosis treatment in Sidama zone of south Ethiopia.MethodsA facility based cross sectional study was conducted using quantitative method of data collection from March to April 2011. A sample of 531 respondents on anti TB treatment from 11 health centers and 1 hospital were included in the study. The sample size to each facility was allocated using probability proportional to size allocation, and study participants for the interview were selected by systematic random sampling. A Pre tested, interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Collected data was edited, coded and entered to Epi data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 16. Confirmatory factor analysis was done to identify factors that explain most of the variance observed in most of the manifested variables. Bivariate and Multivariate analysis were computed to analyze the data.ResultThe study revealed 90% of the study participants were satisfied with TB treatment service. However, 26% of respondents had poor adherence to their TB treatment. Patient perceived on professional care, time spent with health care provider, accessibility, technical competency, convenience (cleanliness) and consultation and relational empathy were independent predictors of overall patient satisfaction (P < 0.05). In addition to this, perceived waiting time was significantly associated with patient satisfaction (Beta = 0.262). In multivariate analysis occupational status, area of residence, perceived time spent with health care provider, perceived accessibility, perceived waiting time, perceived professional care and over all patient satisfaction were significantly associated with adherence to TB treatment (P < 0.05). Moreover, patient waiting time at reception room (Adjusted OR = 1.022, 95% CI 1.009, 1.0035) and Patient treatment phase (Adjusted OR = 0.295, 95% CI 0.172, 0.507) were independent predictor of adherence to TB treatment.ConclusionThe finding of this study showed that patients’ perceptions on health care provider interaction had a significant influence on patient satisfaction and adherence to TB treatment. Moreover, absence of drugs and long waiting time had a negative outcome on patient adherence. Therefore, the problem needs an urgent attention from programme managers and health care providers to intervene the challenges.

BackgroundIn Ethiopia, more than 62% of pregnant women attend antenatal care at least once, yet only about one in four women give birth at health facility. This gap has fueled the need to investigate on the quality of ANC services at public health facilities and its link with the use of institutional delivery.ObjectiveTo assess the linkage between ANC quality and the use of institutional delivery among pregnant women attending ANC at public health facilities of BDR City AdministrationMethodsA facility based prospective follow up study was conducted. and nine hundred seventy pregnant women with gestational age ≤ 16 weeks who came for their first ANC visit were enrolled.Women were followed from their first ANC visit until delivery. Longitudinal data was collected during consultation with ANC providers using structured observation checklist. ANC service was considered as acceptable quality if women received ≥75th percentile of the essential ANC services. Generalized Estimating Equation (GEE) was carried out to control cluster effect among women who received ANC in the same facility.ResultsAmong 823 pregnant women who completed follow up, only about one third (27.6%) received acceptable quality of ANC services. In one health facility syphilis test was not done at all for the last two years. The odds of giving birth at health institution among pregnant women who received acceptable ANC quality service was about 3.38 times higher than among pregnant women who received unacceptable ANC quality service (AOR = 3.38, 95% CI: 1.67, 6.83).Conclusion and recommendationIn this study the quality of ANC service provision in public health facilities was compromised/low. Provision of quality ANC service had a great role in promoting institutional delivery. Therefore the local authorities at each level of health sector or the nongovernmental organizations working to improve maternal health need to provide training on focused antenatal care protocol for ANC providers.

BackgroundClosely spaced pregnancies within the first year postpartum increases the risk of death for both the mother and baby. Many countries recommend providing pregnant women with post-partum family planning counselling during antenatal care visits. However, data on the extent to which providers utilize these opportunities and the role of family planning counseling during antenatal care in promoting the use of postpartum modern family planning remain limited especially in developing countries. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the role of family planning counseling during antenatal care in promoting postpartum modern family planning use within 6 weeks after birth.MethodsNine hundred seventy pregnant women with gestational age ≤ 16 weeks who came for their first Antenatal Care (ANC) visit were enrolled and followed until 6 weeks after delivery. Longitudinal data was collected during consultation with ANC providers using structured observation checklist to assess whether or not the providers counsel pregnant women on post-partum family planning use during their four focused ANC visits. Exit interview was also conducted at 6 weeks after they gave birth when they came to immunize their child to assess whether they were starting to use postpartum modern family planning. Completed data were obtained from 823 women. Generalized Estimating Equation was carried out to identify predictors of postpartum modern family planning use by controlling the cluster effect among women who received ANC services in the same health facility.ResultsPostpartum modern family planning use within 6 weeks after delivery among the study women was 157(19.1%) with 95%CI (16.4, 21.9); Among 187 pregnant women who were counseled at least once, 72(38.5%) of them used post-partum modern family planning compared to 13.4% of post-partum women who were not counseled at all (p < 0.001). Counseling about postpartum family planning during antenatal care, satisfaction on the antenatal care services women received while they were pregnant, counseling on birth preparedness and complication readiness plan, counseling on breast feeding and post-natal care use were independent predictors for postpartum modern family planning use.ConclusionLess than one in five post-partum women were using postpartum family planning within 6 weeks after birth. Family planning counseling during ANC services had a significant effect on promoting postpartum modern family planning use. Therefore, health providers need to ensure continuity of care through strengthening integration of family planning counseling services during ANC and referral linkages between community and health workers.