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Background: Intimate partner violence is a thoughtful public health concern and human rights violation towards pregnant women for it has a significant negative health effect on the life of both the mother and her fetus. However, there is a scanty of information about the extent of intimate partner violence during pregnancy in Ethiopia, particularly in the study area. Therefore, the current study was conducted to determine the prevalence of intimate partner violence among pregnant women attending antenatal care and identify associated factors that cause it. Methods: An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on 409 pregnant women who were attending antenatal care service in Debre Markos town from March 17, 2018 –April 28, 2018. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select study participants. A pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Bivariable and Multivariable logistic regression models were done. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was used to identify factors associated with intimate partner violence during pregnancy. Results: The prevalence of intimate partner violence during current pregnancy was found to be 41.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 36.0–46.0). Of this, the prevalence of psychological, physical, and sexual violence was 29.1%, 21%, 19.8% respectively. Lower educational status of partners (AOR = 3.26, 95%CI: 1.45–7.36), rural residency (AOR = 4.04, 95%CI: 1.17–13.93), frequent alcohol abuse by partner (AOR = 4.79, 95% CI: 2.08–11.04), early initiation of antenatal care (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.24–0.81), the age of women between 17–26 years (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.21, 95%CI: 0.09–0.49),choice of partner by the women only (AOR = 3.26,95% CI:1.24–8.57) were statistically significant factors associated with intimate partner violence towards pregnant women. Conclusions: In this study, the prevalence of intimate partner violence during pregnancy is found to be high. As a result, interventions that would address the above mentioned factors need to be implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite the government’s efforts to decentralize and expand health institutions to promote facility-based child delivery, home delivery and maternal mortality are still widespread problems in Ethiopia. Most mothers continue to give birth at home. This study aims at identifying the socio-cultural practices, perceived benefit or need, and accessibility factors influencing women’s choice of health facilities for delivery services in Gida Ayana Woreda, western Ethiopia. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess women’s use of delivery care services in Gida Ayana Woreda, from November 2016 to January 2017; 459 women who were selected randomly participated in the study. We evaluated the socio-cultural, perceived benefit or need, and economic and physical accessibility factors in women’s choice of delivery care and used adjusted logistic regression analysis to examine significant predictors of delivery site use decisions. Results: Over half (56.6%) of the women self-reported using institutional delivery care; 80.9% gave birth at a health center. A socio-cultural variable, maternal education, significantly influenced women’s choice of health facility for delivery care services (AOR 3.4; 95% CI 2.0–5.9). Mothers’ knowledge level of obstetric complications and experience of complications during the last birth were the two perceived benefits or need factors associated with higher odds of receiving delivery care from decentralized local facilities. Utilization of health centers for maternal delivery care was significantly higher than of health posts (AOR 5.0; 95% CI 2.4–10.2). Availability of motorized transportation during labor to nearby delivery site was a significant predictor of institutional delivery. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the under-utilization of decentralized health facilities for maternal delivery care services in Gida Ayana Woreda, which was significantly influenced by socio-cultural, perceived need, and accessibility factors of women during childbirth. This suggests the need for tailored intervention to improve childbirth services use for mothers in this kind of rural settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Community-based health insurance (CBHI) scheme is an emerging strategy for providing financial protection against health-related poverty. It is being piloted in the Sheko district, but community satisfaction with the scheme has not yet studied. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the level of household’s satisfaction to CBHI scheme and associated factors in a piloted Sheko district; southwest Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Sheko district from March to April 2018. Data was collected on 528 households by using simple random sampling method. Trained data collectors gathered the data using a pre-tested and structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. To determine the independent predictors of household’s satisfaction to CBHI, a cut point of p values < 0.05 were used. Results: This study showed that more than half (54.7%) of the households were satisfied with the CBHI scheme. Satisfaction to CBHI was positively associated with adequate knowledge of CBHI benefit packages (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI = 1.55–3.38), type of health facility visit (AOR = 1.93, 95% CI = 1.09–3.39), laboratory service provision (AOR = 2.07, 95% CI = 1.15–373) and length of enrollment (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.01–2.32). Conclusions: Household’s satisfaction to CBHI scheme was moderate. Modifiable factors, including adequate knowledge of CBHI benefit packages, type of health facility visit, laboratory service provision, and length of enrollment were independent determinants of satisfaction. In order to augment enrollee’s satisfaction to CBHI, efforts should be given to improving their knowledge of CBHI benefit packages through education and information campaigns. Furthermore, due consideration should also be given to improving the quality of health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) against women is a major public health concern in low income countries. Violence against pregnant women has adverse effects on maternal and newborn outcomes. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated factors of intimate partner violence in Southeast Ethiopia pregnant women. Methods: Institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted on pregnant women who were attending antenatal care (ANC) in Bale Zone health institution during study period. Face to face interviews were conducted using a pre-tested structured questionnaire. Data related to socio-demographic characteristic, pregnancy and reproductive history, intimate partner behavior and IPV encountered during recent pregnancy was gathered for this study. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression were used for the data analysis. Odds ratio with 95% CI was computed to determine the presence and strength of associated factors with IPV. Results: A total of 612 pregnant women participated in the study. Of these, 361 (59.0%) pregnant women faced at least one type of IPV during the recent pregnancy. Physical violence (20.3%), sexual violence (36.3%), psychological/emotional violence (33.0), controlling behavior violence (30.4%) and economic violence (27.0) were the type of IPV encountered by participants. An intimate partners who were drank alcohol [AOR = 2.9; 95% CI: (1.5–5.4)], partners who were chewed Khat [AOR = 1.7; 95% CI: (1.1–2.6)], partners who were smoked cigarette [AOR = 2.6; 95% CI: (1.4–4.9)], partners who had aggressive behavior [AOR = 2.8; 95% CI: (1.7–4.6)], having partner age ≥30 year old [AOR = 1.8; 95% CI: (1.2–2.9)], unwanted pregnancy [AOR = 3.3; 95% CI: (1.9–5.5)] and history of adverse pregnancy outcome [AOR = 2.1; 95% CI: (1.2–3.6)] that were the factors that significantly associated with IPV of the pregnant women. Conclusion: The prevalence of IPV during pregnancy was high among the study participants. Intimate partners’ use of substance, intimate partners’ aggressive behavior, older intimate partners, unwanted pregnancy and history of adverse birth outcome were identified as associated factors for IPV. IPV needs to be considered during ANC service and integrated into the sexual and reproductive health education. Community-based interventions should be advocated as a way of health promotion. Counseling, awareness creation, service provision and program design on IPV is mandatory to minimize the victim. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tuberculosis remains a major public-health problem in the world, despite several efforts to improve case identification and treatment compliance. It is well known cause of ill-health among millions of people each year and ranks as the second leading cause of death from infectious disease worldwide. Despite implementation of the World health organization recommended strategy, the reductions in the incidence of TB have been minimal in high burden countries. Objectives and methods: A case control study was carried out to assess the risk factors of TB, where cases were newly registered bacteriologically confirmed pulmonary TB patients with age greater than 15 years who present at twenty health centres in Addis Ababa. Controls were age and sex matched attendees who presented in the same health centers for non-TB health problems. Results: A total of 260 cases and 260 controls were enrolled in the study and 45.8% of cases and 46.2% of controls were in the 26–45 years age bracket. According to the multivariable logistic regression analysis, seven variables were found to be independent predictors for the occurrence of TB after controlling possible confounders. Patients who live in house with no window or one window were almost two times more likely to develop tuberculosis compared to people whose house has multiple windows (AOR = 1.81; 95% CI:1.06, 3.07). Previous history of hospital admission was found to pose risk almost more than three times (AOR = 3.39; 95% CI: 1.64–7.03). Having a household member who had TB was shown to increase risk of developing TB by three fold (AOR = 3.00; 95% CI: 1.60, 5.62). The study showed that illiterate TB patients were found to be more than twice more likely to develop TB compared to subjects who can atleast read and write (AOR, 95% CI = 2.15, 1.05, 4.40). Patients with household income of less than 1000 birrs per month were more than two times more likely to develop TB compared to those who had higher income (AOR = 2.2; 95% CI: 1.28, 3.78). Smoking has also been identified as important risk factor for developing TB by four times (AOR = 4.43; 95% CI: 2.10, 9.3). BCG was found to be protective against TB reducing the risk by one-third (AOR = 0.34; 95% CI: 0.22, 0.54). Conclusion: This study showed that TB is more common among the most agile and economically active age group, and number of windows, history of hospital admission, a household member who had TB, illiteracy, low household income and smoking and lack of BCG scar were identified as independent risk factors. Therefore it is imperative that the TB control effort need a strategy to address socio economic issues such as poverty, overcrowding, smoking, and infection control at health care facilities level is an important intervention to prevent transmission of TB within the facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]