BackgroundEffective menstrual hygiene has direct and indirect effect on achieving millennium development goals two (universal education), three (gender equality and women empowerment) and, five (improving maternal health). However, in Ethiopiait is an issue which is insufficiently acknowledged in the reproductive health sector. The objective of this study therefore, is to assess the age of menarche and knowledge of adolescents about menstrual hygiene management in Amhara province.MethodSchool based cross sectional study was conducted from November 2012 to June 2013. Multistage stage sampling technique was used. The school was first clustered in to grades & sections and thenparticipants were selected by lottery method. A pretested &structured questionnaire was used. Data were entered, cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Finally, multivariate analysis was used to assess independent effect of predictors.FindingsIn this study, 492 students were included, making a response rate of 100%. Mean age at menarche was 14.1±1.4 years. The main sources of information about menstrual hygiene management were teachers for 212 (43.1%). Four hundred forty six (90.7%) respondents had high level knowledge about menstrual hygiene management. Most of the respondents 457 (92.9%) and 475 (96.5%) had access for water and toilet facility respectively. Place of residence (AOR = 1.8, 95%CI: [1.42–1.52]) and educational status of their mothers’ (AOR = 95%CI: [1.15–13.95]) were independent predictors of knowledge about menstrual hygiene management.ConclusionKnowledge of respondents about menstrual hygiene management was very high. School teachers were the primary source of information. Place of residence and their mother’s educational status were independent predictors of menstrual hygiene management. Thus, the government of Ethiopia in collaboration with its stalk holders should develop and disseminatereproductive health programmes on menstrual hygiene management targeting both parents and their adolescents. Moreover, parents should be made aware about the need to support their children with appropriate sanitary materials.

Background: Each year, 287,000 women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, and about 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries. The first hours, days and weeks after childbirth are a dangerous time for both the mother and newborn infant. Post natal care prevents the great majority of maternal and child morbidity and mortality. Despite its importance, this period is generally the most neglected in developing countries. This study therefore aims to identify factors affecting PNC service utilization among child bearing age women who gave birth in the past two years in Jabitena district, Amhara region, Ethiopia. Method: Community based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to June 2013. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select the study participants. A pre-tested questionnaire was used .Bivariate and multivariate data analysis was performed using SPSS version 17.0 software. Result: In this study 20.2% mothers utilized postnatal care service. Educational status of the mother, final decision maker on health care service utilization, number of pregnancy, place of delivery and being aware of at least one postpartum obstetric danger sign were found to be significantly associated with post natal care service utilization. Conclusion: proportion of postnatal care service was very small. Educational status, women's autonomy, number of pregnancy, place of delivery and knowledge of postpartum obstetric danger sign were the factors making a difference in utilizing post natal care service. Thus, strengthening the provision of information, education and communication (IEC) was recommended.

BackgroundComprehensive care given to people living with HIV/AIDS is improving over time; however, their concurrent cognitive illness is still ignored, under screened and treated particularly in developing countries. And this problem is also striking in Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders and associated factors among adult people living with HIV/AIDS.MethodsAn institution based cross sectional study was conducted from April to May, 2017 at Gamo Gofa zone public Hospitals. International HIV Dementia Scale was used to screen HIV associated neurocognitive disorders. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess predictors of neurocognitive disorders.ResultA total of 684 study participants were included in this study with a response rate of 98%. Among them, 56% were females while 44% were males. The mean (±SD) age of the participants was 38.8±8.8years. The screening prevalence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder was 67.1% (95% CI; 63.6, 70.5). Body mass index 16 kg/m2 (AOR 4.389 (1.603–12.016)), being married (AOR 0.377 (0.213–0.666), unemployment status (AOR 3.181 (1.752–5.777) and being in WHO clinical stage T3 category/advancing stages of the disease (AOR 3.558 (1.406–9.006) were the key predictors of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders among people living with HIV/AIDS.ConclusionIn this study the screening prevalence of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorder is higher than the earlier reports in Ethiopia and Africa. This indicates that early screening strategies and policies for cognitive health in people living with HIV/AIDS should be given a top priority.

Background: In many developing countries including Ethiopia, maternal morbidity and mortality still pose a substantial burden even if various programs are undertaken by public sectors as well as the non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Majority of maternal health sectors in developing countries consider knowledge of women about the obstetric danger signs as the first essential step in order to accept appropriate and timely referral to obstetric care. However, in Ethiopia little is known about the knowledge level of mothers about obstetric danger signs. Objective: To assess the level of knowledge about obstetrics danger signs among mothers who gave birth in the last three years prior to the survey in Arba Minch town, Ethiopia. Methods: A Community based cross-sectional study was conducted from December 20, 2013 to June 30, 2014 on a randomly selected sample of 390 women who had at least one delivery in the past three years. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select the study participants. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data. Bivariate and multivariate data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20.0 statistical software. Result: Three hundred ninety mothers participated in the study making a response rate of 100%. From all respondents, 24.1% of them were knowledgeable while 75.9% were not knowledgeable about obstetric danger signs that occurred during pregnancy, labor and postnatal period. Conclusion: Educational status, age, monthly income, and decision making power were independently associated with knowledge of obstetric danger signs. Thus, provision of information, education, facilitate income generating mechanisms , and communication targeting women, family and the community on danger signs of pregnancy and childbirth was recommended.

ObjectiveTo identify the determinants of term premature rupture of membrane in Southern Ethiopia public hospitals, 2017.ResultsSeventy-five cases and 223 controls women were enrolled for the study. Two hundred eighty-four (95.3%) participants were admitted at the gestational age of above 40, and the rest, 14 (4.7%), were admitted at 37–40 weeks of gestation. The current study identified wealth index and inter-birth interval as preventive predictors, but smoking and hypertension during pregnancy were identified as positive determinants of premature rupture of membrane. This finding is supported by multiple logistic regression analysis result of wealth index (AOR: 0.102, 95% CI [0.033, 0.315]), inter-birth interval (AOR: 0.251, 95% CI [0.129, 0 0.488]), smoking (AOR: 17.053, 95% CI [2.145, 135.6]), and hypertension (AOR: 8.92, 95% CI (1.91, 41.605]). The association between PROM and its determinants indicated that evidence-based interventions should be needed and designed to have very high wealth index, and optimal interbirth interval, and prevent smoking and hypertension during pregnancy to decrease PROM occurrence in the study settings. Hence, we recommended that integration of prevention mechanism of modifiable determinants to the obstetrics health care system will reduce premature ruptures of a membrane.

Background: Birth asphyxia leads to about 4 million neonatal deaths every year around the globe. But, the pooled prevalence of asphyxia was not yet collated in East and Central African countries. Hence, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of perinatal asphyxia in Central and East Africa.

Background: Each year, approximately 287,000 women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, with 99% of these deaths occurring in developing countries. Modern contraceptive, particularly long acting family planning methods are highly effective in reducing maternal mortality by preventing unintended or closely spaced pregnancies. This paper, therefore, aims to determine the level of utilization of long acting contraceptive methods and explore its determinants among child bearing age mothers in Arba Minch town, Gamogofa zone, Ethiopia. Method: Community based cross sectional study was conducted from May15-30 2014 among child bearing age women. Systematic random sampling technique was employed to select 358 study participants. A pre-tested and structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Bivariate and multivariable data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software to assess statistical association. Result: Long acting contraceptive method utilization was 13.1%. From the socioeconomic factors, educational status of the mother, having functional radio or television at home, positive attitude and higher knowledge were found to be independent predictors of long acting contraceptive methods utilization. Conclusion: Utilization of long acting contraceptive method was very low despite multi-pronged activities have been undertaken throughout the country. Thus, community based health care workers should strengthen information, education and communication to ensure that women have higher knowledge and positive attitude towards long acting contraception methods.

Background Intention to leave is an employee’s plan of tendency to leave the current working institute to find an alternative job in the near future. Even though nurses are the backbone of patient caring, there was no study done on intention to leave their job in North West Ethiopia. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess nurses’ intention to leave their job and associated factors in Bahir Dar, North West Ethiopia, 2017. Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1st March to 30th March 2017. After proportional sample size allocation, 210 participants were selected by simple random sampling method. Data were collected by using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Statistical Package for Social Science version 23.0 was used to enter, clean, code and analyze the collected data. The association between independent and dependent variables was assessed by using bivariable and multivariable logistic regression model. Factors that had statistically significant association with the dependent variable (P < 0.05) were identified as significant in the multivariable logistic regression analysis. Result From a total of 210 nurses, 191 of them were participating in this study making a response rate of 90.95%. From all nurses, 64.4%of them were employed in the hospital. In this study, nurses’ overall intention to leave their job was 64.9% (95% CI: [57.6, 71.2]). Nurses’ intention to leave their job was determined by disagree in recognition (AOR = 4.83; 95%CI: [1.73, 13.50]), and work itself (AOR = 31.30; 95%CI: [7.16, 136.78]). Conclusion Nurses’ intention to leave their job in the current study was high. The contributing factors for this problem were disagree in recognition at work and work itself. Hence, we recommended that hospital and health center managers should maintain recognition at work and work itself to retain nurses.