BackgroundThere is a paucity of literature describing traditional health practices and beliefs of African women. The purpose of this study was to undertake a systematic review of the use of traditional medicine (TM) to address maternal and reproductive health complaints and wellbeing by African women in Africa and the diaspora.MethodA literature search of published articles, grey literature and unpublished studies was conducted using eight medical and social science databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, Infomit, Ovid Medline, ProQuest, PsychINFO, PubMed and SCOPUS) from the inception of each database until 31 December 2016. Critical appraisal was conducted using a quality assessment tool (QAT).ResultA total of 20 studies conducted in 12 African countries representing 11,858 women were included. No literature was found on African women in the diaspora related to maternal use of TM or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The prevalence of TM use among the African women was as high as 80%. The most common TM used was herbal medicine for reasons related to treatment of pregnancy related symptoms. Frequent TM users were pregnant women with no formal education, low income, and living far from public health facilities. Lack of access to the mainstream maternity care was the major determining factor for use of TM.ConclusionTM is widely used by African women for maternal and reproductive health issues due to lack of access to the mainstream maternity care. Further research is required to examine the various types of traditional and cultural health practices (other than herbal medicine), the beliefs towards TM, and the health seeking behaviors of African women in Africa and the diaspora.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1886-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Objective This study aims to assess the magnitude and associated factors of poor medication adherence among diabetic and hypertensive patients visiting public health facilities in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A multi-site cross-sectional design was conducted from 1st through 30th of August 2020 at public health facilities of the study area. Adult outpatients with T2DM and hypertension visiting hospitals and health centers were included in the study. A proportion to size allocation method was used to determine the required sample size per facility. Data was collected using the 8-item Morisky medication adherence scale. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyze data. A 95% confidence interval and p≤0.05 statistical significance was considered to determine factors associated with poor medication adherence. Results A total of 409 patients were included in the present study. About 57% of the patients reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed negative impacts on either of their follow-up visits, availability of medications, or affordability of prices. And, 21% have reported that they have been affected in all aspects. The overall magnitude of poor medication adherence was 72%. Patients with extreme poverty were more likely to have good medication adherence (AOR: 0.59; 95%C.I: 0.36–0.97), whereas attendance to a health center (AOR: 1.71; 95%C.I: 1.02–2.85), presence of comorbidity (AOR: 2.05; 95%C.I: 1.13–3.71), and current substance use history (AOR: 11.57; 95%C.I: 1.52–88.05) predicted high odds of poor adherence. Conclusion Over a three-fourth of the patients, in the study setting, have poor adherence to their anti-diabetic and antihypertensive medications. Health facility type, income level, comorbidity, and current substance use history showed a statistically significant association with poor adherence to medication. Stakeholders should set alternative strategies as perceived impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on medication adherence are high in the study area.

BackgroundHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) is one of the greatest public health problems of sub-Saharan African countries. Consistent condom use, among others, remains the most effective barrier method against HIV transmission. However, existing reports on frequency of consistent condom use have targeted the general public, rather than HIV/AIDS patients due, to the assumption that condom use is not important in HIV-infected persons. Since consistent condom use among HIV/AIDS patients is vital, to prevent the virus transmission from the infected to noninfected as well as to prevent multiple infections among already infected persons, its frequency and determining factors need to be investigated.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2013 to May 2013 among 317 randomly selected patients who were currently taking antiretroviral therapy (ART). Logistic regressions were performed to examine predictors of consistent condom use.ResultsA total of 317 HIV/AIDS patients who were currently receiving ART participated in the study, and the mean age of the study population was 31.4 (standard deviation [SD] 10.5) years. Overall, 250 (78.9%) participants reported consistent condom use in the past 6 months. Of these, 140 (88.6%) were males and 110 (69.1%) females. Multivariate analysis indicated that respondents with an advanced level of education were more likely to report regular use of condoms (odds ratio [OR] 8.98; 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.06–14.45) compared with illiterate participants. Being male (OR 6.87; 95% CI 3.84–11.22), living in or around a town (OR 4.65; 95% CI 3.09–9.11), and taking ART for longer time (OR 3.91; 95% CI 2.07–6.25) were also positively associated with consistent condom use.ConclusionFemales, patients living in rural areas, uneducated groups, and new ART users were less likely to use condoms consistently. The importance of consistent condom use should be well-addressed in HIV/AIDS patients, to prevent transmission and multiple infections of HIV.

BackgroundAlthough the leaves of Otostegia integrifolia traditionally claimed in Ethiopian folklore medicine for management of diabetes mellitus, it has not been validated. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the antidiabetic activity of Otostegia integrifolia in rodents.MethodsMale rats or mice were randomly divided into five groups for diabetic, hypoglycemic and glucose tolerance test (OGTT) studies. In all models, group I received Tween 80, 2% v/v, Group II (GL5) treated with 5 mg/kg of glibenclamide and the remaining group: III, IV and V were given the plant extract at doses of 100 mg/kg 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg respectively. Blood glucose levels (BGL) were measured by collecting blood samples at different time points. Data was analyzed using one way ANOVA followed by Dunnet’s post hoc test to carry out between and within group comparisons. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.ResultsInter-group analysis revealed that O. integrifolia at 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg reduced the 4th hour fasting blood BGL significantly (p < 0.001) compared to the control group. The intra-group analysis result has shown O. integrifolia at 200 mg/kg produced a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in BGL at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th hours of post treatment compared to their respective initial levels. Moreover, in the hypoglycemic and OGTT models, O. integrifolia extract at 200 mg/kg, has shown a significant reduction in blood glucose levels compared to negative controls and across all time points.ConclusionThe crude extract of O. integrifolia has shown significant antidiabetic, hypoglyceamic and oral glucose tolerating effects. The effective dose of the extract was found to be 200 mg/kg in time dependent manner.

BackgroundHousehold surveys are crucial to get accurate information on how medicines are acquired, and used by consumers, as they provide the best evidence in the area. The objective of this study was to document household medicine storage practices in Gondar town, northwestern Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional household survey was conducted from April 5 to May 6, 2015. In the study, 809 households were surveyed from four sub-cities in the town selected through multistage sampling with 771 included in the final analysis. Data on the extent of storage, storage conditions, sources of medicines and their current status among others were collected through structured interviews and observations. The data were entered in to Epidata version 3.1, exported to and analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.ResultsOf the 771 households in the study, 44.2% stored medicines. Presence of family members with chronic illness(es) and higher levels of household incomes predicted higher likelihood of medicine storage. In the households which allowed observation of stored medicines (n = 299), a mean of 1.85 [SD = 1.09] medicines per household were found. By category, anti-infectives for systemic use (23.9%), medicines for alimentary tract and metabolism (19.2%) and those for cardiovascular system (17.7%) ranked top. Among individual medicines stored, diclofenac (10.7%), paracetamol (9.9%) and amoxicillin (8.0%) were on top of the list. Dispensaries (97.8%) and physicians (83.5%) were almost exclusive sources of medicines and advices/orders for medicines respectively. Nearly two-thirds of the medicines found were on use and a vast majority (76.5%) were stored in chests of drawers. Proportion of expired medicines was very low (3.14%).ConclusionsThe use of physicians’ and pharmacists’ advice to get medicines; use of dispensaries as principal sources, large proportion of medicines being in use and very low proportion of expiry showed good practices. However, storage places of medicines were not purpose built. Encouraging good practices through continued medicine use education and advocating appropriate medicine storage in medicine cabinets is required to improve storage conditions and consequent use of medicines.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12889-017-4152-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

and leads the Healthy Women research theme and a team of postdoctoral researchers and higher degree candidates. Caroline is a clinical researcher with extensive experience with the conduct of multicentre randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews.

An ethnobotanical study in Agew-Awi and Amhara peoples in northwest Ethiopia reported that Cordia africana is used traditionally in the treatment of liver disease, amebiasis, stomachache, and diarrhea. The root and root bark are reported to be used in the treatment of diarrhea. Therefore, this study was intended to evaluate the antidiarrheal effect of C. africana against castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice. The antidiarrheal effect of the plant was tested on castor oil-induced diarrhea in mice (23–25 g) of either sex. Number of diarrheic defecations, intestinal length traveled by the charcoal meal, and weight of intestinal fluid were taken as important parameters to evaluate the antidiarrheal activity of the plant extract. In preliminary phytochemical screening tests, the methanolic extract of C. africana was found to contain phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, and saponins. Reduction in the number of diarrheic drops was observed in groups of mice that received 200 mg/kg (P<0.05) and 400 mg/kg (P<0.01) of the extract compared to the negative controls. The percent inhibition of intestinal fluid accumulation was 26.83%, 46.34%, and 53.66% at the doses of 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of the extract, respectively. Relative to the negative control group, the mean percent of intestinal length moved by the charcoal meal was decreased by 24.41%, 39.89%, and 51.66% in groups of mice given 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of the plant extract, respectively. To iterate the finding, the root bark extract of C. africana was found to be effective in preventing castor oil-induced diarrhea and intestinal motility in a dose-dependent manner. This reveals that the plant material has promising antidiarrheal activity as it is claimed in traditional medical practice.