Determinants of Early Initiation of Breastfeeding in West Belessa District, Northwest Ethiopia

Background: The world is now suffering from malnutrition and remains one of the leading causes of death for under 5 children. Children from developing countries, including Ethiopia also suffer from undernutrition due to suboptimal breastfeeding practice. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the EIBF practices and determinants among children aged less than 24 months in West Belessa district, Northwest Ethiopia, 2019. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2 to February 28, 2019 in the West Belessa district. A total of 569 mother-children pairs were participated in the study. Study particnapants were selected by using simple random sampling technique. The data were collected by an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Data were entered and analyzed by using Epi-Info version 7 and SPPS version 20, respectively. Bi-variable and Multivariable logistic regression analysis were done. Odds ratio with 95% confidence was done to determine the level of significance value less than .05 considered as significant with the outcome variable. Result: The prevalence of early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) was found to be 77.7 % (95%CI, 74.3-81.0). Age of the mother (AOR = 2.76, 95%CI [1.21, 6.27]), antenatal care (ANC) (AOR = 3.79, 95%CI [2.58, 9.94]), and number of antenatal care visit (AOR = 1.85, 95%CI [1.03, 3.85]) were significantly associated with early initiation of breastfeeding. Conclusion and Recommendation: In this study, more than three fourth of children were received early initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour after delivery. Age of the mother, antenatal, and number of antenatal care were associated with EIBF. Therefore, during this contact period, improve antenatal services by increasing accessibility and providing counseling is important to improve EIBF utilization.

Prevalence and Intensity of Soil-Transmitted Helminths and Associated Factors among Adolescents and Adults in Bibugn Woreda, Northwest Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background. Soil-transmitted helminths are a common public health problem in Ethiopia, affecting all age groups. However, epidemiological studies and interventions primarily target school-age children, despite the fact that 44.6 million adults live in endemic areas. Hence, data on the prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted helminths infections and associated factors among adolescents and adults helps to expand interventions. Objective. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and intensity of soil-transmitted helminths and associated factors among adolescents and adults in Bibugn Woreda, East Gojjam, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Bibugn Woreda from February to September 2021. Using multistage proportionate sampling technique, 641 adolescents and adults were enrolled in this study. Data on sociodemographic characteristics and factors associated with helminthic infections was collected using structured questionnaire prepared in Amharic and administered through face-to-face interview. Parasite detection in stool samples was performed using modified formol-ether concentration and Kato-Katz techniques following standard protocols. Data was entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software version 25. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess factors associated with soil-transmitted helminths infections. P value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results. The overall prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths infection was 20.9% (134/641). The most detected parasite was Ascaris lumbricoides (12.5%), followed by hookworm species (7.5%) and Trichuris trichiura (1.1%). Fecal egg counts revealed that 96.5% (112/116) of the infections were with light parasite intensity, while 3.5% (4/116) were with moderate parasite intensity. Family size >5 (AOR = 1.866; 95% CI: 1.221–2.853; P = 0.004 ), absence of latrine (AOR = 3.675; 95% CI: 1.599–8.449; P = 0.002 ), and no habit of hand washing before meal (AOR = 2.622; 95% CI: 1.073–6.405; P = 0.034 ) were significantly associated with soil-transmitted helminths infections. Conclusion. There was moderate prevalence of soil-transmitted helminths among adolescents and adults with predominance of A. lumbricoides. Family size greater than five, absence of latrine, and no hand washing habit before meal predisposed adolescents and adults for soil-transmitted helminths. The existing school-based interventions should expand to address adolescents and adults.