Factors associated with minimal meal frequency and dietary diversity practices among infants and young children in the predominantly agrarian society of Bale zone,Southeast Ethiopia: a community based cross sectional study

Background

Poor infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices in the first 2 years of age are among major causes of childhood malnutrition, in developing countries including Ethiopia. It results in irreversible outcomes of stunting, poor cognitive development, and significantly increases risks of many chronic and infectious diseases. This study was intended to assess factors associated with minimum meal frequency and minimum dietary diversity practice among children aged 6–23 months in the predominantly agrarian society of Bale zone, Southeast Ethiopia.

Methods

A community based cross sectional study was employed from January to June 2016. An interviewer administered, pretested and structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Multi-stage sampling followed by a systematic random sampling technique was used to include study subjects. Data was entered using Epi info version 3.5.3 and analyzed by SPSS version 20. In the logistic regression, both bivariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to identify factors associated with minimum meal frequency and minimum dietary diversity scores. All variables with P-values of <0.2 in the bivariate were earmarked for the multivariate analysis. Both Crude Odds Ratio (COR) and Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) were computed at 95% Confidence Interval (CI) to determine the strength of associations. In the multivariate analysis, variables at P–Values of <0.05 were considered as statistically significant with minimum meal frequency and dietary diversity practice.

Result

A total of 801 infants and young children aged 6–23 months and their mothers participated in the study. The overall prevalence of minimum meal frequency and minimum dietary diversity practice was 68.4% [95% CI: 0.652, 0.716] and 28.5% [95% CI: 0.254, 0.316], respectively. Child age (AOR = 0.29; 95% CI: 0.28, 0.94) and parity of mother (AOR = 2.8; 95% CI: 1.11, 7.50) were independently associated with minimal meal frequency. On the other hand, mothers educational level (AOR = 0.52; 95% CI: 0.28, 0.94), child illness in the past 1 week (AOR = 0.44; 95% CI: 0.26, 0.73) and maternal counselling on IYCF practice during postnatal care (PNC) visits (AOR = 2.6; 95% CI: 1.59, 4.45) were factors statistically associated with dietary diversity practice in the study area.

Conclusion and recommendations

Compliance to recommended minimum meal frequency and diversified diets was low in this study community. Minimum meal frequency was associated with the age of child and parity of mother. But, mothers’ education, child illness in the past 1 week, and maternal counseling on IYCF during PNC visits were factors associated with minimum dietary diversity practice. Improving the level of maternal and child health care utilization, increasing the educational level of mothers and providing health and nutrition counseling on IYCF during maternal PNC service visits are vital interventions to improve IYCF practices in the predominantly agrarian society of Bale zone, Southeast Ethiopia.

     

In-vitro antimicrobial activity screening of some ethnoveterinary medicinal plants traditionally used against mastitis,wound and gastrointestinal tract complication in Tigray Region,Ethiopia

Objective

To screen the antibacterial activity of nine ethnoveterinary plants traditionally used for the treatment of mastitis, wound and gastrointestinal complications.

Methods

Hydroalcoholic exctracts of medicinal plants namely, Achyranthes aspera (A. aspera) L. (Family Asparagaceae), Ficus caria (F. caria) (Family Moraceae), Malvi parviflora (M. parviflora) (Family Malvaceae), Vernonia species (V. species) (local name Alakit, Family Asteraceae), Solanum hastifolium (S. hastifolium) (Family Solanaceae), Calpurinia aurea (C. aurea) (Ait) Benth (Family Fabaceae), Nicotiana tabacum (N. tabacum) L. (Family Solanaceae), Ziziphus spina-christi (Z. spina-christi) (Family Rhamnaceae), Croton macrostachys (C. macrostachys) (Family Euphorbiaceae), were screened against clinical bacterial isolates of veterinary importance from October 2007 to April 2009. The antibacterial activity was tested using disc diffusion at two concentrations (200 mg/mL and 100 mg/mL) and broth dilution methods using 70% methanol macerated leaf extracts.

Results

With the exception of S. hastifolium all plant extracts exhibited antibacterial activity. Among the medicinal plants tested C. aurea, C. macrostachyus, A. aspera, N. tabacum and vernonia species (Alakit) showed the most promising antimicrobial properties.

Conclusions

It can be concluded that many of the tested plants have antibacterial activity and supports the traditional usage of the plants for mastitis, wound and gastrointestinal complications treatment. Further studies into their toxicity and phytochemistry is advocated.     

Ownership and use of insecticide-treated nets in Oromia and Amhara regional states of Ethiopia two years after a nationwide campaign

Objective To evaluate the ownership and use of insecticide‐treated nets (ITNs) by the local community 2 years after a free distribution campaign in Ethiopia. Methods This is a population‐based survey using a two‐stage cluster sample design in 115 randomly selected clusters in Oromia and Amhara regional states of Ethiopia, performed in June 2009. Data on the possession and use of ITNs were collected using structured and pre‐tested questionnaires through house‐to‐house visits. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the effect of participant’s malaria knowledge, location and ITN characteristics on the use of ITNs. Results A total of 2874 households participated in the study, and 90.6% of the study population was knowledgeable about ITNs. About 49.1% of households reported at least one ITN; 28.4% owned two or more. ITN coverage was significantly lower in Oromia (34.9%) than in Amhara (76.8%, P < 0.001). The average number of ITNs per ITN‐owning household was 1.8. In all surveyed households, only 21.8% of all family members, 29.4% of all children under the age of 5 years and 23.2% of all pregnant women had slept under an ITN the night preceding the survey. Among ITN‐owning households, 63.0% of all children under the age of 5 years and 52.1% of pregnant women had slept under an ITN the night before the survey. Using multivariate analysis, factors significantly associated with ITN use were number of ITNs in the household, number of ITNs hung over the bed in the household, women’s knowledge of ITNs and women’s lack of problem in using ITNs, whereas region, area of residence and ITN status were not. Conclusions Household ITN ownership and use remain below the current Roll Back Malaria targets of universal coverage. A replacement strategy is urgently needed to scale‐up coverage and use of ITNs.     

Strengthening pharmaceutical care education in Ethiopia through instructional collaboration

Objective. To describe the development, implementation, and initial outcomes of a pharmaceutical care training-of-trainers course developed to assist Ethiopian pharmacy faculty members and graduate students in the development of curriculum and provision of pharmaceutical care services of relevance to this low-income country.Design. In this collaboration, US and Ethiopian faculty members worked together in a week-long seminar and in hospital ward rounds to develop and offer a course to facilitate faculty members, curricular, and service development in pharmaceutical care in Ethiopia.Assessment. Assessments were conducted during the seminar, immediately post-seminar, at 3 months post-seminar, and at 1 year post-seminar. An examination was administered at the conclusion of the course to assess immediate learning outcomes for the graduate students. Post-course assessments of short-term (3-month) and longer-term (12-month) impact were conducted to identify pharmaceutical care services that had been implemented to assess knowledge and skill gained during the seminar. Correspondence between seminar participants and the US faculty members as well as graduate student thesis projects provided further evidence of changes at 3 and 12 months post-course.Conclusion. Pharmaceutical care training was developed for Ethiopian faculty members through a seminar and hospital ward rounds. Enhancements have been added to curricula for bachelor in pharmacy students and select pharmaceutical care services have been implemented through master''s thesis projects.     

Characterization of mosquito breeding sites in and in the vicinity of tigray microdams

Background

Malaria vector control in Ethiopia has a history of more than 50 years, but malaria remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Ethiopia. Thus, targeting the control program on the larval stage is of paramount importance. This study aimed to characterize the aquatic habitats of vector mosquito larvae associated with micro-dams.

Methods

Cross-sectional larval survey was conducted on six micro-dams in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia in 2005/06. The study area on each dam was divided into eight zones. Immature stages of mosquitoes were collected using standard dippers. The physico-chemical characteristics of the aquatic habitats were measured onsite.

Results

A total of 301 aquatic habitats were surveyed for mosquito larvae; in 32.56% (n=301) only Anopheles, in 27.91% only Culex, both genera were found mixed in 21.59% and no mosquito larvae were found in 17.94%. The findings depicted that dissolved oxygen (r = 0.34, p =0.04), pH (r = 0.35, p =0.03), conductivity (r = 0.36, p =0.03), vegetation (F = 3.54, p =0.002), microhabitat (F = 2.65, p =0.04), fauna and bottom surface of the water body were positively associated and important in explaining the presence and abundance of Culex. On the other hand, dissolved oxygen (r = 0.39, p =0.02), pH (r = 0.42, p =0.008), vegetation (F = 5.6, p =0.000), water transparency (F = 2.72, p =0.00), rainfall (F = 2.22, p = 0.027) and fauna were positively associated and important in explaining the presence and abundance of Anopheles.

Conclusion

The findings of this study suggest that both biotic (vegetation and fauna) and abiotic (chemical and physical) factors play a significant role in larvae''s habitat preference in both Culex and Anopheles.     

Grass Pea and Neurolathyrism: Farmers’ perception on its consumption and protective measure in North Shewa, Ethiopia

Neurolathyrism in Ethiopia is caused by food dependency on grass pea (Lathyrus sativus L.). In the study area, a large proportion of the farmers are growing grass pea since it can withstand harsh environments. Socio-economic factors (poverty; lack of money to buy other food legumes) and environmental problems (such as water logging and frost hazards) influence consumption of grass pea. Most of the respondents have the idea that some chemical contained in grass pea causes a health problem. Different processing and preparation methods are used to prepare grass pea into different food forms. The major processing methods include washing and soaking, as the farmers apply these methods mainly because they assume that the chemical that causes lathyrism, scientifically known as β-ODAP (β-N-oxalyl-l-α,β-diaminopropionic acid) is reduced through washing and soaking. The farmers adopt different strategies to avoid the problem of lathyrism such as avoiding consumption of grass pea in the form that they suspect to cause the problem, blending/mixing with other crops, applying different processing/detoxification methods. Since grass pea is consumed with a fear of lathyrism, future research should concentrate either on developing grass pea varieties with safe level of β-ODAP content or improving the traditional/indigenous processing methods.     

Seasonal and altitudinal variations in fly density and their association with the occurrence of trachoma, in the Gurage zone of central Ethiopia

In the Gurage zone of central Ethiopia, the association between fly density and the occurrence of trachoma has been investigated across varying altitudes. The seasonal pattern of fly density in the area was also explored. When, over short sampling periods (10 min/child indoors and 10 min/child outdoors), hand nets were used to collect flies from the eyes of children aged 2-8 years, only Musca sorbens and M. domestica were caught. Almost all of the 13,147 'eye-seeking' flies collected came from villages at low (<2000 m; 40.7%) or mid altitudes (2200-2500 m; 58.6%) with only 0.7% of them caught in the high-altitude villages investigated (at >3000 m). Musca sorbens predominated outdoors and M. domestica indoors. Almost all (99.3%) of the eye-seeking M. sorbens collected were caught outdoors whereas most (76.7%) of the M. domestica were caught indoors (P<0.0001 for each). The median numbers of flies caught, per child, per 10-min collection, in the low-, mid- and high-altitude villages were 9.5, six and zero, respectively, for M. sorbens, and eight, three and zero, respectively, for M. domestica. The altitudinal trends in these numbers of 'eye-seeking' flies matched those in the prevalences of active trachoma among children aged 1-10 years, which were high in the villages at low (81.6%) and mid altitude (78.7%) but much lower (1.7%) in the high-altitude villages. In conclusion, trachoma is a common disease of public-health importance only in the low- and mid-altitude villages in the Gurage zone, where there are large numbers of eye-seeking flies, and not in the villages that lie >3000 m above sea level, where there is a dearth of such flies.