Background Child undernutrition is a major public health problem in Ethiopia despite different nutrition-specific and sensitive interventions implemented by the government. However, evidence regarding the burden and responsible factors is limited in the South Ari district. Hence, this study aimed to assess factors associated with wasting and stunting among children aged 06–59 months in the South Ari district, Southern Ethiopia, 2021. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 11 to April 11, 2021, among 717 households with at least one child aged 06–59 months. Anthropometric measurements were taken using standard procedures and were converted to height for age Z score and weight-for-height using WHO Anthro software Version 3.2.2. Data were checked and entered into Epi-Data Version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS Version 25.0. Binary logistic regression analysis was fitted to identify predictors of wasting and stunting. A p-value < 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Result The prevalence of wasting and stunting among children aged 06–59 months in the district was 9.1% (95% CI: 7.07%, 11.41%) and 59.97% (95% CI: 56.28%, 63.58%), respectively. Family size (8 and above) (AOR = 3.03, 95% CI: 1.31, 7.03), family size (5 to 7) (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.11, 3.81), poor and medium wealth index (AOR = 3.69, 95% CI: 1.65, 8.26) and (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.01, 5.16), insufficient maternal knowledge on child feeding practice (AOR = 2.58, 95% CI: 1.31, 5.07), presence of diarrhea in the past two weeks (AOR = 2.05, 95% CI: 1.10, 3.85), non-exclusive breastfeeding (AOR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.51, 4.65), and birth interval of < 24 months (AOR = 4.49, 95% CI: 2.40, 8.37) were factors significantly associated with wasting. Whereas, children in the age group of 24–59 months (AOR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.58, 3.16), non-exclusive breastfeeding (AOR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.65), birth interval of fewer than 24 months (AOR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.11, 2.14), sub-optimal child dietary diversity score (AOR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.14, 2.22), being a non-beneficiary of productive safety-net program (AOR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.24, 2.95), and household food insecurity (AOR = 2.60, 95% CI: 1.86, 3.64) were factors significantly associated with stunting. Conclusions Wasting and stunting were found to be key public health problems in the South Ari District. Hence, further interventions should consider strategies to enhance household food security and integration of productive safety net programs with primary health care services. Rigorous work is required in advocating and strengthening the provision of family planning services, child care, and integrated management of common childhood illnesses. Moreover, behavioral change communication is highly demanded to improve child feeding practices.

Background: Prematurity is a global public health priority linked with high neonatal morbidity and mortality. There is limited evidence regarding preterm neonatal mortality and its predictors to inform programs and policies in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was therefore to assess survival status and predictors of mortality among preterm neonates admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Jimma University Medical Center. Methods: Facility-based retrospective cohort study was conducted from March 11 to April 20, 2020, among 505 randomly selected preterm neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Jimma University Medical Center (JUMC). Data were collected from medical records and registers using a structured data collection checklist. Data were entered into Epi-Data 3.1, exported to, and analyzed with STATA version 15. Kaplan Meir method and log-rank test were used to estimate survival time, and compare survival experience. Cox-regression analysis was fitted to identify predictors of time to death. The assumption of the proportional hazard model was checked using Schoenfeld residual test. Adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) and corresponding p-value <0.05 was set to declare statistical significance. Result: In this study, 127 (25.1%) neonates died with neonatal morality rate of 28.9 deaths per 1,000 neonate-days [95%CI: 24.33, 34.46]. About 103 (81.1%) deaths occurred during early neonatal period. Antenatal steroid use [AHR=0.55, 95%CI: 0.34, 0.90], obstetric complications [AHR=1.84, 95%CI: 1.20, 2.82], gestational age increment by week [AHR= 0.81, 95%CI: 0.75, 0.87], respiratory distress syndrome [AHR=1.52, 95%CI: 1.01, 2.29], neonatal sepsis [AHR=1.71, 95%CI: 1.18, 2.49], perinatal asphyxia [AHR=2.44, 95%CI: 1.33, 4.49], and receiving kangaroo-mother care [AHR=0.48, 95%CI: 0.30, 0.77] were predictors of preterm neonatal mortality.Conclusion: Preterm neonatal mortality rate was high. Most neonatal deaths occurred in the early neonatal period. Predictors of preterm neonatal mortality were antenatal steroid use, obstetric complications, gestational age increment by week, respiratory distress syndrome, neonatal sepsis, perinatal asphyxia, and receiving kangaroo-mother care. Hence, early detection and management of obstetric and neonatal complications, use of antenatal steroids, kangaroo-mother care, and ensuring a continuum of care should be strengthened to increase preterm neonatal survival.

Background Household food insecurity is a major public health problem in Ethiopia despite the presence of various interventions implemented by the government. However, there is a dearth of evidence regarding the prevalence and responsible factors in Ethiopia, specifically in the South Ari district. This study, therefore, aimed to assess household food insecurity and associated factors in South Ari district, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was employed from March 11 to April 11, 2021, at South Ari district, Southern Ethiopia. A two-stage sampling technique was used to draw a sample of 717 households. Data were checked and entered into Epi-Data V3.2., and exported to SPSS V25.0 for data exploration and analysis. Variables with a p-value <0.25 in bivariable logistic regression were candidates for multivariable logistic regression. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was fitted to determine factors associated with household food insecurity. Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistic was used to check model fitness and was satisfied. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to determine the strength of association. P-value <0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Result The prevalence of household food insecurity was 44.8% (95% CI: 41.1%, 48.5%). Larger family size (8 and above) (AOR = 1.91, 95% CI: 1.10, 3.30), high dependency ratio (AOR = 2.71, 95% CI: 1.67, 4.40), medium dependency ratio (AOR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.13, 2.62), poor wealth index (AOR = 2.30, 95% CI: 1.53, 3.46), not using agricultural extension service (AOR = 2.25, 95% CI: 1.57, 3.23), and non-beneficiary of productive safety net program (AOR = 1.71, 95% CI: 1.01, 2.87) were factors significantly associated with household food insecurity. Conclusions The findings of this study showed a significant proportion of households were food insecure in South Ari District. Larger family size, high and medium dependency ratio, poor wealth index, not using agricultural extension service, and non-beneficiary of productive safety net program were significant risk factors associated with household food insecurity. Therefore, rigorous work is highly needed to enhance income-generating activities, strengthen agricultural productivity, expand the productive safety net program, and limit population pressure through improved family planning use.

Background Undernutrition among adolescent girls is a major public health problem. Despite the adolescence period being a unique opportunity to break the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition, in Ethiopia, particularly in the study area information regarding the nutritional status of adolescent girls is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to fill this identified gap. Objective To assess the prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among rural adolescent girls in Daramalo district, Southern Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 672 adolescent girls from March 11 to April 11, 2021, using a systematic random sampling technique. Anthropometric measurements were analyzed by WHO Anthro plus software for Z-score. The data were entered into Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed with SPSS window version 25.0. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with undernutrition. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to measure the strength of association and a p-value less than 0.05 was used to declare the level of statistical significance. Results The prevalence of thinness and stunting was 12.6% (95%CI: 10.3%, 15.2%) and 21.1% (95%CI: 18.3%, 24.3%), respectively. Large family size (AOR = 3.23; 95%CI: 1.87, 5.58), ≤ 2 meal frequency (AOR = 3.21; 95%CI: 1.59, 6.45), being non-menstruating (AOR = 4.24; 95%CI: 2.36, 7.61), poor and medium wealth index (AOR = 2.34; 95%CI: 1.15, 4.72) and (AOR = 3.16; 95%CI: 1.61, 6.21), and inadequate dietary diversity (AOR = 2.23; 95%CI: 1.34, 3.68) were factors significantly associated with an increased odds of thinness. Whereas, early adolescence (AOR = 1.54; 95%CI: 1.04, 2.28), large family (AOR = 1.85; 95%CI: 1.24, 2.77), separate decision making on nutrition service by father or mother, (AOR = 3.21; 95%: 1.68, 6.14) and (AOR = 3.01; 95%CI: 1.76, 5.15), inadequate dietary diversity (AOR = 2.12; 95%CI: 1.41, 3.19), and household food insecurity (AOR = 2.24; 95%CI: 1.48, 3.41) were factors significantly associated with an increased odds of stunting. Conclusions Stunting and thinness were found to be high in the study area. Future interventions and programs may consider strategies to improve dietary diversity, food security, wealth status, household decision-making power, meal frequency, and family size through increasing the awareness of the community on the intergenerational effect of adolescent undernutrition and by strengthening community-based adolescent nutrition programs.

Background Breast milk is the first natural food for babies. It has nutritional, immunological, developmental, psychological, societal and environmental advantages. Failing to feed children for twenty-four months has so many negative consequences to children. Though studies have well documented the duration of breast feeding in the first six months, the proportion of women completing the recommended duration and factors associated with it has not been well investigated in rural places of Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap in evidence among mothers with children aged 2 to 3 years in Arba Minch Health and Demographic Surveillance Site in 2021 E.C. Methods A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in all kebeles of the surveillance site by employing multi-stage sampling technique. Descriptive statistics was done to summarize findings and binary logistics regression model was used to identify factors significantly associated with early breast-feeding cessation respectively. OR with its 95% CI was obtained to quantify the degree of association between explanatory variables and early breastfeeding cessation. Result The proportion of early cessations of breast feeding was 29.30% (25.02, 33.64%). Being from a household with no fathers ‘education or primary education [AOR=0.22; 95%CI (0.07, 0.74)] and [AOR=0.30; 95%CI (0.12, 0.76)], farmer mothers [AOR=6.40; 95%CI: (1.38, 29.74)], birth interval of less than 2 years [AOR=2.07; 95%CI: (1.03, 4.16)], and with mothers’ one or two to three antenatal care visits [AOR = 2.73; 95%CI: (1.27,5.88)] were factors significantly associated with early cessations of breast feeding. Conclusion and recommendation The proportion of early cessations of breast feeding was high. Father’s education, being farmer, birth interval and ante natal care visit were significant factors. Health education about proper breast feeding practice and improving ante natal care attendance might improve premature cessation of breast feeding among women.