UNASSIGNED: Childhood stunting has a long-term impact on cognitive development and overall well-being. Understanding varying stunting profiles is crucial for targeted interventions and effective policy-making. Therefore, our study aimed to identify the determinants and stunting risk profiles among 2-year-old children in Ethiopia.
UNASSIGNED: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 395 mother-child pairs attending selected public health centers for growth monitoring and promotion under 5 outpatient departments and immunization services. The data were collected by face-to-face interviews, with the anthropometric data collected using the procedure stipulated by the World Health Organization. The data were entered using Epi Data version 4.6 and exported to STATA 16 and Jamovi version 2.3.28 for analysis. Bayesian logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify potential factors of stunting. Likewise, lifecycle assessment analysis (LCA) was used to examine the heterogeneity of the magnitude of stunting.
UNASSIGNED: The overall prevalence of stunting in children under 24 months was 47.34% (95% confidence interval (CI): 42.44-52.29%). The LCA identified 3 distinct risk profiles. The first profile is Class 1, which is labeled as low-risk, comprised 23.8% of the children, and had the lowest prevalence of stunting (23.4%). This group characterized as having a lower risk to stunting. The second profile is Class 2, which is identified as high-risk, comprised 47.1%, and had a high prevalence of stunting (66.7%), indicating a higher susceptibility to stunting compared to Class 1. The third profile is Class 3, which is categorized as mixed-risk and had a moderate stunting prevalence of 35.7%, indicating a complex interplay of factors contributing to stunting.
UNASSIGNED: Our study identified 3 distinct risk profiles for stunting in young children. A substantial amount (almost half) is in the high-risk category, where stunting is far more common. The identification of stunting profiles necessitates considering heterogeneity in risk factors in interventions. Healthcare practitioners should screen, provide nutrition counseling, and promote breastfeeding. Policymakers should strengthen social safety nets and support primary education.

UNASSIGNED: To fully realize the life-saving and health-promoting benefits of antenatal care (ANC), the latest World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations call for pregnant women to have at least eight contacts with skilled healthcare providers. This increased number of recommended ANC visits represents a shift toward a more comprehensive, individualized approach to prenatal care. The focus is on health promotion, disease prevention, and the early detection and management of complications during pregnancy. However, in sub-Saharan African countries, including Ethiopia, the coverage rate for this level of recommended antenatal care is only 58%. Given this relatively low utilization, identifying the key risk factors that prevent adequate antenatal care would have significant implications for increasing overall ANC uptake in these regions.
UNASSIGNED: The aim of the present study was to assess the level of optimal antenatal care utilization and its associated factors among pregnant women in Arba Minch town, southern Ethiopia in 2023 using the new WHO-recommended ANC 8+ model.
UNASSIGNED: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 416 mothers who were enrolled between 1 December 2022 and 30 January 2023. The total sample size was allocated proportionately to the number of women who delivered at each public health facility. Thus, systematic sampling was applied. Kobo Toolbox was used for data collection and cleaning, which was then analyzed using SPSS Version 26. Statistical significance was determined at a p-value <0.05.
UNASSIGNED: In this study, the level of optimal antenatal care was 41% [95% confidence interval (CI): 37-45.3]. The associated factors with optimal antenatal care were the presence of pregnancy danger signs [adjusted odds ratios (AOR) = 4.1, 95% CI: 1.87-8.82], having bad obstetric history (AOR = 3.90, 95% CI: 1.94-7.83), antenatal contact at hospital (AOR = 5.11, 95% CI: 2.28-11.21), having good knowledge about antenatal care (AOR = 2.26, 95% CI: 1.15-4.44), women\'s high decision-making power (AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.2-7.63), and male partner involvement (AOR = 2.0, 95% CI: 1.04-3.78) were positively associated with optimal antenatal care utilization.
UNASSIGNED: The level of optimal antenatal follow-up is still low. Therefore, it is crucial to provide more information during the antenatal contacts to lower the rate of women discontinued from antenatal care.

UNASSIGNED: A woman\'s health and nutritional status has significant impact on her pregnancy situation. However, many pregnant women are undernourished. Moringa stenopetala is a plant consumed worldwide in various forms, and its consumption showed a reduction in the incidence of malnutrition. Although Moringa stenopetala is rich in essential macro- and micronutrients, there is little evidence on the proportion and determinants of fresh Moringa stenopetala leaf intake among pregnant women. The objective of this study was to fill this gap in the littérature and provide a baseline evidence for further research or intervention by investigation the proportion and determinants of fresh Moringa stenopetala leaf intake among pregnant women in the Gamo zone, south Ethiopian region.
UNASSIGNED: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 623 randomly selected pregnant women using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire via a face-to-face interview. The consumption pattern was assessed based on a self-reported dietary history over the last 30 days before data collection. Multivariable logistic regression model was fitted using STATA version 14. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was reported to show an association between the dependent and independent variables with level of statistical significance at a p-value of <0.05.
UNASSIGNED: The proportion of fresh Moringa stenopetala leaves intake among pregnant women was 49.60% (95% CI: 45.67, 53.52%). The déterminants of fresh moringa leaf intake were being below 24 years old (AOR: 2.92; 95% CI: 1.51, 5.63), rural résidence (AOR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.10, 3.50), antenatal care attendance (AOR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.03, 4.21), history of contraceptive use (AOR: 1.88; 95% CI: 1.03, 3.55), and having a good knowledge about the importance of moringa Stenopetala (AOR: 9.76; 95% CI: 5.30, 17.95).
UNASSIGNED: The study showed that almost half of the pregnant women consumed fresh Moringa stenopetala leaves. Women\'s age, place of residence, prenatal care, history of contraceptive use, and knowledge of the benefits of Moringa Stenopetala were positively associated with the consumption of fresh Moringa Stenopetala leaves. Therefore, health authorities and stakeholders involved in maternal and child health need to target older women, and urban residents and promote the benefits of consumption by strengthening uptake of maternal health services and raising awareness about Moringa Stenopetela. Future studies involving large scale and longitudinal designs evidence are required to further validate the findings so that this nutritious diet can be promoted widely among pregnant women in the study area and Ethiopia at large.

BACKGROUND: The introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy has significantly improved the life expectancies of children and adolescents living with HIV, leading to an increased number transitioning to adult care. However, there has been a lack of studies in Ethiopia focusing on factors influencing the success of this transition. Therefore, this study aimed to determine predictors of a successful transition from pediatric to adult HIV clinics among adolescents and young adults living with HIV in health facilities in southern Ethiopia.
METHODS: A retrospective cohort study included 337 adolescents and young adults who transitioned to adult-oriented HIV care. Successful transition was defined as having a viral load of less than 1000 copies/ml and maintaining care during the first year post-transition. Patients\' antiretroviral therapy (ART) cards and monitoring charts were reviewed. Secondary data analysis was conducted using a multivariable binary logistic regression model to identify predictors of a successful transition. Using the variance inflation factor, we checked for multi-collinearity between variables and assessed model fitness with the Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test. Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) and P-value ≤ 0.05 measured the strength of association and statistical significance.
RESULTS: Of 337 participants, 230 (68.25%) successfully transitioned (95% CI = 63.25, 73.25). Transitioning at age 18 or older (AOR = 4.25; 95% CI = 2.29, 7.87), residing in an urban area (AOR = 1.78; 95% CI = 1.04, 3.02), and being on antiretroviral therapy for more than two years (AOR = 4.25; 95% CI = 1.17, 4.94; P < 0.017) were identified as positive predictors and opportunistic infection (AOR = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.15, 0.75; P < 0.008) was identified as a negative predictor for a successful transition from pediatric to adult ART clinic.
CONCLUSIONS: This study sheds light on the challenges faced by HIV patients transitioning from pediatric to adult care, with less than 70% successfully navigating this critical phase. Factors such as age at transition, residence, duration of ART, and the presence of opportunistic infections were identified as key predictors of successful transition. The findings underscore the urgent need for tailored interventions, including standardized transition plans that address age and urban/rural disparities, to enhance transition outcomes for adolescents and young adults living with HIV in the region.

UNASSIGNED: Microvascular complications are long-term complications that affect small blood vessels, usually developed in diabetes, and are primary causes of end-stage renal disease, several painful neuropathies, and blindness. Thus, this study aimed to determine diabetic microvascular complications and factors associated with them among patients with type 2 diabetes.
UNASSIGNED: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 378 type 2 diabetes patients. The presence of at least one diabetic microvascular complications diagnosed by physicians and found on the record was considered to have microvascular complications. The data was collected by reviewing the medical records of T2DM patients who were on follow-up from January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2021. The collected data was entered into EpiData version 3.1 and analyzed by Stata version 14. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify statistically significant risk factors for diabetic microvascular complications at p-value < 0.05.
UNASSIGNED: Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus had a prevalence of diabetic microvascular complications of 26.5% (95% CI: 22.0%, 30.9%). Diabetic neuropathy was the highest (13.2%), followed by diabetic nephropathy (12.4%), and diabetic retinopathy (6.4%). Increasing age, poor glycemic control, hypertension comorbidity, anemia, positive proteinuria, a longer duration of type 2 diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia were significantly associated factors with diabetic microvascular complications.
UNASSIGNED: Diabetic microvascular complications were highly prevalent. Therefore, the study suggests that interventional strategies should be taken for poor glycemic control, hypertension comorbidity, anemia, positive proteinuria, and hypercholesterolemia to control the development of diabetic microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes.

UNASSIGNED: Adolescents face unique challenges related to their sexual and reproductive health (SRH), with access to timely services being critical for positive outcomes. However, SRH service utilization among adolescents remains low. This study aimed to identify factors influencing SRH service use among adolescents in Gamo Zone, Ethiopia.
UNASSIGNED: A community-based cross-sectional study involved 1172 adolescents selected through stratified sampling. Structured face-to-face interviews were employed for data collection. Multilevel mixed logistic regression was fitted to identify factors and latent class analysis was conducted to understand population heterogeneity.
UNASSIGNED: The findings of this study reveal that 198 (16.89%) adolescents (95% CI: 14.8%-19.2%) utilized SRH services within the past 12 months. Factors significantly associated with SRH service utilization included good knowledge about SRH rights (AOR = 4.65; 95% CI: 2.68, 8.07), belonging to one-parent families (AOR = 4.13; 95% CI: 2.39, 7.12), engaging in parental discussions regarding SRH issues (AOR = 3.17; 95% CI: 1.89, 5.29), high family support (AOR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.09, 3.51), and enrolling in school (AOR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.33). Additionally, access to social media was associated with increased SRH service utilization among adolescents (AOR = 1.98; 95% CI: 1.25, 3.15). Latent class analysis identified four groups: rural school-enrolled adolescents living with parents, urban school-enrolled adolescents with both parents, urban disadvantaged female adolescents, and early adolescents with limited social media access.
UNASSIGNED: In conclusion, our study sheds light on the utilization of SRH services among adolescents, revealing that 16.89% of the participants accessed these services within the past year. Significant factors associated with SRH service utilization included good knowledge about SRH rights, belonging to one-parent families, engaging in parental discussions regarding SRH issues, high family support, and enrollment in school. Interestingly, access to social media was also linked to increased utilization of SRH services among adolescents. Furthermore, our latent class analysis identified four distinct classes of adolescents based on socio-demographic indicators, highlighting the heterogeneity within this population. These findings underscore the importance of tailored interventions and targeted approaches to address the diverse needs of adolescents in accessing and utilizing SRH services.

UNASSIGNED: Neonatal deaths are still a major leading cause of social and economic crises. Identifying neonatal near-miss events and identifying their predictors is crucial to developing comprehensive and pertinent strategies to alleviate neonatal morbidity and death. However, neither neonatal near-miss events nor their predictors were analyzed in the study area. Therefore, this study is aimed at assessing the predictors of neonatal near-misses among neonates born at Worabe Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Southern Ethiopia, in 2021.
UNASSIGNED: A hospital-based unmatched case-control study was conducted from 10 November 2021 to 30 November 2021. A pre-tested, structured, and standard abstraction checklist was used to collect the data. After checking the data for completeness and consistency, it was coded and entered into Epi-Data 3.1 and then exported to Stata version 14 for analysis. All independent variables with a p-value ≤0.25 in bivariable binary logistic regression were entered into a multivariable analysis to control the confounding. Variables with p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant.
UNASSIGNED: In this study, 134 neonatal near-miss cases and 268 controls were involved. The identified predictors of neonatal near-misses were rural residence [adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 2.01; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.31-5.84], no antenatal care (ANC) follow-up visits (AOR: 2.98; 95% CI: 1.77-5.56), antepartum hemorrhage (AOR: 2.12; 95% CI: 1.18-4.07), premature rupture of the membrane (AOR: 2.55; 95% CI: 1.54-5.67), and non-vertex fetal presentation (AOR: 3.05; 95% CI: 1.93-5.42).
UNASSIGNED: The current study identified rural residents, no ANC visits, antepartum hemorrhage, premature rupture of membrane, and non-vertex fetal presentation as being significantly associated with neonatal near-miss cases. As a result, local health planners and healthcare practitioners must collaborate in enhancing maternal healthcare services, focusing specifically on the early identification of issues and appropriate treatment.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the life expectancy of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children has increased with the availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART). Regardless of the clinical recommendations encouraging HIV status disclosure, the practice of caregiver disclosure is frequently challenging due to many constraints associated with caregivers and healthcare personnel. As studies suggest, disclosure of the HIV-positive status of children is low, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, where the majority of infected children reside. Thus the primary objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of HIV-positive status disclosure to infected children and the pertinent factors associated with caregivers of these children. Moreover, unlike previous studies conducted in Ethiopia, this study included children residing in orphanages.
METHODS: We assessed HIV-positive status disclosure and associated factors among infected children in Hawassa, southern Ethiopia, from 25 May to 20 July 2021. A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in six public health facilities that provide HIV treatment and care. Data were collected from 355 randomly selected caregivers using interviewer-administered questionnaires and record reviews. Binary and multiple logistic regression was used to explore the association between independent variables and the outcome. The adjusted odds ratio (aOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was computed to determine the strength of the association and a p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
RESULTS: Of the 355 children, 132 (37.2%) were informed about their HIV-positive status. Being of young age (≤12 y) (aOR 0.52 [95% CI 0.28 to 0.98]), having caregivers who were not familiar with anyone who disclosed children\'s HIV status (aOR 0.28 [95% CI 0.16 to 0.49]), children with a family that had a primary education (aOR 0.46 [95% CI 0.23 to 0.89]) and being a child who has taken ART for <5 y (aOR 0.47 [95% CI 0.28 to 0.80]) had a significant association with non-disclosure of HIV-positive status to infected children.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that disclosure of HIV-positive status to infected children is low. This suggests the need to provide support and education to caregivers, facilitate experience-sharing sessions between caregivers who disclosed the HIV status to infected children and implement age-specific disclosure interventions for young children. In addition, it is important to provide support and counselling to the children when their HIV status is disclosed.

BACKGROUND: Early antenatal care visit is important for optimal care and health outcomes for women and children. In the study area, there is a lack of information about the time to initiation of antenatal care. So, this study aimed to determine the time to initiation of antenatal care visits and its predictors among pregnant women who delivered in Arba Minch town public health facilities.
METHODS: An institution-based retrospective follow-up study was performed among 432 women. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select the study participants. The Kaplan-Meier survival curve was used to estimate the survival time. A Multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression model was fitted to identify predictors of the time to initiation of antenatal care. An adjusted hazard ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used to assess statistical significance.
RESULTS: The median survival time to antenatal care initiation was 18 weeks (95% CI = (17, 19)). Urban residence (AHR = 2.67; 95% CI = 1.52, 4.71), Tertiary and above level of education of the women (AHR = 1.90; 95% CI = 1.28, 2.81), having pregnancy-related complications in a previous pregnancy (AHR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.08, 2.16), not having antenatal care for previous pregnancy (AHR = 0.39; 95% CI = 0.21, 0.71) and unplanned pregnancy (AHR = 0.66; 95% CI = 0.48, 0.91) were statistically significant predictors.
CONCLUSIONS: Half of the women initiate their antenatal care visit after 18 weeks of their pregnancy which is not in line with the recommendation of the World Health Organization. Urban residence, tertiary and above level of education of the women, having pregnancy-related complications in a previous pregnancy, not having previous antenatal care visits and unplanned pregnancy were predictors of the time to initiation of antenatal care. Therefore, targeted community outreach programs including educational campaigns regarding antenatal care for women who live in rural areas, who are less educated, and who have no previous antenatal care experience should be provided, and comprehensive family planning services to prevent unplanned pregnancy are needed.

A variety of factors can predispose newborns to have a low Apgar score after delivery. Identification of the determinants of low Apgar scores is an important first step to take to apply the necessary precautions. This study aimed to identify the determinants of low fifth-minute Apgar score after a Cesarean section. An institutional-based case-control study was conducted among mothers who deliver their newborns by Cesarean section in Nigist Eleni Mohammed Memorial Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia, from July 1, 2022, to September 30, 2022. Data were collected from 70 cases and 140 controls using a semi-structured checklist. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select both charts of mothers with cases and controls. Charts of mothers with newborns Apgar score less than 7 were considered as cases; whereas a similar group of charts of mothers with newborns with fifth-minute Apgar score greater than or equal to 7 were categorized as control. Descriptive statistics and bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to describe the mothers and newborns and identify determinants of the fifth-minute low Apgar score, respectively. Adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with their respective 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to declare the determinant factors, and the statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. In total, 140 controls and 70 cases of mothers charts were enrolled in this study. The Mean ± SD age of mothers of cases and controls were 26.9 ± 4.9 and 27.06 ± 4.1 years, respectively. General anaesthesia (AOR = 4.2; 95% CI: 1.9 ‒ 9.3), rural residence (AOR = 3.7, 95% CI, 1.7‒8.1), low birth weight (AOR = 3.2, 95% CI, 1.3‒7.8), and emergency Cesarean section (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.2 ‒ 5.8) were identified determinant factors of low fifth minute Apgar score. A fifth-minute low Apgar score was significantly associated with newborns delivered through emergency Cesarean section, low birth weight, rural residence, and delivered from mothers who had undergone Cesarean section under general anaesthesia.