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Befekadu Oyato,1 Husen Zakir,1 Dursa Hussein,2 Tasfaye Lemma,3 Mukemil Awol1 1Department of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Salale University, Fitche, Ethiopia; 2Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Salale University, Fitche, Ethiopia; 3Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Salale University, Fitche, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Befekadu Oyato, Department of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Salale University, Fitche, Ethiopia, Email befekadutes2016@gmail.comIntroduction: Three years ahead of the plan, Ethiopia has met Millennium Development Goal 4 of reducing under-five mortality. Additionally, the nation is on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal of putting an end to preventable child mortality. Despite this, recent data from the nation showed that there were 43 infant deaths for every 1000 live births. Moreover, the country has fallen short of the 2015 Health Sector Transformation Plan goal, with an anticipated infant mortality rate of 35 deaths per 1000 live births in 2020. Thus, this study aims to identify the time to death and its predictors among Ethiopian infants.Methods: This study used the 2019 Mini-Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey data set to conduct a retrospective study. The analysis used survival curves and descriptive statistics. Multilevel mixed-effects parametric survival analysis was applied to identify the predictors of infant mortality.Results: The estimated mean survival time of infants was 11.3 months (95% CI: 11.1, 11.4). Women’s current pregnancy status, family size, age of women, previous birth interval, place of delivery, and mode of delivery were significant individual-level predictors of infant mortality. Infants born with less than 24 months’ birth interval had a 2.29 times higher estimated risk of death (AHR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.05, 5.02). Infants born at home were 2.48 times more likely to die than those born in a health facility (AHR = 2.48, 95% CI: 1.03, 5.98). At the community level, women’s education was the only statistically significant predictor of infant death.Conclusion: The risk of infant death was higher before the first month of life, typically shortly after birth. Healthcare programs should put a strong emphasis on efforts to space out births and make institutional delivery services more readily accessible to mothers in Ethiopia to address the infant mortality challenges.Keywords: predictors, infant mortality, multilevel-mixed effects, parametric survival analysis, Ethiopia

Abstract Here, the structural, optical, and adsorptive behaviors of Ni0.075‐xMnxAl0.025(OH)2(CO3)0.0125·yH2O (Ni‐Mn/Al) layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are investigated to capture fluoride from aqueous media. The 2D mesoporous plate‐like Ni‐Mn/Al LDHs are successfully prepared via a co‐precipitation method. The molar ratio of divalent to trivalent cations is maintained at 3:1 and the pH at 10. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) results confirm that the samples consist of pure LDH phases with a basal spacing of 7.66 to 7.72 Å, corresponding to the (003) planes at 2θ of 11.47o and the average crystallite sizes of 4.13 to 8.67 nm. The plate‐like Mn‐doped Ni‐Al LDH consists of many superimposed nanosheets with a size of 9.99 nm. Energy‐dispersive X‐ray and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies confirm the incorporation of Mn2+ into the Ni‐Al LDH. UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy results indicate that incorporating Mn2+ into LDH enhances its interaction with light. The experimental data from the batch fluoride adsorption studies are subjected to kinetic models such as pseudo‐first order and pseudo‐second order. The kinetics of fluoride retention on Ni‐Mn/Al LDH obey the pseudo‐second‐order model. The Temkin equation well describes the equilibrium adsorption of fluoride. The results from the thermodynamic studies also indicate that fluoride adsorption is exothermic and spontaneous.

Mulualem Silesh,1 Tesfanesh Lemma,1 Belete Fenta,2 Tsegaw Biyazin2 1Department of Midwifery, College of Health Science and Medicine, Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, Ethiopia; 2School of Nursing and Midwifery, Institute of Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Mulualem SileshDepartment of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, EthiopiaTel +251920249873Email sileshmulualem22@gmail.comIntroduction: Congenital anomalies are a major public health problem which is defined as structural or functional anomalies that occur during intrauterine life which can be detected prenatally, at birth, or sometimes may only be detected later in infancy. The impact of congenital anomalies is severe in middle- and low-income countries than in other developed and developing countries.Objective: To assess the prevalence and trends of congenital anomalies among neonates admitted at Jimma Medical Center from 2017 to 2019.Methods: A facility-based retrospective, descriptive crossectional study was conducted among neonates admitted at Jimma Medical Center from 2017– 2019. Descriptive analysis (frequency and percentage) was calculated for the variables. The result was present in the table, text, and figure.Results: From a total of 3346 admitted neonates, 199 (5.95%) neonates were diagnosed with congenital anomalies; of which 120 (60.3%), 146 (73.4%), 144 (72.4%) and 30 (15.1%) of neonates were males, urban dwellers, delivered with normal birth weight and had multiple congenital anomalies, respectively. Central nervous system was the most commonly affected body system 56 (28.1%), followed by the gastrointestinal tract 41 (20.1%) and musculoskeletal system 32 (16.1%). The proportion of congenital anomalies was significantly increasing over time.Conclusion: The overall prevalence of congenital anomalies was high and increased from year to year. The proportions observed in the study indicated that a significant number of neonates were affected and suffered from the impacts of congenital anomalies which need immediate preventive actions such as iron folate supplementation during preconception and early pregnancy. Therefore, design strategies to create community awareness and prevention mechanism of congenital anomalies, and strengthening the care and rehabilitation services for affected patients are crucial.Keywords: congenital anomalies, Jimma Medical Center, Ethiopia

Here, the structural, optical, and adsorptive behaviors of Ni0.075‐xMnxAl0.025(OH)2(CO3)0.0125·yH2O (Ni‐Mn/Al) layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are investigated to capture fluoride from aqueous media. The 2D mesoporous plate‐like Ni‐Mn/Al LDHs are successfully prepared via a co‐precipitation method. The molar ratio of divalent to trivalent cations is maintained at 3:1 and the pH at 10. The X‐ray diffraction (XRD) results confirm that the samples consist of pure LDH phases with a basal spacing of 7.66 to 7.72 Å, corresponding to the (003) planes at 2θ of 11.47o and the average crystallite sizes of 4.13 to 8.67 nm. The plate‐like Mn‐doped Ni‐Al LDH consists of many superimposed nanosheets with a size of 9.99 nm. Energy‐dispersive X‐ray and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies confirm the incorporation of Mn2+ into the Ni‐Al LDH. UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy results indicate that incorporating Mn2+ into LDH enhances its interaction with light. The experimental data from the batch fluoride adsorption studies are subjected to kinetic models such as pseudo‐first order and pseudo‐second order. The kinetics of fluoride retention on Ni‐Mn/Al LDH obey the pseudo‐second‐order model. The Temkin equation well describes the equilibrium adsorption of fluoride. The results from the thermodynamic studies also indicate that fluoride adsorption is exothermic and spontaneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decarbonization of the global energy system requires a coordinated effort towards disruptive technology of renewable energy conversion and storage (ECS) that can be potential to secure and diversify energy systems by increasing efficiency of conversion and storage of intermittent energy sources. Porous nanostructures have been newly reported as a promising class of most effective materials for this purpose because of their unique advantages in terms of large surface‐to‐volume ratios, surface permeability, and void spaces. These offer abundant active sites for ultimate electrochemical activities by the shortening pathway of mass/charge transport. Particularly, Fe‐based mesoporous nanostructures (mp‐FeNSs) have been recently fascinating. Iron is a principal active center in nanocomposites and has high industrial suitability for next‐generation technology owing to its environment friendliness, abundance, and low cost. In this review, crucial technical advances related to mp‐FeNSs that have occurred during 2016–2020 are summarized in terms of synthesis, structural design strategy, and ECS applications such as water electrocatalysis, Li‐ion batteries, and supercapacitors. This review is supportive for potential readers to obtain general and professional information in this field since Fe‐based energy materials are exclusively introduced in the article including a fundamental understanding of electrochemistry and related technologies in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a procedure to mathematically model the counterweight of rotating links based on calculations according to design requirements. The main objective of the research is to introduce an effective method to design the counterweight using CAD drawing. A parameterized equation is formulated with the help of counterweight geometry derived from a typical crankshaft counterweight design. Using the law of moments and Center of gravity of links, the geometry of counterweight can be found using the formula that is parameterized with a single variable. The results were obtained by finding the roots of the final equation. The method was found to be effective in term of time consumption rather than implementing the iterative method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaria is a critical public health concern in Ethiopia, with significant socioeconomic consequences. Malaria data trend analysis is essential for understanding transmission patterns and adopting evidence-based malaria control measures. The purpose of this study was to determine the 5 year distribution of malaria in North Shewa zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia, in 2023., Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was employed to analyse the 5 year trend of malaria surveillance data in the North Shewa zone of the Amhara regional, Ethiopia, spanning from July 2018 to June 2023. The malaria indicator data were gathered from the zone's public health emergency management database. Malaria data from the previous 5 years was collected, compiled, processed, and analysed using Microsoft Excel 2019., Results: Among a total of 434,110 suspected cases 47,889 (11.03%) cases were confirmed as malaria, with an average annual malaria incidence rate of 4.4 per 1000 population in the Zone. Malaria cases exhibited an increase from Epidemiological Week (Epi week) 37 to Epi week 49 (September to November) and again from Epi week 22 to week 30 (May to July). Individuals aged 15 and above, and all districts in the Zone except Angolela were notably affected by malaria., Conclusion: Despite implementing various measures to reduce malaria incidence, the disease continues to persist in the zone. Therefore, the Zone Health Department should intensify its preventive and control efforts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Pregnant women and recent mothers face a higher risk of severe illness from Coronavirus disease 2019 due to physiological and immunological shifts during pregnancy, rendering them more vulnerable to inflammatory lung conditions. This susceptibility poses serious threats to both maternal and newborn health. Therefore, it is imperative for pregnant women to be fully informed about Coronavirus disease 2019 and to implement preventive measures. This study aimed to evaluate the collective knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to Coronavirus disease 2019 among pregnant women across Africa., Methods: The researchers collected studies from multiple databases, including Pub Med/MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochran library, and Google Scholar. A combination of search terms and Boolean operators were utilized to gather relevant literature. Each study underwent quality assessment by five authors independently, using the modified Newcastle Ottawa Scale tailored for cross-sectional research. Statistical analysis was conducted using STATA™ Version 11 software, and meta-analysis was performed using the random-effects (Der Simonian and Laird) method. Heterogeneity was evaluated using I-squared (I 2 ) statistics, and a one-out sensitivity analysis was carried out., Results: This systematic review and meta-analysis included 19 articles, involving a total of 7852 participants. It revealed that the combined estimated prevalence of good knowledge about Coronavirus disease 2019, positive attitudes, and good practices among pregnant women was found to be 61.8 % (95 % CI: 53.0%-70.65 %; I 2  = 98.7 %), 51.7 % (95 % CI: 30.34%-73.6 %; I 2  = 99.3 %), and 52.31 % (95 % CI: 41.48%-63.15 %; I 2  = 98.8 %) respectively., Conclusion: This study emphasizes a significant concern: pregnant women exhibit a notable lack of knowledge, positive attitudes, and preventive practices regarding Coronavirus disease 2019. Considering their heightened vulnerability, urgent action is required to improve their understanding, attitudes, and behaviours related to the virus. Healthcare professionals should take proactive measures to educate pregnant women, addressing this crucial gap through various strategies., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Low vaccine acceptance remains a public health threat, which is still common among healthcare workers. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to determine the level of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia. This review was reported using the PRISMA checklist. Eleven articles were retrieved, then extracted on Excel, and exported to STATA version 11 software for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of vaccine acceptance and it is 95% CI were presented using forest plots. Tests to check heterogeneity and publication bias were done. The estimated pooled prevalence of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among healthcare professionals in Ethiopia with a random-effects model was 54.59% (95% CI: 42.49, 66.69) through a heterogeneity index (I 2 ) of 99.1% ( p  < .001), which is relatively low. Therefore, it is important to identify and remove any myths or obstacles preventing healthcare professionals from accepting the COVID-19 vaccination.

This data article is a result of research conducted by a multidisciplinary team of researchers with the aim of analyzing agroecological transition and performance of agroecology in Ethiopia. It was conducted in four districts of Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's (SNNP) regional states - Fedis district (East Hararghe Zone) and Miesso district (West Hararghe Zone) from the Oromia region, and Kindo Koysha district (Wolaita Zone) and Meskan district (Gurage Zone) of SNNP region. The rationale behind generating this dataset lies on the fact that there is scanty empirical evidence on the multidimensional performance of agroecology in the country. Available evidence only provides data on limited indicators of sustainability. Hence, there is a lack of comprehensive data on the economic, environmental and social indicators of sustainability and agroecological transition in the context of smallholder farming systems in the country. To fill this gap, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) commissioned a consultancy project that employed the Tool for Agroecological Performance Evaluation (TAPE) to assess several dimensions and indicators of agroecological transitions and generate globally comparable data. A random sample of 619 farms were selected from 12 Kebeles (i.e., the lowest administrative unit), and trained enumerators gathered primary data based on a modified TAPE questionnaire using Kobo Toolbox. Participation of smallholders was on a voluntary basis and informed consent was obtained from the respondents. The survey questionnaire contained information on basic socio-economic and demographic characteristics, access to services and infrastructure, livelihood and Income-Generating Activities (IGAs), social and ecological indicators. Data on the 10 elements of agroecology was also collected. The collected data were entered into a STATA software, cleaned and analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics. The outputs were summarized in Tables, Charts and Graphs. Since the data contained in this data article are disaggregated by study district, categories of agroecological transition, production typology and land size groups, this can foster the promotion of specific projects and programs that can address expressed needs of smallholder farmers. It can also facilitate agro-ecological based implementation of development interventions to encourage agroecological transition, sustainable development and food systems. The dataset can also enable researchers, practitioners and other decision-makers to make comparative analysis on the economic, environmental and social dimensions of sustainability. The analyzed data is provided in this data article. The raw data used to prepare figures is provided as a supplementary material. A copy of the questionnaire, raw dataset, and description of variables are available online on Mendeley Data., (© 2023 Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Pregnancies in the bicornuate uterus are usually considered high-risk because of their association with poor reproductive outcomes such as recurrent pregnancy loss, cervical insufficiency, low birthweight, preterm birth, malpresentation, cesarean delivery, and uterine rupture. The objective of the report was to show that patients with a scared bicornuate uterus at post-term could have successful pregnancy outcomes. We are presenting a 28-year-old gravida III para II lady with a bicornuate scared uterus at post-term. She has a history of early third-trimester pregnancy loss, and her second pregnancy was delivered via cesarean section. In her first pregnancy, the patient's uterus was not identified as bicornuate. However, an ultrasound during her second pregnancy revealed that she had a bicornuate uterus, which led to the diagnosis. At term, the lady had a successful cesarean section. Lastly, for the current post-term pregnancy she had no prenatal check-up. Even though this, she was coming at the latent first stage of labor and an emergency cesarean section was done.Conclusion Successful outcomes could be achieved in patients with the bicornuate uterus at post-term gestation., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Poor quality of irrigation water and soil are among the major factors determining maize productivity in Ethiopia. This study assessed and evaluated the quality of irrigation water and soil under maize production in Soke and Woybo irrigation schemes in Boloso Sore district, Ethiopia. Four water samples per site per season were collected from the first point of the irrigation schemes and farm gate for dry and rainy seasons in 2019/2020. Soil samples of 108 were collected from 36 points, from which 18 composited samples were taken for laboratory analysis. Results show that irrigation water of the two schemes is non-saline (electrical conductivity <0.2 dS m -1 ) and in the normal pH range (6.5-7.5). Maximum concentration of cations in irrigation water was in the order of sodium (22.3 mg l -1 ) > potassium (7.3 mg l -1 ) > calcium (6.2 mg l -1 ) > magnesium (3.1 mg l -1 ). Moderate to severe sodicity (sodium adsorption ratio of 10.9) was also recorded. Sulfate, nitrate, and phosphate contents in water were trace, and increased during rainy seasons in downstream. Textural classes of soils are clay loam to clay, and less compact to restrict root penetration (bulk density ≤1.4 g cm -3 ), have slow infiltration rate (≤0.13 cm h -1 ), and medium level of total available water (≤178 mm m -1 ). Soils are strongly acidic to neutral (pH: 5-6.5), salt-free, and have low soil organic carbon (≤2.1%), low total nitrogen (≤0.1%), low available phosphorus and sulfur, and low Ca 2+ : Mg 2+ ratio. It can be concluded that the irrigation water in the study area has cation imbalance (poor quality) which affects soil quality and maize productivity. Likewise, soils of the study area have poor quality. Lime application, efficient fertilizer use, and organic matter applications can be suggested. Further study on optimizing fertilizer rates and irrigation levels has to be conducted to improve maize productivity., Competing Interests: The authors of this manuscript declare that there is no conflict of interest concerning the publication of this article., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Here, the structural, optical, and adsorptive behaviors of Ni 0.075-x Mn x Al 0.025 (OH) 2 (CO 3 ) 0.0125 ·yH 2 O (Ni-Mn/Al) layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are investigated to capture fluoride from aqueous media. The 2D mesoporous plate-like Ni-Mn/Al LDHs are successfully prepared via a co-precipitation method. The molar ratio of divalent to trivalent cations is maintained at 3:1 and the pH at 10. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results confirm that the samples consist of pure LDH phases with a basal spacing of 7.66 to 7.72 Å, corresponding to the (003) planes at 2 θ of 11.47 o and the average crystallite sizes of 4.13 to 8.67 nm. The plate-like Mn-doped Ni-Al LDH consists of many superimposed nanosheets with a size of 9.99 nm. Energy-dispersive X-ray and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies confirm the incorporation of Mn 2+ into the Ni-Al LDH. UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy results indicate that incorporating Mn 2+ into LDH enhances its interaction with light. The experimental data from the batch fluoride adsorption studies are subjected to kinetic models such as pseudo-first order and pseudo-second order. The kinetics of fluoride retention on Ni-Mn/Al LDH obey the pseudo-second-order model. The Temkin equation well describes the equilibrium adsorption of fluoride. The results from the thermodynamic studies also indicate that fluoride adsorption is exothermic and spontaneous., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2023 The Authors. Global Challenges published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)

Objectives: Preconception care can have a major public health impact by reducing maternal and childhood mortality and morbidity. Despite this importance, preconception care is still not implemented in majority of developing countries. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the proportion of knowledge of preconception care and its associated factors among reproductive-age women in Debre Berhan Town, Ethiopia., Design and Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study was employed from 1 March to 30 March 2019 among reproductive-age women. Data were collected via a face-to-face, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were entered into EpiData V.4.6 and exported to SPSS V.25 for analysis. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, variables with p<0.05 were declared statistically significant. The strength of statistical association was measured using adjusted OR (AOR) and 95% CI., Setting and Participants: The study was conducted in Debre Berhan Town, Ethiopia. A total of 414 reproductive-age women were enrolled in the study., Outcome: Knowledge of preconception (good or poor)., Results: Of the total 414 participants, 71 (17.1%) had good knowledge about preconception care. Women's occupation (AOR: 8.68, 95% CI 1.25 to 60.3), monthly income (AOR: 9.89, 95% CI 1.93 to 50.76), gravidity (AOR: 0.28, 95% CI 0.14 to 0.58), contraceptive use (AOR: 4.95, 95% CI 1.09 to 22.39), history of congenital abnormality (AOR: 7.53, 95% CI 2.03 to 27.96), history of neonatal death (AOR: 6.51, 95% CI 1.62 to 26.18) and time to reach a health facility (AOR: 0.37, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.79) were statistically associated with knowledge about preconception care., Conclusions: In this study area, only less than one-fifth of reproductive-age women had good knowledge of preconception care. Therefore, to improve women's knowledge about preconception care, a strong collaborative effort including several sectors should be made., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of immediate postpartum family planning utilisation and the associated factors among postpartum women at public hospitals of North Shoa Zone, Ethiopia., Design and Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 1-30 May 2020. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select the participants. Data were collected through a face-to-face interview using a structured and pretested questionnaire. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, p<0.05 and adjusted OR (AOR) with 95% CI were used to declare statistically significant factors., Setting and Participants: The study was conducted at public hospitals of North Shoa Zone, Ethiopia. A total of 394 postpartum women within 48 hours after giving birth before discharge from the selected hospitals were enrolled in the study., Outcome: Immediate postpartum family planning utilisation (used or not used)., Results: Of the total 394 participants, 84 (21.3%) used immediate postpartum family planning. The factors associated with immediate postpartum family planning utilisation were women's age (30-34 years) (AOR: 0.118; 95% CI 0.023 to 0.616), planning status of pregnancy (AOR: 3.175; 95% CI 1.063 to 9.484), reproductive intention (AOR: 5.046; 95% CI 1.545 to 16.479), partner support (AOR: 4.293; 95% CI 1.181 to 15.61), attitude towards family planning (AOR: 2.908; 95% CI 1.081 to 7.824) and maternal satisfaction with intrapartum care (AOR: 6.243; 95% CI 2.166 to 17.994)., Conclusion: In the study area, only less than a quarter of postpartum women used immediate postpartum family planning. Therefore, enhancing immediate postpartum family planning utilisation, strengthening community awareness to develop a favourable attitude towards family planning, promoting partner involvement in family planning and ensuring maternal satisfaction during intrapartum care are essential., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2022. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Background: Maternal satisfaction is an essential indicator of the quality and the efficiency of the health care systems. At a time when efforts are being made globally to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity, assessing maternal satisfaction is essential. There is a dearth of studies on maternal satisfaction with intrapartum care, particularly in the study area. This study aimed to assess maternal satisfaction with intrapartum care and associated factors among postpartum women at public hospitals of North Shoa Zone Ethiopia., Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study with a systematic random sampling technique was conducted from May1-30/ 2020. Data were entered into EpiData version 4.6 and analyzed using a statistical package for the social sciences version 25. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression were employed. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, level of statistical significance was declared at variables with p < 0.05 and the strength of the association was measured by an adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval., Result: Of the total 394 participants, 111 (28.2%) [95% CI: 23.9, 32.5] of postpartum women were satisfied with the intrapartum care. Place of residence [AOR: 1.934; 95% CI (1.183, 3.162)], planned status of the pregnancy [AOR: 2.245; 95% CI, (1.212, 4.158)], number of antenatal care visit [AOR: 2.389; 95% (1.437, 3.974)] and duration of labour [AOR: 2.463; 95% (1.378, 4.402)] were factors significantly associated with maternal satisfaction with intrapartum care., Conclusion: The proportion of maternal satisfaction with intrapartum care was low. Therefore, designing strategies to enhance maternal satisfaction by strengthening adherence to antenatal care visits, provision of family planning to prevent unplanned pregnancy, and strict utilization of partograph to prevent prolonged labour and childbirth-related complications are crucial., Competing Interests: he authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: As the studies show, in every minute in the world, 380 women become pregnant and 190 face unplanned or unwanted pregnancies; 110 experience pregnancy-related complications, and one woman dies from a pregnancy-related cause. Preconception care is one of the proven strategies for the reduction in mortality and decreases the risk of adverse health effects for the woman, fetus, and neonate by optimizing maternal health services and improves woman's health. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of utilization of preconception of care and associated factors in Africa., Methods: Systematic search of published studies done on PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science CINAHL, and manually on Google Scholar. This meta-analysis follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The quality of studies was assessed by the modified Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Meta-analysis was carried out using a random-effects method using the STATA™ Version 14 software., Result: From 249,301 obtained studies, 28 studies from 3 African regions involving 13067 women included in this Meta-analysis. The overall pooled prevalence of utilization of preconception care among pregnant women in Africa was found to be 18.72% (95% CI: 14.44, 23.00). Knowledge of preconception care (P = <0.001), preexisting medical condition (P = 0.045), and pregnancy intention (P = 0.016) were significantly associated with the utilization of preconception care., Conclusion: The results of this meta-analysis indicated, as one of best approaches to improve birth outcomes, the utilization of preconception care is significantly low among mothers in Africa. Therefore, health care organizations should work on strategies to improve preconception care utilization., Competing Interests: All authors declared they had no competing interests.