Background Infant mortality is defined as the death of a child at any time after birth and before the child’s first birthday. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest infant and child mortality rate in the world. Infant and child mortality rates are higher in Ethiopia. A study was carried out to estimate the risk factors that affect infant mortality in Ethiopia. Method The EDHS− 2016 data set was used for this study. A total of 10,547 mothers from 11 regions were included in the study’s findings. To estimate the risk factors associated with infant mortality in Ethiopia, several count models (Poisson, Negative Binomial, Zero-Infated Poisson, Zero-Infated Negative Binomial, Hurdle Poisson, and Hurdle Negative Binomial) were considered. Result The average number of infant deaths was 0.526, with a variance of 0.994, indicating over-dispersion. The highest mean number of infant death occurred in Somali (0.69) and the lowest in Addis Ababa (0.089). Among the multilevel log linear models, the ZINB regression model with deviance (17,868.74), AIC (17,938.74), and BIC (1892.97) are chosen as the best model for estimating the risk factors affecting infant mortality in Ethiopia. However, the results of a multilevel ZINB model with a random intercept and slope model revealed that residence, mother’s age, household size, mother’s age at first birth, breast feeding, child weight, contraceptive use, birth order, wealth index, father education level, and birth interval are associated with infant mortality in Ethiopia. Conclusion Infant deaths remains high and infant deaths per mother differ across regions. An optimal fit was found to the data based on a multilevel ZINB model. We suggest fitting the ZINB model to count data with excess zeros originating from unknown sources such as infant mortality.

Background Desire for more children has an impact on couple’s fertility behaviors. It can be a precursor of actual fertility performance. However, the desire for more children is declining over time in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to identifying the determinants of the desire for more children among women in Ethiopia. Methods The 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data were used for the analysis. The sample consisted of 15,683 women. The binary logistic regression model was used to assess the determinants of desire for more children among women in Ethiopia. The results are presented as crude odds ratios (COR) and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) together with their corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Results No education (having no formal education) (AOR = 1.85, 95% CI 1.61–2.13), attained primary education (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.43–1.83), age at first marriage 10–19 years (AOR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.27–2.54), Orthodox religion (AOR = 1.48, 95% CI 1.01–2.19), Catholic religion (AOR = 2.15, 95% CI 1.17–3.97), Muslim religion (AOR = 1.70, 95% CI 1.15–2.50), living in Amhara (AOR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.18–1.78), Oromia (AOR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.73–2.54), Benishangul (AOR = 1.17, 95% CI 1.01–1.45), SNNPR (AOR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.05–1.60), Gambela (AOR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.02–1.57), Harari (AOR = 2.24, 95% CI 1.82–2.76), ideal number of children four or fewer (AOR = 0.47, 95% CI 0.42–0.53), number of living children four or fewer (AOR = 2.12, 95% CI 1.90–2.37), and not use of contraceptives (AOR = 1.51, 95% CI 1.35–1.68) were associated with a higher desire for more children. Conclusion This finding showed that the age of women, educational level, age at first marriage, religion, region, occupation, ideal number of children, number of living children, and use of contraceptives were significant determinants of desire for more children. Therefore, it is important to adopt programs to encourage the desire for more children, implement policies in an attempt to increase the total fertility rate in Ethiopia ought to critically consider these factors. Moreover, continuous education and knowledge on reproductive health will help for better fertility behaviour for the women.

Background Mycobacterium leprae causes leprosy, which is a long-term or recurrent infection. The causative agent’s collusion with Schwann cells results in the irreversible loss of fringe nerve tissue; followed by incapacity, which includes not just actual impotence but also mental incapacity, creates a bad image of the transformed, resulting in segregation and societal humiliation of leprosy patients, as well as their families. Methods This study’s survival analysis includes a sample of 205 patients who were taking leprosy medication and had all essential data from January 2015 to December 2019 G.C. at the All African TB and Leprosy Rehabilitation and Training Centre. The Cox proportional hazard model was used to figure out what factors influence leprosy patients’ survival status during treatment. Results Among the 205 leprosy patients, 71 (34.63%) had at least one type of impairment grade during treatment. The Cox proportional model revealed that the most significant variables of impairment among leprosy patients were age, symptom duration, treatment category, living place, and sensory loss. Conclusion The study investigated and revealed characteristics associated with the survival status of leprosy patients in ALRT centers using survival analysis. Patients’ risk of worsening disability grade increased with age, was greater for patients with a long duration of symptom, was higher for defaulter patients, and was lower for patients who did not lose their sensibility throughout therapy. The existence of a difference in the survival curves between two or more groups of factors for the patient’s survival function was also discovered in this inquiry. Female patients, particularly those who were new to the medication, were shown to be more in their survival.

Introduction Community-based health insurance (CBHI) is a type of volunteer health insurance that has been adopted all over the world in which people of the community pool funds to protect themselves from the high costs of seeking medical care and treatment for the disease. In Ethiopia, healthcare services are underutilized due to a lack of resources in the healthcare system. The study aims to identify the individual and community level factors associated with community-based health insurance enrollment of households in Ethiopia. Methods Data from the Ethiopian mini demographic and health survey 2019 were used to identify factors associated with community-based health insurance enrollment of households in Ethiopia. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used on a nationally representative sample of 8,663 households nested within 305 communities, considering the data’s layered structure. We used a p-value<0.05 with a 95% confidence interval for the results. Result The prevalence of community-based health insurance enrollment in Ethiopia was 20.2%. The enrollment rate of households in the scheme was high in both Amhara (57.9), and Tigray (57.9%) regions and low (3.0%) in the Afar region. At the individual level; the age of household heads, number of children 5 and under, number of household members, has land for agriculture, has a mobile telephone, receiving cash of food from the safety Net Program, Owning livestock, and herds of farm animals, wealth index, and at the community level; the region had a significant association with community-based health insurance enrollment. Conclusion Both individual and community-level characteristics were significant predictors of community-based health insurance enrollment in households. Furthermore, the ministry of health, health bureaus, and other concerning bodies prioritize clusters with low health insurance coverage to strengthen health system financing and intervene in factors that negatively affect the CBHI enrollment of households.

Backgrounds Preterm birth is defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy or fewer than 259 days since the first day of a woman’s last menstrual period. Globally, 14.84 million babies were preterm births. Preterm infants are at risk for specific diseases related to the immaturity of various organ systems. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of preterm birth and associated factors among mothers who gave birth in public hospitals of east Gojjam zone, Ethiopia. Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 1 up to June 30, 2021, in public hospitals in the east Gojjam zone. Systematic random sampling was used. Data were collected through structured questionnaires, patient interviews and patient card reviews. We used binary logistic regression analysis with 95% CI and P-value < 0.05 to identify the significant factors with preterm birth. Results Out of 615 mothers, 13.2% gave a preterm birth. Antenatal care (AOR = 2.87; 95% CI = (1.67, 5.09)), educational status of mother (AOR = 2.79; 95% CI = (1.27, 6.67)), husband educational status(AOR = 2.11; 95% CI = (1.10, 4.18)), Average monthly family income(AOR = 1.95; 95% CI = (1.05, 3.75)),family size(AOR = 0.15; 95% CI = (0.03, 0.67)), multifetal gestation (AOR = 3.30; 95% CI = (1.29, 8.69), having Premature Rupture Of Membrane (AOR = 6.46; 95% CI= (2.52, 18.24)), history of chronic illness (AOR = 3.94; 95% CI = (1.67, 9.45)), being HIV positive(AOR = 6.99; 95% CI= (1.13, 44.65)), Ante-Partum Hemorrhage (AOR = 3.62; 95% CI= (1.12, 12.59)), pregnancy Induced Hypertension (AOR = 3.61; 95% CI= (1.19, 11.84)), mode of delivery (AOR = 7.16; 95% CI = (2.09, 29.29)), and onset of labor (AOR = 0.10; 95% CI = (0.03, 0.29)) were found to be significantly associated with preterm birth. Conclusions antenatal care, educational status of the mother, husband’s educational status, family income, family size, multifetal gestation, Premature Rupture of the membrane, history of chronic illness, being HIV positive, Ante-Partum Hemorrhage, pregnancy Induced Hypertension, mode of delivery, and the onset of labor were found to be significantly associated with preterm birth. To minimize the proportion of preterm birth focusing on this important variables, timely identification of obstetric complications, strengthening early screening of HIV and high-risk pregnancies like multiple gestations, PIH and APH were important.