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Children's consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) is increasing in Ethiopia, but relatively little is known about the specific feeding practices that underlie this pattern. The objective of this study was to explore patterns of consumption of UPF by infants and young children within a broader context of inappropriate complementary feeding practices in extremely poor households in rural Oromia, Eastern Ethiopia. A formative qualitative study was conducted using semistructured interview questionnaires developed drawing on a socioecological model. A total of 16 focus group discussions with mothers (45 respondents), fathers (21 respondents) and grandmothers (23 respondents) of children aged 6-23 months in households that were beneficiaries of the Productive Safety Net Program were conducted, along with four key informant interviews with health workers. Qualitative transcripts were complemented with field notes before qualitative content analysis was applied. The key findings suggest that UPF were widely provided to infants and young children as part of a pattern of suboptimal complementary feeding, including both early and late initiation of complementary foods. In particular, UPF (including juice, biscuits and lipid-based nutrient supplements) were diluted with or dissolved in water and fed to infants via bottle, often before the recommended age of initiation of 6 months. Mothers and caregivers reported that they perceived the products to be affordably priced and packaged, ready to use and convenient given their time constraints. The level of consumption of UPF and its effects on infant and young child feeding feeding practices and children's nutritional status in rural Ethiopia should be further explored. This qualitative analysis explored patterns of complementary feeding and consumption of ultra-processed foods by infants and young children in poor rural households that are beneficiaries of the Productive Safety Net Program in Ethiopia. The evidence shows that t

PR, IFPRI3; DCA; 2 Promoting Healthy Diets and Nutrition for all; 4 Transforming Agricultural and Rural Economies; ISI; IFPRIOA; SPIR, Poverty, Gender, and Inclusion (PGI); Food and Nutrition Policy, Children's consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) is increasing in Ethiopia, but relatively little is known about the specific feeding practices that underlie this pattern. The objective of this study was to explore patterns of consumption of UPF by infants and young children within a broader context of inappropriate complementary feeding practices in extremely poor households in rural Oromia, Eastern Ethiopia. A formative qualitative study was conducted using semistructured interview questionnaires developed drawing on a socioecological model. A total of 16 focus group discussions with mothers (45 respondents), fathers (21 respondents) and grandmothers (23 respondents) of children aged 6–23 months in households that were beneficiaries of the Productive Safety Net Program were conducted, along with four key informant interviews with health workers. Qualitative transcripts were complemented with field notes before qualitative content analysis was applied. The key findings suggest that UPF were widely provided to infants and young children as part of a pattern of suboptimal complementary feeding, including both early and late initiation of complementary foods. In particular, UPF (including juice, biscuits and lipid-based nutrient supplements) were diluted with or dissolved in water and fed to infants via bottle, often before the recommended age of initiation of 6 months. Mothers and caregivers reported that they perceived the products to be affordably priced and packaged, ready to use and convenient given their time constraints. The level of consumption of UPF and its effects on infant and young child feeding feeding practices and children's nutritional status in rural Ethiopia should be further explored.

Shiferaw Letta,1 Fekadu Aga,2 Tesfaye Assebe Yadeta,1 Biftu Geda,3 Yadeta Dessie4 1School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia; 2School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 3Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Madda Walabu University, Shashamene Campus, Shashamene, Ethiopia; 4School of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Shiferaw Letta, School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia, Tel +251911771934, Email shife1973@gmail.comBackground: Diabetes, together with its complications, has a considerable negative influence on people’s quality of life and healthcare delivery and raises diabetic mortality. However, there is limited information about the diabetes-associated chronic complications in the study setting. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the burden and factors related to the chronic complications among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Eastern Ethiopia.Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 879 patients with T2D at two public hospitals in Harar. The data were collected through interviews using a structured questionnaire. Data related to the diagnosis of chronic complications and biochemical tests were extracted from medical records. The outcome variable was the number of chronic complications that happened to the patients. A generalized Poisson regression model with robust variance estimation was used to investigate the association of independent variables with chronic complications. An adjusted prevalence ratio with a 95% CI was reported to show an association using a p-value ≤ 0.05.Results: One or more chronic complications were presented in 43% of T2D (95% CI: 39.65, 46.19). Macrovascular and microvascular complications were found in 27.6%

Shiferaw Letta,1 Fekadu Aga,2 Tesfaye Assebe Yadeta,1 Biftu Geda,3 Yadeta Dessie4 1School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia; 2School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; 3Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences, Madda Walabu University, Shashamene Campus, Shashamene, Ethiopia; 4School of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, EthiopiaCorrespondence: Shiferaw LettaSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, P.O. Box: 235, Harar, EthiopiaTel +251911771934Email shife1973@gmail.comBackground: All types of diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, nerves and increase the overall risk of disability and premature death. Diabetes mellitus requires a range of self-care practices, scientifically recommended to control the glycemic level and maintain the patient’s health. However, perceived barriers that hinder patients from fully implementing these diabetes self-care practices and obstacles have not been thoroughly explored. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the barriers to diabetes patients’ self-care practices from the perspective of health care providers in two public hospitals in Harar City, Eastern Ethiopia.Methods: Researchers conducted an exploratory qualitative study among 26 health care providers working in two public hospitals from March to June 2021. The study participants were recruited from different disciplines working on diabetes care. Interviews were conducted in the Amharic language until the saturation point was reached. The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed, and translated to English. Each transcript was read, re-read, and then exported to ATLAS.ti 7 software for coding. Field notes were used to supplement verbatim transcriptions. Initial codes were generated. The consistency between the