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Melkam Tesfaye,1 Tilahun Yemane,2 Wondimagegn Adisu,2 Yaregal Asres,2 Lealem Gedefaw,21Department of Clinical Laboratory, Bonga Hospital, Bonga, 2Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Pathology, College of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia Background: Adolescence is the period of most rapid growth second to childhood. The physical and physiological changes that occur in adolescents place a great demand on their nutritional requirements and make them more vulnerable to anemia. Anemia in the adolescence causes reduced physical and mental capacity and diminished concentration in work and educational performance, and also poses a major threat to future safe motherhood in girls. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of anemia and its associated factors among school adolescents in Bonga Town, southwest Ethiopia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 408 school adolescents in Bonga Town, southwest Ethiopia, from March 15, 2014 to May 25, 2014. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and other data. A total of 7 mL of venous blood and 4 g of stool samples were collected from each study participant. Blood and stool samples were analyzed for hematological and parasitological analyses, respectively. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20 software for Windows. Results: The overall prevalence of anemia was 15.2% (62/408), of which 83.9% comprised mild anemia. The proportion of microcytic, hypochromic anemia was 53% (33/62). Being female (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =3.04, 95% confidence interval (CI) =1.41–6.57), household size ≥5 (AOR =2.58, 95% CI =1.11–5.96), father's illiteracy (AOR =9.03, 95% CI =4.29–18.87), intestinal parasitic infection (AOR =5.37, 95% CI =2.65–10.87), and low body mass index (AOR =2.54, 95% CI =1.17–5.51) were identified as determinants of anemia among school adolescents. Conclusion: This study showed that anemia was a mild public health problem in this population. School-based interventions on identified associated factors are important to reduce the burden of anemia among school adolescents. Keywords: anemia, school adolescents, associated factors, Bonga Town

Abstract Background In Ethiopia, the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services (SRH) is alarmingly inadequate, leading to higher rates of maternal and newborn mortality. Disparities in accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services exist among different population groups, with construction worker women at a higher risk of experiencing such issues. We investigated the utilization of sexual and reproductive health services and associated factors among construction worker women in Southern Ethiopia. Method We conducted a cross-sectional study among construction worker women (15–49) in Southern Ethiopia from July 1st to July 30th, 2021. The participants were selected randomly using venue-day-time sampling (VDTS). The data were collected by a pretested structured questionnaire using an open data kit (ODK) and exported to Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 for analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with sexual and reproductive health service utilization. An adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI was used and statistical significance was declared at p-value

Abstract Background Despite increasing efforts to improve access to diagnosis and treatment services, women with pelvic organ prolapse tend to stay at home for years before getting treatment. A large number of women, particularly in rural areas do not get early diagnosis and treatment, and they come with an advanced stage; but the reason for this appears unclear. Thus, this study aimed to determine the proportion and associated factors of delay in seeking treatment among women with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in the Wolaita zone, Southern Ethiopia. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study mixed with qualitative method was conducted in the Wolaita zone, Southern Ethiopia, from September to October 2021. A total of 422 women with pelvic organ prolapse were selected by systematic random sampling for quantitative data. The women recruited for in-depth interviews were purposefully selected until data saturation reaches via phenomenological study design. The quantitative data were collected by interviewer-administered questionnaire and reviewing clients’ medical records via an open data kit and then exported to and analyzed with a statistical package for social science version 25. The associated variables were determined by conducting a logistic regression model and are presented with the crude odds ratio (COR) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). All statistical tests were conducted at a 5% level of significance. The interview was first transcribed, coded, and categories and themes were generated by applying thematic analysis. Results The study showed that 82.0% (95% CI: [74.8-89.3%]) of women with POP delayed seeking treatment. The delay to seek treatment was associated with a lack of support (AOR = 4.9; 95% CI [1.8–13.2]), low-income (AOR = 6.4; 95% CI [2.2–19.2]), fear of disclosure (AOR = 5.0; 95% CI [1.3–19.2]) and fear of social stigma (AOR = 4.6; 95% CI [1.5–14.2]). The reasons for the delay were feeling shameful to disclose, fear of stigma and cultural and spiritual beliefs. Conclusions More than three-fourths of women with POP delayed seeking treatment, and improving support, improving the economy, raising awareness, and involving influential people in interventions are all necessary to avert it.

Background: Clinical laboratory reference intervals are an important tool to identify abnormal laboratory test results. The generating of hematological parameters reference intervals for local population is very crucial to improve quality of health care, which otherwise may lead to unnecessary expenditure or denying care for the needy. There are no well-established reference intervals for hematological parameters in southwest Ethiopia., Objective: To generate hematological parameters reference intervals for apparently healthy individuals in southwest Ethiopia., Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted involving 883 individuals from March to May 2017. Four milliliter of blood sample was collected and transported to Jimma University Medical Center Laboratory for hematological analysis and screening tests. A hematological parameters were measured by Sysmex XS-500i hematology analyzer (Sysmex Corporation Kobe, Japan). The data were analyzed by SPSS version 20 statistical software. The non-parametric independent Kruskal-Wallis test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test (Mann-Whitney U test) were used to compare the parameters between age groups and genders. The 97.5 percentile and 2.5 percentile were the upper and lower reference limit for the population., Results: The reference interval of red blood cell, white blood cell, and platelet count in children were 4.99 × 10 12 /L (4.26-5.99 × 10 12 /L), 7.04 × 10 9 /L (4.00-11.67 × 10 9 /L), and 324.00 × 10 9 /L (188.00-463.50 × 10 9 /L), respectively. The reference interval of red blood cell, white blood cell, and platelet count in adults was 5.19 × 10 12 /L (4.08-6.33 × 10 12 /L), 6.35 × 10 9 /L (3.28-11.22 × 10 9 /L), and 282.00 × 10 9 /L (172.50-415.25 × 10 9 /L), respectively. The reference interval of red blood cell, white blood cell, and platelet count in geriatrics were 5.02 × 10 12 /L (4.21-5.87 × 10 12 /L), 6.21 × 10 9 /L (3.33-10.03 × 10 9 /L), and 265.50 × 10 9 /L (165.53-418.80 × 10 9 /L), respectively. Most of the hematological parameters showed significant differences across all age groups., Conclusion: Most of the hematological parameters in this study showed differences from similar studies done in the country. This study provided population-specific hematological reference interval for southwest Ethiopians. Reference intervals should also be established in the other regions of the country., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.