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Planning families is an important issue within the HIV community. The primary objective of this study was to explore the fertility desires and intentions of men living with HIV (MLWH). A cross-sectional survey containing 77 questions in 10 domains was developed, validated and administered to MLWH. The sample was stratified by sexual orientation, ethnicity, and city of residence. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine sociodemographic correlates of intention to have children. 276 men were recruited, of whom 118 (43%) identified as heterosexual and 158 (57%) as gay, bisexual, two-spirit or queer (GBTQ). 133 (45%) men wished and 120 (44%) actually intended to become a parent. Significantly more heterosexual men desired fatherhood (63% vs 37%

This policy brief aims to propose options to narrow the wood supply and demand gap through a critical scenario analysis at the national level, complemented with wood value chain analysis that reflects the on-the-ground realities. Limited access to credit services, complicated bureaucratic processes, insecure land tenure, and the dominant influence of government forestry enterprises in the wood value chain are among the key constraints to augmenting the national wood supply. The government needs to remove some of the complicated bureaucratic land acquisition processes to ensure tenure security for private investors, small- and medium-sized wood producers. Wood import substitution with locally produced wood products can reduce government spending, while promoting local industrialization, innovation, and job creation. Cross-sectoral collaboration among government departments and the need to extend the participation of small- and medium-scale wood producers beyond wood production to wood processing and marketing activities is crucial to upscale the wood supply. This policy brief is intended for forest and natural-resource policymakers, wood industrial sector, non-governmental organizations, and academia dealing with the forestry and wood sector in Ethiopia.:Key Messages: Page 1 Introduction: Page 2 Project methods: Page 2 National wood product supply scenarios: Page 3 Wood value chain: Page 4 Policy implications and recommendations: Page 5 Contact: Page 6

Background As of 2019, men who have sex with men (MSM) in Canada are ineligible to donate blood if they have had oral or anal sex with another man in the last 3 months. Deferral policies targeting MSM are largely interpreted as unjust by gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) – shaping their desire to donate blood and engage with blood operators. This mixed methods study explores interest in blood donation among GBMSM as well as willingness (and eligibility) to donate under four different deferral policies. Methods We surveyed 447 GBMSM who were recruited from the Ontario-wide #iCruise study. Participants were asked whether they were interested in blood donation and if they were willing to donate under each of our four deferral policies. We also completed interviews with 31 of these GBMSM. Participants were asked to describe their feelings about blood donation, their views on our different deferral policies, the impact of a policy change, as well as other means of redress. Results Most participants (69%) indicated that they were interested in donating blood. Despite this, an interpretation of the MSM deferral policy as discriminatory was common among all participants. Our mixed methods findings indicate that, among those who were interested in blood donation, the adoption of one of the alternative policies presented in this study (specifically Policy 2 or Policy 3) would significantly increase the number of participants willing to donate and be viewed as “a step in the right direction.” However, many participants who were not interested in blood donation argued that a gender-neutral deferral policy would need to be implemented for them to donate. Participants recommended that blood operators consider efforts to repair relations with GBMSM beyond policy change, including pop-up clinics in predominantly queer areas and diversity sensitivity training for staff. Conclusion We argue that the most impactful policy shift would be the implementation of an individual risk-based deferral policy that is applied to all donors regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. However, given MSM’s historical exclusion from blood donations, blood operators should pair this policy shift with community relationship-building efforts.

Background About 40–60% of people living with HIV (PLWH) experience neurocognitive impairments, irrespective of antiretroviral status. We hypothesized that a history of syphilis would be associated with worse neurocognitive outcomes in this population. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of PLWH enrolled between 2008–2017 in an Ontarian HIV cohort. Cognitive outcomes were the most recent measurements of: 1) self-reported MOS-HIV 4-item cognitive scale; 2) average T-score (ATS) based on formal neuropsychological testing of complex attention, speed of processing, and learning/memory; and 3) global deficit score (GDS) dichotomized into impaired/unimpaired. Syphilis history was based on chart review or lab data. We compared median MOS-HIV and ATS using Wilcoxon rank-sum tests, and proportion impaired on GDS using Chi-square/Fisher test. Multivariable models were fitted to estimate the association between syphilis and each outcome, adjusted for age, education, race, income, years of HIV, nadir and most recent CD4 count, most recent viral load, methamphetamine use, depression, and number of prior neurocognitive tests. Results Of 1434 participants, 76.4% were male at birth and 50.6% were white. At the time of the most recent MOS-HIV, median age was 47 (IQR: 37,54), median CD4 count was 517.5 (IQR: 360,678) cells/mm3 and 80.2% had HIV viral load Conclusion Among PLWH in care in Ontario, prior syphilis was not associated with worse neurocognitive outcomes according to self-reported scales or formal neuropsychological testing. Continued study into the etiology of neurocognitive impairments in PLWH is required.

In Ethiopia, wood was the main construction material for rural houses. In 2013, about 79% of the rural houses of Ethiopia were fully made of wood. Although carbon storage of wood is well known for climate change mitigation, there is lack of information on carbon stock of wooden houses in Ethiopia. Thus, a study was conducted to analyze the carbon stock of dominant land uses that surround rural wooden houses in three agro-ecologies and representative three peasant associations (PA) or Kebeles in Southern Ethiopia. Field measurement and household survey were made by selecting sixty-four houses made of wood, grass or corrugated iron sheet. Transects were laid starting from the wooden houses to lay out plots to collect samples of wood, grass, soot inside houses, soil and trees for carbon determination. The service age of wooden houses was estimated in triangulated interview as 5-150 years. The total carbon stock of newly constructed rural grass covered wooden house was 28.35- 49.26 kg C m-2, which was greater than the other surrounding land uses. The grazing land total carbon stock was 50.5-86.8% and the scattered trees carbon was 9.5-59.7% of the total carbon stock of the respective PA grass covered wooden house. Since soil is the common below ground carbon stock, the total carbon of a land use is mostly affected by the above ground carbon stock. Grass covered houses contained greater above ground carbon stock but grazinglands contained greater below ground carbon stock. Soot accumulation of 0.4-1.3 g m-2 inside the houses’ roof indicated the presence of indoor pollution. The total carbon stock increased with increasing altitude and geoclimatic variables were significantly correlated with carbon stock of the land uses (p

BackgroundIn Ethiopia, soil and water conservation activities were started after the famines of 1973 and 1985. Following this, different conservation measures were implemented by the government, non-government organizations, and the community to facilitate the optimum level of production from a given area of land while keeping soil loss below a critical value. This study was conducted at Wolaita, Hadiya, Kambata Tambaro, and Dawro Zones of Southern Ethiopia. It was designed to identify indigenous and introduced soil and water conservation practices, measure and describe identified practices, and document the identified practice for further reference. ResultsThe result revealed that three types of soil and water conservation practices namely biological, physical, and agronomical were implementing in the study areas. The result from the technical evaluation showed that soil bund and fanya juu has channel depth and embankment height lower than the recommended dimension. The result also indicated that less attention was given to indigenous soil and water conservation practices. Besides, the sustainability gap in constructed conservation practices was widely perceived. ConclusionsFarmers in the study area are well acquainted with soil erosion, its cause, and consequent reduction in land productivity. They confirm that implementing SWC measures are insurance to sustain and boost soil fertility and land productivity. In southern Ethiopia government and peoples were invested much more time, money, knowledge, and manpower to construct SWC measures. But, year by year structures get damage and yet seem not substantial to achieve the sector of sustainable agriculture. Besides, the study revealed that identified practices such as traditional cutoff drain, fanya juu, soil bund, stone-faced soil bund, fanya juu, brushwood, and gabion check-dams have technical, social, and institutional difficulties. The major gap observed with indigenous conservation practices is, it had been taken less attention by different stakeholders including GOs, NGOs, and research institutes. As a result, their respective dimension was not modified, effective measures were not up-scaled and circulated to other areas having similar agroecology and farming system. Thus, apparently, traditional conservation measures are aggravating soil erosion and their construction did not consider the downstream effect on dwelling community, water bodies, and aquatic lives.

BackgroundIn Ethiopia, soil and water conservation activities were started after the famines of 1973 and 1985. Following this, different conservation measures were implemented by the government, non-government organizations, and the community to facilitate the optimum level of production from a given area of land while keeping soil loss below a critical value. This study was conducted at Wolaita, Hadiya, Kambata Tambaro, and Dawro Zones of Southern Ethiopia. It was designed to identify indigenous and introduced soil and water conservation practices, measure and describe identified practices, and document the identified practice for further reference. ResultsThe result revealed that three types of soil and water conservation practices namely biological, physical, and agronomical were implementing in the study areas. The result from the technical evaluation showed that soil bund and fanya juu has channel depth and embankment height lower than the recommended dimension. The result also indicated that less attention was given to indigenous soil and water conservation practices. Besides, the sustainability gap in constructed conservation practices was widely perceived.ConclusionsFarmers in the study area are well acquainted with soil erosion, its cause, and consequent reduction in land productivity. They confirm that implementing SWC measures are insurance to sustain and boost soil fertility and land productivity. In southern Ethiopia government and peoples were invested much more time, money, knowledge, and manpower to construct SWC measures. But, year by year structures get damage and yet seem not substantial to achieve the sector of sustainable agriculture. Besides, the study revealed that identified practices such as traditional cutoff drain, fanya juu, soil bund, stone-faced soil bund, fanya juu, brushwood, and gabion check-dams have technical, social, and institutional difficulties. The major gap observed with indigenous conservation practices is, it had been taken less attention by different stakeholders including GOs, NGOs, and research institutes. As a result, their respective dimension was not modified, effective measures were not up-scaled and circulated to other areas having similar agroecology and farming system. Thus, apparently, traditional conservation measures are aggravating soil erosion and their construction did not consider the downstream effect on dwelling community, water bodies, and aquatic lives.

BackgroundGlobally, health care-associated infections had become serious public health importance. Compliance with standard safety precaution is effective and inexpensive measure to improve quality of healthcare in reducing occurrence of healthcare associated infections. In developing countries, like Ethiopia adherence to recommended standard safety precaution is scanty.ObjectiveTo assess level of compliance with standard safety precaution and associated factors among healthcare workers in Hawassa comprehensive specialized hospital Southern Ethiopia.MethodsAn institutional based cross-sectional study was conducted at Hawassa comprehensive specialized hospital. Data were collected by using self-administered questionnaire. Study participants were allocated proportionally based on their profession by using stratified random sampling method. Data were entered and analyzed by using SPSS version 20.0. Bi-variable analysis and multi variable logistic regression model were used to check which variables were associated with dependent variable. P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant. In this study the overall compliance with standard safety precaution among healthcare workers were only 56.5%. Being female healthcare worker AOR: 2.76(1.34, 5.54), married healthcare workers AOR: 4.2(2, 9.03), accessibility of safety box AOR: 3.4(1.6, 7.17), HCWs had perceived IP training AOR: 3.99(1.46, 10.9), availability of tape water AOR: 2.68(1.15, 6.2) and healthcare workers had internal infection prevention and control supportive supervision AOR: 5.8(2.54, 13.48) associated with compliance with standard safety precaution.ConclusionAccording to findings of the current study, overall level of compliance with standard SP among HCWs considered to be very low. Factors such as healthcare workers being female, accessibility of safety box, availability of running tape water, training and supportive supervision were independent predictors of compliance with standard safety precaution. Thus ensuring availability and accessibility of safety precaution materials and regular observing and supervising healthcare workers' practices are highly recommended.

Bamboo market in Ethiopia is not well developed and bamboo marketing as a viable alternative for farmers has become a very challenging issue. In the Homosha district, despite the abundant and valuable lowland bamboo resources, the income contribution of bamboo is very low and livelihood of smallholder farmers in the area is desperate due marketing challenges. Thus, the study was initiated to identify and analyze factors influencing bamboo culm market supply as well as its opportunities and challenges. Both primary and secondary data were used in this study. The primary data were collected from 141 household heads in three villages via household survey, key informant interviews, field observation, market assessment and stakeholder consultation workshop. The data were analyzed using STATA13. It was found that family size ( in working age) and experience of culm selling were positively and significantly related to quantity of bamboo bundles supplied for sale at 5% significance level, whereas, education level, access to market information, marketing linkages and prices were positively and significantly related to quantity of bamboo bundles supplied for sale at 1% significance level. But, age of harvesters is significantly and negatively related to quantity of bamboo bundles supplied for sale at 5%. In spite of high bamboo resource in Homosha district, it is declining due natural and anthropogenic related activities. Reverse to this government and non-governmental organizations are working on rehabilitation activities in some areas of the district. Bamboo utilization is confined to household level and products are manufactured traditionally and there was a low local demand for these bamboo products. Market actor lack training and is few researches conducted on bamboo production, processing and utilization. Therefore, in addition to toughening interaction among harvesters and buyers, spreading of relevant information and establishing bamboo product market center and cooperatives, and engagement of relevant institutions to assist bamboo marketing, it is encouraged to train market actors on bamboo economic benefits and marketing as well as conduct research on production, processing, management and utilization. Key words: Bamboo bundles, determinants, harvesters, marketing linkages.

Ethiopia is one of the countries well-endowed with bamboo (Arundinaria alpine, a highland bamboo, and Oxytenanthera abyssinica, a lowland bamboo species). As compared to its potential, however, the contribution of bamboo to producer livelihoods and the national economy is very low. This paper describes the bamboo production-consumption system in the Hula district of Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Data include primary and secondary sources. The primary data were collected from 160 farmers, 38 traders and 30 consumers using household surveys, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. Data were then analyzed using a value chain analysis. In the district, all households produced bamboo and allocated on average of 1/6 of their total land holding to bamboo production. Bamboo poles, the primary products, were identified as differentiated products in the market based on length, diameter, circumference, and the intended use of the poles into four major types. In 2014, 26,825 poles of Type 1 bamboo were harvested followed by 25,269 poles of Type 2. The amount harvested from Type 3 and Type 4 bamboos were 17,661 and 20,090 poles, respectively. The value chain analysis revealed that the major actors in the production to consumption system of bamboo were farmers, brokers, wholesalers, craftsmen, house constructors and domestic users. The results indicated that each type has a distinct value chain, with differentiated pricing and use pattern. The major limiting factors identified included absence of value added production and poor market linkage. This study supports the need for further research and investment in value added production alternatives and improved market access. Policies that support farmers’ access to modern production systems, establishment of cooperatives and improved extension system will also likely to accelerate the efficiency and effectiveness of the value chain.

Background As the Internet is increasingly becoming a platform for sexual health education, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM) are having greater interactions with online outreach workers. However, little is known about the content or their assessment of these interactions. Methods Recruitment of GBM aged 14+ into the #iCruise study occurred across Ontario from 07/2017–01/2018 via socio-sexual websites/apps. Participants reported details about the interactions they had with online outreach workers including what health topics were discussed and gave an assessment of the interaction via Likert scale questions. Results A total of 910 GBM who completed baseline cross-sectional data collection were eligible for this analysis. Half of participants (49%) reported being under age 30, 62% White, 65% gay-identified, 12% HIV-positive, 44% with some university education, and 12% living in rural areas. Among the sample, nearly 10% (9.7%, n=88/910) reported having ever interacted with an online outreach worker: of these, 37 (42%) reported one interaction, 38 (43%) reported 2–5 interactions, and 8 (9%) reported 6+ interactions; 5 (6%) unsure. Healthy sex (34%) and HIV/STI testing (e.g., where to get tested; 34%) were the most popular topics discussed, followed by HIV/STI prevention (27%), pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) (19%), HIV/sexually transmitted infection (STI) transmission risk (17%), HIV/STI treatment and care (13%), condoms (11%) and lube (11%). When rating the outreach interaction, GBM reported: it was easy to understand (92%), gay/bisexual friendly (88%), relevant to gay/bisexual guys (87%), ‘didn’t make me feel bad about myself’ (79%), applicable (72%), and the interaction had fully answered their question (74%). Over half of the participants reported the information was transgender friendly (56%) and relevant to trans guys (52%). Conclusion A significant minority of GBM had interactions with online outreach that covered a range of health topics. These interactions were generally very positive and rated understandable, applicable, and inclusive. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Background Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) are at higher risk for human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and HPV-associated anogenital warts and cancers. In the province of Ontario, a publicly-funded program was introduced in 09/2016 to provide the HPV vaccine at no cost to young gbMSM (≤26 years). We examined men’s experiences with the HPV vaccine. Methods #iCruise was an Ontario-wide study of gbMSM seeking sexual health information online. Men were recruited through websites and socio-sexual apps from 07/2017-01/2018. Men self-completed online questionnaires including items on HPV awareness and vaccination. We compared younger (≤26) to older (≥26) men using Pearson’s chi-square tests and identified correlates of vaccination and willingness to get vaccinated using Poisson regression; results are reported as age-adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results 975 participants were aged 14–89 years (34.7% aged ≤26); most had heard of HPV (94.0%) and the vaccine (79.2%). More younger men (25.5%) versus older men (14.3%; p Conclusion Approximately one year since launching the publicly-funded program, more younger than older men had received it, reflecting vaccine availability at no cost. Nevertheless, 75% of younger men were not yet vaccinated, suggesting a need for improved awareness of the public program among patients and providers alike, and ensuring accessibility in non-stigmatizing and welcoming healthcare environments. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Background Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM) commonly use the Internet to find sexual partners and look for sexual health information. Little is known about online health information seeking behaviour and whether GBM welcome this information on socio-sexual apps/websites. Methods GBM aged 14+ from Ontario were recruited into the #iCruise study via socio-sexual websites/apps from 07/2017-01/2018. Participants reported online health seeking behaviours and acceptability of sexual health information appearing as a clickable link/pop-up on socio-sexual apps/websites. Stratified by HIV status, multivariable logistic regressions were used to determine associations between sociodemographic variables and online health-seeking behaviour. Results There were 910 GBM who were eligible for this baseline cross-sectional analysis. The majority reported being White (62%), and gay-identified (65%). A minority of participants were HIV-positive (12%), university educated (44%), and lived in rural areas (12%). Over two-thirds (69.3%, n=631/910) reported looking up online health information in the previous 3 months. Among HIV-negative/unknown status participants, online health seeking behaviour was negatively associated with older age (50+ vs Conclusion Acceptability of HIV and sexual health education information being embedded within dating apps/websites was very high and is currently an underutilized educational platform. Disclosure No significant relationships.

Background Basic needs (e.g., food security and stable housing) are important determinants of health and well-being, yet their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the context of HIV and aging has not been systematically investigated. Methods Multiple linear regression models examined the relationship between unmet basic needs, and physical and mental HRQoL by age strata (20-34, 35-49 and 50+) in a cross-sectional sample of 496 people living with HIV in Ontario, Canada. Results An overwhelming majority of participants (87%) reported unmet needs related to food, clothing or housing. The prevalence of unmet basic needs in the two older groups appeared to be lower than among younger participants, but the difference did not reach statistical significance. The presence of unmet basic needs predicted substantially lower mean physical health and mental health summary scores in the two oldest groups. Notably, age moderated the influence of unmet basic needs on HRQoL. Conclusions The availability and accessibility of food security, appropriate clothing and stable housing for people living with HIV who are aging need to become a higher priority for program planners and decision makers.

Since the introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), the incidence of severe HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment has declined significantly, whereas the prevalence of the milder forms has increased. Studies suggest that better distribution of cART drugs into the CNS may be important in reducing viral replication in the CNS and in reducing HIV-related brain injury. Correlates of neuropsychological (NP) performance were determined in 417 participants of the Ontario HIV Treatment Cohort Study (OCS). All participants were on three cART drugs for at least 90 days prior to assessment. Multiple logistic and linear regression methods were used. Most participants were Caucasian men with mean age of 47 years. About two thirds had a nadir CD4+ T-cell count below 200 cells/μL and 92 % had an undetectable plasma HIV viral load. The median CNS penetration effectiveness (CPE) score was 7. Sixty percent of participants had neuropsychological impairment. Higher CPE values significantly correlated with lower prevalence of impairment in bivariate and multivariate analyses. In this cross-sectional analysis of HIV+ adults who had a low prevalence of comorbidities and were taking three-drug cART regimens, greater estimated distribution of cART drugs into the CNS was associated with better NP performance.

Objective This study examines neurocognitive functioning in a large, well-characterized sample of homeless adults with mental illness and assesses demographic and clinical factors associated with neurocognitive performance. Method A total of 1500 homeless adults with mental illness enrolled in the At Home Chez Soi study completed neuropsychological measures assessing speed of information processing, memory, and executive functioning. Sociodemographic and clinical data were also collected. Linear regression analyses were conducted to examine factors associated with neurocognitive performance. Results Approximately half of our sample met criteria for psychosis, major depressive disorder, and alcohol or substance use disorder, and nearly half had experienced severe traumatic brain injury. Overall, 72% of participants demonstrated cognitive impairment, including deficits in processing speed (48%), verbal learning (71%) and recall (67%), and executive functioning (38%). The overall statistical model explained 19.8% of the variance in the neurocognitive summary score, with reduced neurocognitive performance associated with older age, lower education, first language other than English or French, Black or Other ethnicity, and the presence of psychosis. Conclusion Homeless adults with mental illness experience impairment in multiple neuropsychological domains. Much of the variance in our sample's cognitive performance remains unexplained, highlighting the need for further research in the mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment in this population.

Cognitive impairment and fatigue have been associated with cancer and its treatment. We present baseline data from a large longitudinal study that evaluates cognitive function, fatigue, and potential underlying mechanisms following diagnosis of colorectal cancer (CRC).We evaluated CRC patients with stage I-III disease before or after surgery, participants with limited metastatic disease and healthy controls (HC). Neuropsychological evaluation included clinical and computerised tests. Participants completed questionnaires for fatigue and quality of life (QOL)-(FACT-F), anxiety/depression, and cognitive symptoms (FACT-Cog). Ten cytokines, clotting factors, sex hormones, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), and apolipoprotein E genotype were evaluated. Primary end points were cognitive function on clinical tests evaluated by a Global Deficit score (GDS) and fatigue. Associations between test results, demographic, and disease related factors were explored.We assessed 291 participants with early-stage disease [median age 59 (23-75) years, 63% men], 72 with metastatic disease, and 72 HC. Using GDS, 45% (126/281) of participants with early-stage CRC had cognitive impairment versus 15% (11/72) of HC (odds ratio 4.51, 95% confidence interval 2.28-8.93; P0.001), with complex processing speed, attention/working memory, and verbal learning efficiency being most affected. Women with early-stage CRC had greater cognitive impairment than men [55/105 (52%) versus 71/176 (40%), P0.050]. Cognitive symptoms were self-reported by 21% (59/286) of early-stage patients versus 17% (12/72) of HC; fatigue by 52% (149/287) of early-stage patients and 26% (19/72) of HC (P0.0001). Women reported more fatigue than men (P = 0.003). Fatigue, QOL, anxiety/depression, and cognitive symptoms were associated with each other (r = 0.43-0.71), but not with neuropsychological performance. Most cytokines were elevated in cancer patients. Cognitive function was not associated with cytokines, sex hormones, clotting factors, CEA, or apolipoprotein E genotype.The incidence of cognitive impairment was three to five times higher in CRC patients than HC, with women having higher impairment rates than men. The cognitive impairment profile suggests dysfunction primarily in fronto-subcortical brain systems.NCT00188331.

We sought to examine the trends of cigarette smoking, identify correlates of smoking, and examine the impacts of smoking on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among people living with HIV in Ontario, Canada. Study sample included 4473 individuals receiving care and enrolled in the Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study. Self-report data on cigarette smoking, HRQOL, and demographic and sociobehavioral variables were collected between 2008 and 2014 through annual face-to-face interviews. Clinical data were abstracted from participants' medical records and enhanced through linkage with a provincial public health laboratory database. Analyses included descriptive statistics, generalized logit regression, and linear mixed-effects modeling. At first interview, 1760 participants (39.3%) were current cigarette smokers. Smoking prevalence declined annually by 1.6% between 2008 and 2014, but remained much higher than the prevalence in the general population. Current cigarette smokers were more likely to be younger, male, white or indigenous, Canadian-born, single, unemployed with lower education, heavy drinkers, nonmedicinal drug users, and to have current depression than former cigarette smokers or those who never smoked. Current cigarette smokers also had significantly (p 0.001) worse SF-12 physical component summary (β = -2.07) and SF-12 mental component summary (β = -1.08) scores than those who never smoked after adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and HIV-related clinical variables. To reduce the burden of cigarette smoking, cessation interventions that take into account the complex social, economic, and medical needs of people living with HIV are needed urgently.

Some part of the land of Ethiopia is covered with expansive soils and some with nonexpansive. For this reason, roads could be constructed in areas of expansive or non-expansive soils. Structural failures are observed in roads constructed on expansive soils as well as in roads constructed on non-expansive soils. Hence, investigation is made to study the types and causes of road failures constructed on expansive soil in addisababa around lideta area. Visual survey was made on the Addis Ababa different areas. From the visual survey, it is found that the route from Balicha hospital to Gejasefer , especially near to the crossing road around balicha , is severely damaged. Due to this reason, this road is chosen for further investigation. The investigation covers field tests carried out to determine the insitu condition of the road materials and laboratory tests on the collected samples in order to determine the engineering properties of the materials. From the field and laboratory tests, an attempt was made to examine whether the materials used are at their optimum moisture content and maximum dry density. Since the performance of road is also greatly influenced by the engineering property of the underlain soil and the natural environmental conditions, an attempt was made to determine the adequacy of the underlain material to serve as a sub grade for road construction. From the field tests and laboratory tests carried out, it is observed that the failure of roads constructed on expansive soils is mainly due to the inadequacy of the base layer for the current traffic loading and due to the poor construction of the materials used over the sub grade. Whereas the failure of roads constructed on expansive soils is mainly due to the expansive nature of the sub grade material.

The efficiency of traditional open cook stoves in supplying firewood energy is usually low. Accordingly, firewood saving, improved stoves called “Mirt” made of cement and “Gonzie” made of local clay soils were made in 1980s in energy sector of Ethiopia. However, the dissemination of Mirt stove was unknowingly limited and the potential of Gonzie was less known. In this study the two improved cook stoves, Mirt and Gonzie were compared with open stoves in biomass consumption and end use emission at three agro-ecologies (lowland, midland and highland) and corresponding sample peasant associations (PA) or Kebeles (Ener Kola, Daemir and Awed) in Enemorina Ener district (county), Southern Ethiopia in 2017. At hierarchical administrative level, first district energy offices were interviewed about stoves used in PA. Then the next administrative level called PA was selected in turn to select rural households and focus groups, in order to interview about the problems of getting Mirt stoves and to test the potential of local clay soils in making Gonzie stoves. In each PA, 30% of the houses with common cooking condition, about 6 to 21 households; 3–5 pottery workers; and PA representatives were interviewed. Then, Gonzie stoves were manufactured, and biomass consumption was evaluated using controlled cooking test. The results showed that the problems in dissemination of Mirt stoves were the unaffordable cost of stoves, lack of training in using improved stoves and inappropriate size plates. The households in remote lowland and highland PAs had no knowledge about improved stoves. The overall quality of Gonzie stoves of highland and lowland PAs were comparably better than the midland PA. Curing a single Gonzie stoves consumed 1.8 to 2.0 times greater firewood than the daily requirement of a household, but lower than the firewood for other clay based utensils that consume 42 to 75 kg firewood weekly. Gonzie stoves saved 33.9 to 54.2% of the firewood used by open stoves for baking “Injera”. The reduction in end use emission from Gonzie stoves was comparable to Mirt stoves. Therefore, rural households, and local pottery makers should be trained to use and manufacture improved stoves, respectively. In cooking food and curing local clay made utensils improved stoves should be used to save wood and protect fire damage. Keywords: Agro-ecology, Firewood, Clay soils, Pottery workers

Some part of the land of Ethiopia is covered with expansive soils and some with nonexpansive. For this reason, roads could be constructed in areas of expansive or non-expansive soils. Structural failures are observed in roads constructed on expansive soils as well as in roads constructed on non-expansive soils. Hence, investigation is made to study the types and causes of road failures constructed on expansive soil in addisababa around lideta area. Visual survey was made on the Addis Ababa different areas. From the visual survey, it is found that the route from Balicha hospital to Gejasefer , especially near to the crossing road around balicha , is severely damaged. Due to this reason, this road is chosen for further investigation. The investigation covers field tests carried out to determine the insitu condition of the road materials and laboratory tests on the collected samples in order to determine the engineering properties of the materials. From the field and laboratory tests, an attempt was made to examine whether the materials used are at their optimum moisture content and maximum dry density. Since the performance of road is also greatly influenced by the engineering property of the underlain soil and the natural environmental conditions, an attempt was made to determine the adequacy of the underlain material to serve as a subgrade for road construction. From the field tests and laboratory tests carried out, it is observed that the failure of roads constructed on expansive soils is mainly due to the inadequacy of the base layer for the current traffic loading and due to the poor construction of the materials used over the subgrade. Whereas the failure of roads constructed on expansive soils is mainly due to the expansive nature of the subgrade material.

Although lack of housing is linked with adverse health outcomes, little is known about the impacts of the qualitative aspects of housing on health. This study examined the association between structural elements of housing, housing affordability, housing satisfaction and health-related quality of life over a 1-year period. Participants were 509 individuals living with HIV in Ontario, Canada. Regression analyses were conducted to examine relationships between housing variables and physical and mental health-related quality of life. We found significant cross-sectional associations between housing and neighborhood variables—including place of residence, housing affordability, housing stability, and satisfaction with material, meaningful and spatial dimensions of housing—and both physical and mental health-related quality of life. Our analyses also revealed longitudinal associations between housing and neighborhood variables and health-related quality of life. Interventions that enhance housing affordability and housing satisfaction may help improve health-related quality of life of people living with HIV.

Research has established a link between perceived social support and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among persons living with HIV/AIDS. However, little is known about the ways through which social support influences HRQOL. This study examined the direct and indirect effects of perceived social support on physical and mental HRQOL in a sample of 602 adults living with HIV in Ontario, Canada. Participants completed the Medical Outcomes Study-HIV (MOS-HIV) health survey, the MOS-HIV Social Support Scale (MOS-HIV-SSS), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression-Revised scale. Data on demographic and clinical characteristics were also collected. The direct and indirect effects of social support on the two MOS-HIV HRQOL summary measures, that is, physical health summary (PHS) and mental health summary (MHS), were estimated in multiple linear regression analyses. Perceived social support had significant direct effects on PHS (B=0.04, p

Investigation on the mental health of HIV-positive immigrants is severely limited. We examine the independent and combined effects of HIV symptom and coping resources on depressive symptoms among HIV-positive immigrants (n = 259). Ordinary Least Squares regression models were estimated with data from a survey of clinical and social-psychological outcomes in people receiving treatment for HIV infection. We tested for the impact of two HIV-related stressors, one life events stressor and three buffering resources on depressive symptoms, controlling for thirteen demographic, clinical and acculturative factors. HIV-related stressors were found to be positively related to depressive symptom severity. Coping resources, namely self-mastery, mediate the relationships between HIV-related stressors and depressive symptoms. Results from this study provide the first empirical assessment of stress processes for immigrants living with HIV. Although more research is needed to understand mental health among HIV-positive immigrants, the study results suggest that health care providers focus on self-mastery enhancement among HIV-positive immigrants.

Acute and chronic life stressors have a detrimental effect on the health of people living with HIV. Psychosocial resources such as mastery, coping, and social support may play a critical role in moderating the negative effects of stressors on health-related quality of life. A total of 758 participants provided baseline enrolment data on demographics (age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, employment, income), clinical variables (CD4 counts, viral load, AIDS-defining condition, time since HIV diagnosis), psychosocial resources (mastery, coping, social support), life stressors (National Population Health Survey [NPHS] Stress Questionnaire), and health-related quality of life (SF-36). We performed hierarchical multivariate regression analyses to evaluate the potential moderating effects of psychosocial resources on the relationship between stressors and health-related quality of life. The top three stressors reported by participants were trying to take on too many things at once (51%), not having enough money to buy the things they needed (51%), and having something happen during childhood that scared them so much that they thought about it years later (42%). Life stressors were significantly and inversely associated with both physical and mental health-related quality of life. Mastery and maladaptive coping had significant moderating effects on mental health but not on physical health. These results suggest that developing interventions that improve mastery and reduce maladaptive coping may minimize the negative impact of life stressors on the mental health of people with HIV. They also highlight that it is important for clinicians to be mindful of the impact of life stressors on the health of patients living with HIV.

Stigma continues to have a negative effect on the care, treatment, and support of people living with HIV. This study presents baseline data from 825 participants taking part in a cohort study that collects data on the clinical profile and social determinants of health of people with HIV. We performed multivariate regression analysis to evaluate whether mastery and social support moderated the negative effect of stigma on depressive symptoms. Stigma was associated with depressive symptoms after controlling for potential demographic and clinical confounders. In addition, higher levels of mastery and social support were associated with lower levels of depression. However, only mastery moderated the negative effects of stigma on depressive symptoms. For individuals with high levels of mastery, greater exposure to stigma does not translate into greater distress. Interventions targeting the mental health concerns of people with HIV should increase their focus on improving people' sense of personal control.

Background: A variety of factors affect the safety and risk practices of school-age children, but rarely have multiple factors been considered simultaneously. Objective: To examine children’s safety attitudes and cognitions more thoroughly and assess how these factors, along with children’s safety knowledge and injury experiences, relate to children’s safety practices. Methods: Over several classroom sessions, boys and girls in two age groups (7–9, 10–12 years) completed a psychometrically sound questionnaire that indexes their behaviors, attitudes, cognitions, knowledge, and injury experiences. Results: Fewer safety practices were reported by older than younger children and boys than girls. Children’s attitudes, cognitions, knowledge, and injury experiences each correlated with safety practices, but only safety attitudes and injury experiences predicted practices in a multivariate model. Conclusion: Exploring the relative influence of numerous factors on safety practices highlights the important role that attitudes play in predicting children’s safety practices. Implications of these results for injury prevention programming are discussed.

Studies of people living with HIV who are homeless or unstably housed show a high prevalence of food insufficiency (>50%) and associated poor health outcomes; however, most evidence is in the form of cross-sectional studies. To better understand this issue, we conducted a longitudinal study to examine the impact of food insufficiency and housing instability on overall physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among people living with HIV in Ontario. Six hundred and two adults living with HIV were enrolled in the Positive Spaces, Healthy Places study and followed from 2006 to 2009. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used, and generalized linear mixed-effects models constructed to examine longitudinal associations between food insufficiency, housing instability and physical and mental HRQoL. At baseline, 57% of participants were classified as food insufficient. After adjusting for potential confounders, longitudinal analyses revealed a significant, negative association between food insufficiency and physical and mental HRQoL outcomes, respectively [effect size (ES) with 95% confidence interval (CI): (ES = -2.1, CI = -3.9,-0.3); (ES = -3.5, CI = -6.1,-1.5)]. Furthermore, difficulties meeting housing costs were shown to have additional negative impacts on mental HRQoL. Food insufficiency is highly prevalent among people living with HIV in Ontario, particularly for those with unstable housing. This vulnerable group of individuals is in urgent need of changes to current housing programmes, services and policies, as well as careful consideration of their unmet nutritional needs.