•Following a national policy reform of early childhood education in Ethiopia, the enrolment rate increased from 5 percent in 2010 to 46 percent in 2016.•Following this large-scale expansion of early ...childhood education, we find that inequalities in preschool access persisted with respect to a child's geographical location, gender, age.•Parental literacy plays a significant role in determining preschool participation in both 2010 and 2016.•After the expansion, preschool participation is significantly and positively associated with children's early reading skills in primary schools.
In Ethiopia, major policy reforms to increase equitable access to pre-primary education were instigated in 2010, leading to a surge in pre-primary school enrolment. This paper investigates the effects of the expansion on who gets access to pre-primary education and on readiness for primary school. We find that inequalities in pre-primary access between advantaged and disadvantaged regions of the country persist following the reforms, with girls less likely to attend school, particularly in more disadvantaged regions. More than half of children enrolled in pre-primary classrooms are below the official age of 6 years. Children from more advantaged backgrounds (those whose parents are literate, have reading materials at home, and live in urban areas) are more likely to participate in pre-primary schools both before and after the reform. Yet pre-primary education could play a role in equalizing opportunities in primary school: we find pre-primary participation to be positively associated with children's reading skills in Grades 2 and 3 of primary school after the expansion. These findings highlight the need to focus policy attention on efforts to reduce barriers to pre-primary access for children in disadvantaged circumstances.
Background: Anxiety is an un-pleasurable emotional state associated with psychophysiological changes in response to an intrapsychic conflict. The perioperative period is one of the worrying events ...for most surgical patients. Despite preoperative anxiety having many negative consequences on post-operative physical and mental health, no adequate information on the degree to which the preoperative period exposed clients to preoperative anxiety and its associated factors. Objective: To assess the prevalence of preoperative anxiety and associated factors among adult surgical patients in Debre Berhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia. Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1, 2020, to August 30, 2020. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale (S-STAI) was used to measure the level of pre-operative anxiety. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to collect the data. The data were entered to Epi-Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for data analysis. A statistically significant association was declared at a p-value less than 0.05. Results: A total of 330 patients were enrolled in the study with a response rate of 93.2%. The prevalence of a high level of preoperative anxiety was 53.6% (95% CI (49.6-58.7)). Being female 3.2 (2.19, 3.71) illiterate 4.1 (2.01, 15.39), fear of death 2.12 (1.30, 3.44), results of operation 2.60 (1.75, 4.18), postoperative pain 2.35 (1.37, 4.02), and surgical complication 1.9 (1.03, 12.13) were statistically significant factors. Conclusion: Preoperative anxiety affects more than half of surgical patients which is a high and serious health burden. Additionally, this study revealed that being female, illiterate, fear of death, having a history of surgical complications and fear of complications, and fear of postoperative pain were significantly associated with preoperative anxiety. Assessing during the preoperative period helps to detect and ameliorate the problem. Preoperative counseling and informed consent taken as a prerequisite for surgery will help in reducing preoperative anxiety. Keywords: preoperative period, preoperative anxiety, surgical patient, Ethiopia
The development of modern automated machines in industries has considerably decreased the physical burden of workers in addition to increasing the productivity of the industries resulting in noise ...pollution. Noise exposure above the limit value of 90 dB (A) is known to cause temporary hearing loss among exposed workers.
Institutional-based cross-sectional study design was employed for a total of 406 study participants using a simple random sampling technique from January 15 to April 30, 2019. The data collection methods were observational checklist and a self-administered questionnaire. The collected data were entered into EpiData software version 4.2 and exported to SPSS software version 21 for analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic analyses wwere used to identify the associated factors. Statistical significance was declared using a 95% confidence interval and
-value of less than 0.05.
A total of 388 study participants were included in the study with a response rate of 95.6%, of which 254 (65.5%) were females. The overall temporary hearing loss among the textile factory workers was found to be 49% with COR=1.53; 95% CI (1.15-2.03). The workers from the spinning department were 2.38 times more likely to develop temporary hearing loss after exiting from work than workers from the dyeing department (95% CI= (1.16-4.90). Similarly, workers from the knitting department were 3.67 times more likely to develop temporary hearing loss after exiting from work than workers from the dyeing department (95% CI=1.42-9.47).
The present study demonstrated that the workforce in the spinning and knitting departments of the textile factory had a high prevalence of temporary hearing loss than the workers in dyeing and garment working sections. Therefore, the textile factory should provide hearing protection devices to the workers.
Recent research on the effects of COVID-19 on school closures has mainly focused on primary and secondary education, with extremely limited attention to early childhood education (ECE). To address ...this gap, we identify the extent to which parents and caregivers with pre-primary school-aged children were engaged in their children’s learning during school closures in Ethiopia. Our focus on Ethiopia is of particular relevance given that ECE provision has expanded dramatically in recent years, aimed at ensuring children are prepared for primary school. Using data collected through a phone survey with 480 parents and caregivers, the results revealed that learning disruption due to COVID-19 school closures is likely to be substantial and will probably widen existing inequalities further. Many poorer households and those where parents or caregivers are not literate, are less likely to have child-oriented learning resources, and home learning activities between parents and children in these households are limited. The study highlights that greater attention needs to be paid to mitigate the threats of COVID-19 on Ethiopia’s recent gains in ECE, to prevent the pandemic from further reinforcing inequalities between children from advantaged and disadvantaged households.
Located at the intersection of the education system, the school and community, school principals now have the responsibility for the effectiveness of school-level responses to the COVID-19 crisis. ...This includes translating directives into practice during school closures as well as supporting teachers to continue to provide learning and responding to local needs, including the specific needs of disadvantaged students. Subsequently, teachers have a direct responsibility for supporting students during school closures, especially those who are disadvantaged. This article aims to provide an understanding of the response of school principals and teachers during school closures using data collected in Ethiopia through phone surveys with 127 school principals and 316 teachers in August 2020. We explore the support school principals received from the government during school closures as well as contact by school principals and teachers with parents and caregivers. Our findings suggest an important role for the local government in supporting school-level responses to the COVID-19 pandemic while parents and caregivers are important in helping to cater for the needs of disadvantaged groups.
Introduction: The promotion and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle remains a persistent challenge globally. As a result, the deleterious effects of chronic diseases are escalating globally. But, ...nevertheless healthy diet and physical activity practices are not yet assessed among university students in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing healthy diet and physical activity among Mekelle university students from September 2019 to June 2020. Methods: We used cross-sectional study design and the study was carried out at Mekelle University among undergraduate students. Data collected by using normalized and pre-tested questionnaire. Binary logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with diet and physical activity. Multivariable analysis was used to determine significant predictors of healthy diet and physical activity. Results: The practice of healthy diet and physical activity was 68.20% (poor), 31.75% (good) and 59.70% (poor), 40.3% (good), respectively. This study showed that college (AOR: 0.69, CI: 0.034-0.137, AOR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.104-0.391) and parent's resident (AOR: 1.331, 95% CI: 0.156-0.698) were significant predictors of healthy diet practice of study participants, whereas gender (AOR: 3.909, 95% CI: 2.549-5.993) and year of education (AOR: 0.411, 95% CI: 0.204-0.826), college (AOR: 0.358, 95% CI: 0.2120.604), were significantly associated with physical activity practice. Conclusion: The study revealed that the majority of the study participants were poor in both healthy diet and physical activity practices. Keywords: healthy diet, physical activity, university students, Mekelle, Ethiopia
Traumatic brain injury is the main cause of injury-related deaths and disabilities throughout the world, which is characterized by a disruption of the normal physiology of the brain following trauma. ...It can potentially cause severe complications such as physical, cognitive, and emotional impairment. In addition to understanding traumatic brain injury pathophysiology, this review explains the therapeutic potential of stem cells following brain injury in two pathways: response of endogenous neurogenic cells and transplantation of exogenous stem cell therapy. After traumatic brain injuries, clinical evidence indicated that endogenous neural progenitor cells might play an important role in regenerative medicine to treat brain injury. This is due to an increased neurogenic regeneration ability of these cells following brain injury. Besides, exogenous stem cell transplantation has also accelerated immature neuronal development and increased endogenous cellular proliferation in the damaged brain region. Therefore, a better understanding of the endogenous neural stem cell's regenerative ability and the effect of exogenous stem cells on proliferation and differentiation ability may help researchers to understand how to increase functional recovery and tissue repair following injury. Keywords: traumatic brain injury, stem cell therapy, neural stem cells, endogenous neurogenesis, cell transplantation
Oral rehydration therapy is a critical intervention to save the lives of children during episodes of diarrhea and vomiting. However, millions of children die every year due to failure to replace ...fluid effectively. Nearly all dehydration-related deaths can be preventable by prompt administration of rehydration therapy. The current study aimed to assess oral rehydration therapy utilization and associated factors among children with diarrhea in Debre Berhan town.
Community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2020. The study participants were selected by systematic random sampling. The first household was selected randomly by the lottery method. The collected data were checked for completeness and relevance, and then entered into EPI data and transferred to SPSS for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the ORT utilization and predictor variables. A p-value less than 0.05 was considered a cutoff point for statistical significance for all statistical tests.
The study included 233 participants with a 99% response rate. Among them, 73% 95% Cl: 66.8 78.6 of caregivers had given oral rehydration therapy to their children. Previous use of oral rehydration therapy AOR: 5.3, Cl: 2.1-13.32, health-seeking behavior AOR: 5.7, Cl: 2.07-15.6, knowledge about oral rehydration therapy AOR: 4.2, Cl: 1.7-10.46, caregivers' perception of tooth eruption AOR: 3.13, Cl: 1.08-9, weaning as causes of diarrhea AOR: 6.7, Cl: 2.49-17.9, and recognize the severity sign of dehydration AOR: 5.6, Cl: 2.16-14.7 became significant factors of oral rehydration therapy.
Nearly two-thirds of the mothers give oral rehydration therapy while their child develops diarrhea. Mothers had previous oral rehydration therapy, good health-seeking behavior, knowledge about oral rehydration therapy, caregivers' perception of tooth eruption, and weaning as causes of diarrhea. Signs to recognize the severity of dehydration were important factors with oral rehydration therapy utilization. It will be better to give mothers special attention to hindering factors from giving oral rehydration therapy for their beloved child during diarrheal disease.
Diabetic foot ulcer is among the commonest complications of diabetic mellitus attributed to a number of morbidity and mortality cases in diabetic patients. Nowadays, the incidence of diabetic foot ...ulcer is increasing due to the increased prevalence of diabetes. However, the risk factors of the problem are less studied in Ethiopia. Hence, this study was conducted to assess the determinants of diabetic foot ulcer among adult patients with diabetes attending a diabetic clinic in Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2019.
An institution-based unmatched case-control study was conducted on 161 patients with diabetes (53 patients with diabetes with foot ulcer and 108 patients with diabetes without foot ulcer). Cases were selected from patients with diabetes with foot ulcer by consecutive sampling technique and controls from patients with diabetes without diabetic foot ulcer by systematic random sampling technique. A binary logistic regression model was used to assess the association between the dependent and independent variables. All variables with a
-value<0.25 were included in the multivariable analysis. Statistical significance was declared at
-value<0.05 with 95% confidence interval.
In this study, 28 (52.8%) cases and 55 (50.9%) controls were male. Taking insulin alone (AOR=2.75, 95% CI=1.04-7.23), having peripheral neuropathy (AOR=7.56, 95% CI=2.82-20.24), not inspecting feet daily (AOR=5.61, 95% CI=2.24-14.05), and using moisturizing cream between toes (AOR=3.35, 95% CI=1.35-8.32) were positively associated with diabetic foot ulcer, whereas employed (AOR=0.35, 95% CI=0.14-0.87) and combined treatment (insulin and oral hypoglycemic agents) (AOR=0.11, 95% CI=0.02-0.57) were negatively associated with diabetic foot ulcer.
Diabetic foot ulcer was significantly associated with occupation, kind of treatment of diabetes mellitus taking, peripheral neuropathy, inspecting feet daily, and putting moisturizing cream between toes. It will be helpful if diabetic patients inspect their feet on a daily basis and do not put moisturizing cream between their toes.
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