North Gondar Zone Research Articles

A Holistic Approach to Bovine Brucellosis: Serological Tests, Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices Evaluation, and Risk Factor Identification on Dairy Farms of Ethiopia

Brucellosis, a contagious bacterial disease affecting animals globally presents a substantial zoonotic risk that is frequently underestimated, hinders animal trade, and endangers livestock and human health. The present study was conducted from November 2023 to June 2024 in Central and North Gondar Zone, Ethiopia. The current cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of brucellosis and to explore the related knowledge, attitudes, and practices within the specified region. A total of 384 serum samples were collected via random sampling from 20 dairy farms located in Ethiopia. Both local and cross-breed samples screened using the Rose Bengal Plate test and confirmed through an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The seroprevalence of bovine brucellosis for both tests was 17.71% overall, with 9.62% for Central Gondar and 27.27% for North Gondar. Extensive farms exhibited notably higher odds of brucellosis compared to intensive farms, with unadjusted crude odds ratios of 3.01 and adjusted odds ratios of 2.37, respectively. Medium-sized herds also demonstrated increased odds in the multivariate analysis compared with small herds. Young respondents displayed the highest awareness levels, followed by adults and older individuals, with statistically significant differences observed across all categories. Regarding a semi-structured survey from 150 farmers on the association between sociodemographic data and knowledge, females exhibited higher awareness levels, with 117 (80.14%) responding positively. Young respondents showed a higher positive response rate of 58% compared to adults (52.7%) and the elderly (36.54%). In conclusion, these results emphasize the need for comprehensive strategies to address the factors influencing bovine brucellosis prevalence and respondent awareness.

Magnitude and determinants of road traffic accidents in North Gondar Zone; Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Background Road traffic accidents are a severe health concern in Ethiopia. This study aims to examine the primary contributing variables of road traffic accidents in Ethiopia, North Gondar Zone, under 24 administrative wereda’s. Methods This study utilized secondary data collected from both the werda-level and North Gondar central-level offices within the study areas. The sector police typically submit reports to the zonal-level offices annually. Information regarding crashes, fatalities, and injuries during the study period was extracted from these police reports. The research focused on analyzing the frequency and severity of traffic accidents attributed to various factors of drivers, vehicles, road conditions, pedestrians, and environmental influences. Results In a sample of 603 aggregate road traffic accidents, the data reveals that the majority of damage results are attributed to young drivers, accounting for 58% of the cases, with junior grade level drivers contributing 29.4%. Driving without a license was a significant factor, representing 87%, while accidents involving recruited driver stood at 63.2%. Vehicles with small to articulated trucks contributing to 39%. Mechanical failures were prevalent, with an unknown diagnosis rate of 48.3%. Vehicles in service for 2-5 years accounted for 29.4%. Road surface conditions were 46%, while rural roads saw a higher percentage at 51.2%. Weather conditions played a role also influential, as dry asphalt and gravel roads under main access ownership were linked to of accident, with 91.2% occurring during visible daylight hours between 8:00-12:00 and 15:00-17:00. The victims were predominantly farmers at 49.6%, followed by students at 23%. Conclusions To reduce road traffic accidents in the study area, it is essential to manage causative factors such as driver and road users, vehicles, roads, pedestrians, and environmental behaviors. The study suggests the development of a successful, up-to-date traffic accident database system regionally within respective offices.

Landslide susceptibility assessment in Addi Arkay, Ethiopia using GIS, remote sensing, and AHP

Landslides account for the breakdown of natural topographies, impacting many mountainous areas and leading to loss of lives and damaged infrastructure. This research aims to generate a reliable landslide susceptibility zonation map employing geospatial and Analytical Hierarchy Processes (AHP) in Addi Arkay Woreda, North Gondar Zone, Amhara Regional State, northern Ethiopia. The present study uses remote sensing data, geographic information system (GIS) tools, AHP, and weighted linear combination (WLC) models to analyze multiple environmental variables, including slope, aspect, curvature, lithology, soil texture, topographic wetness index (TWI), and rainfall. As per the results, around 186.12 km2 (13.26%) of the total study area is under very high landslide susceptibility and 140.85 km2 (10.05%) under very low susceptibility. Using Google Earth images for inaccessible areas, 121 landslide inventories were identified through fieldwork. Of these inventories, 85 were used to train the model and 36 for testing. The performance of the AHP model was validated by the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve (0.75), which indicates good predictive accuracy for identifying landslide-prone areas. These findings are essential to regional land use planning, hazard mitigation, and landslide prevention efforts. Additionally, this study contributes to the scientific understanding of landslide dynamics in the Northwestern highlands of Ethiopia and offers a methodological framework that can be applied to other regions with similar geological and climatic conditions.

Magnitude and determinants of road traffic accidents in North Gondar Zone; Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Background: Home-based rehabilitation exercise following Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) shows similar outcomes compared to supervised outpatient rehabilitation exercise. Little is known about patients’ experiences with home-based rehabilitation, and this study aimed to investigate patient-perceived facilitators and barriers to home-based rehabilitation exercise and general physical activity after THA. Methods: Semi-structured interviews of qualitative design were conducted with 22 patients who had undergone THA and who had performed home-based rehabilitation exercise. The study took place in a regional hospital in Denmark between January 2018 and May 2019. Data was analyzed using an interpretive thematic analysis approach, with theoretical underpinning from the concept ‘conduct of everyday life’. The study is embedded within the Pragmatic Home-Based Exercise Therapy after Total Hip Arthroplasty-Silkeborg trial (PHETHAS-1), which aims to quantitatively investigate recovery outcomes after a home-based rehabilitation exercise program. Results: The main theme, ‘wishing to return to the well-known everyday life’, and the subtheme ‘general physical activity versus rehabilitation exercise’ were identified. Generally, participants found the home-based rehabilitation exercise boring but were motivated by the goal of returning to their habitual conduct of everyday life and performing their usual general physical activities. Participants enrolled in the PHETHAS-1 study used the enrollment as part of their motivation for doing the exercises. Both pain and the absence of pain were identified as barriers for doing home-based rehabilitation exercise. Pain could cause insecurity about possible medical complications, while the absence of pain could lead to the rehabilitation exercise being perceived as pointless. Conclusions: The overall goal for the THA patients was to return to their habitual everyday life. This goal served as a facilitator for undertaking home-based rehabilitation exercise. Being able to perform usual activities paradoxically became a barrier for some participants, as they were more motivated to engage in general physical activity than the rehabilitation exercise.

Low Measles Vaccination Coverage and Spatial Analysis of High Measles Vaccination Dropout in Ethiopia's Underprivileged Areas.

(1) Background: Measles remains a major cause of disease and death worldwide, especially in the World Health Organization African Region. This study aimed to estimate the coverage of measles vaccinations and map the spatial distribution of measles vaccination dropout in Ethiopia; (2) Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Ethiopia's underprivileged areas. The study included 3646 mothers/caregivers of children. ArcGIS for the spatial analysis, Global Moran's I statistic for spatial autocorrelation, and Getis-Ord Gi* statistics for hot spot analysis were applied; (3) Results: Overall, coverages of measles-containing-vaccine first- and second-doses were 67% and 35%, respectively. Developing regions had the lowest coverages of measles-containing-vaccine first- and second-doses, 46.4% and 21.2%, respectively. On average, the measles vaccination dropout estimate was 48.3%. Refugees had the highest measles vaccination dropout estimate (56.4%). The hot spot analysis detected the highest burden of measles vaccination dropout mainly in the northeastern parts of Ethiopia, such as the Afar Region's zones 1 and 5, the Amhara Region's North Gondar Zone, and peripheral areas in the Benishangul Gumuz Region's Assosa Zone; (4) Conclusions: The overall measles vaccination coverages were relatively low, and measles vaccination dropout estimates were high. Measles vaccination dropout hot spot areas were detected in the northeastern parts of Ethiopia.

Acetic Acid Production from Aspergillus terreus Isolated from Some Agricultural Soils Collected from Selected Locations within the North Gondar Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia.

Acetic acid, a substance with numerous uses as a bulk chemical, may be produced novelty by Aspergillus terreus. With the newfound understanding of Aspergillus species catabolism of glucose, fermentation techniques for the generation of secondary metabolites like acetic acid in the Ethiopian north Gondar zone can be developed with glucose feeding and pH feedback management. Previous works done on extracting organic acids including acetic acid from filamentous fungi in Ethiopia and at the global level are scanty. Therefore, this study aimed to produce acetic acid from A. terreus isolated from agricultural soils in the north Gondar zone of Ethiopia using barely straw as a substrate. In the current study, Aspergillus isolates were obtained in the samples taken from three different locations. The isolates were screened for acetic acid production. The optimum temperature and pH for the maximum production of acetic acid by the selected isolate were also undertaken. The potential isolates were further cultured using barley straw as a local substrate. Preliminary identification of the selected isolates was based on morphological methods. Molecular characterization (amplification and sequencing of the two intergenic spacers, ITS1 and ITS2, and the intervening 5.8S gene of the ribosomal RNA) was carried out to confirm the identity of the Aspergillus isolates. When the isolates were screened for the production of acetic acid, an isolate from low land (isolate LL2) had the highest yield (72.5 ± 1.65 g/l) on basal screening media. The optimum temperature and pH for the maximum production of acetic acid by this isolate were 30°C and pH 5.0. A sequence similarity of 98.5% to A. terreus isolate LL2 (KIA) was obtained by comparing the Aspergillus isolate to a reference sequence in the GenBank using the BLAST algorithm. It can be concluded from this study that A. terreus isolated from agricultural soil in the north Gondar zone of Ethiopia could produce more acetic acid using barely straw as a substrate.

Determinants of Malnutrition and its associated factors among pregnant and lactating women under armed conflict areas in North Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: a community-based study

IntroductionMaternal malnutrition remains a major public health problem, particularly in low and middle-income countries and war-affected areas like Ethiopia. Malnourished pregnant and lactating women with low nutrient stores have babies with poor mental and physical development, increasing the risk of poor birth outcomes. Despite the fact that the majority of Ethiopian mothers are malnourished, there is little evidence in war-affected areas. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of undernutrition and associated factors among pregnant and lactating mothers in the war affected area of North Gondar Zone, northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from April 10 to May 25, 2022. A multistage random sampling technique was used to select 1560 pregnant and lactating mothers. MUAC was to ascertain the outcome variable. Data was entered and analyzed by using EPI INFO version 3.5.3 and SPSS version 24, respectively. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the factors associated with acute malnutrition. An adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval was used to show the strength of the association, while a P-value of 0.05 was used to declare the significance of the association.ResultsThe prevalence of acute malnutrition among pregnant and lactating women was 34.3% at the 95% CI (31.9–36.8). The age of the mothers (AOR = 0.73; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.99), family size 6–8 (AOR = 1.21; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.82), and greater than or equal to 9 family sizes (AOR = 0.44; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.97), were significantly associated with acute malnutrition.ConclusionsIn the current study, the prevalence of acute malnutrition among pregnant and lactating mothers is high in the study area. Mother’s age and family size were factors associated with acute malnutrition in war-affected areas. As a result, mothers with large families will require special assistance to reduce the impact of malnutrition.

Spatial patterns and predictors of unintended pregnancy among reproductive age women in Ethiopia.

Unintended pregnancy is amajor sexual and reproductive health problem that imposes substantial health, economical and psychosocial costs to individuals and society as well as significant emotional distress to women, families, and society. The main aim of this study was to investigate the spatial distribution and predictors of unintended pregnancy in Ethiopian regions and administrative zones. This study was conducted based on data from 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. The prevalence of unintended pregnancy across regions and or zones was assessed using spatial analysis, and the effect of different factors on unintended pregnancy in Ethiopia was investigated using a generalized linear mixed model with a multistage clustered sampling strategy. The crude and best linear unbiased predictor estimations of zones were integrated with the shape file data to demonstrate the performance of each zone on maps. The prevalence of unintended pregnancy for reproductive women in Ethiopia was29.49%. The highest rates of unintended pregnancy were recorded in the North Gondar zone of the Amhara region and the Jima zone in the Oromiya region. The mixed effects model revealed that age [AOR = 0.78, 95% CI, 0.62-0.97], residence [AOR = 2.62, 95%CI, 1.94, 7.27], marital status [AOR = 0.05, 95%CI, 0.01-0.38], women education [AOR = 1.34, 95%CI, 0.75-2.39], smoking cigarettes [AOR = 3.67, 95CI, 1.17-11.56], and poorer wealth index [AOR = 1.89, 95% CI, 1.51-2.31] were significantly associated with unintended pregnancy. In Ethiopia, unintended pregnancy is a public health issue, and prevention stratagem for unintended pregnancy among reproductive women need to be focused based on the identified predictors. The spatial distribution of unintended pregnancy varied greatly at zonal and regional levels in Ethiopia. Hence, we recommended that, creating awareness of sexual and reproductive health with special priority to the identified hotspot areas (Amhara, Oromiya and SNN regions) to reduce unintended pregnancy. Emphasis on fertility and contraceptive techniques should be given to couples by health professionals.

Isolation and identification of Mannheimia haemolytica and Pasteurella multocida from symptomatic and asymptomatic sheep and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns in three selected districts of north Gondar zone, Gondar Ethiopia.

Small ruminants are the most numerous of man's domestic livestock. Although sheep represent a great resource for Ethiopia, the net rate of productivity per animal is very low due to many factors including respiratory disorders. The objectives of this work were to isolate and identify M. haemolytica and P. multocida as well as to assess the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of these isolates. Nasal swab samples were collected aseptically by using 70% alcohol as a disinfectant. A cross-sectional study was conducted in three selected districts of the north Gondar zone, Ethiopia. From 148 samples collected in 94 (63.5%) asymptomatic and 54 (35.5%) symptomatic sheep, a total of 23 were isolated successfully based on cultural, staining, and biochemical characteristics. Of these isolates, 18 (78.3%) and 5 (21.7%) were M. haeimolytica and P. multocida, respectively. Compared with the total animals examined, the proportion of M. haeimolytica and P. multocida were 12.16 % (n = 18) and 3.38% (n = 5), respectively. All of the isolates were subjected to a panel of 8 antibiotic discs for sensitivity testing. Of the tested antibiotics, chloramphenicol (100%), gentamicin, and tetracycline (82.6%) each and co-trimoxazole (60.8%) were found to be the most effective drugs whereas, both species were completely resistant to vancomycin and showed a very low degree of susceptibility for the rest drugs. In conclusion, M. haemolytica was found to be the predominant isolate in all host-related factors and most of the antibiotics were not fully effective against the isolates. Hence, treatment and/or vaccination of ovine pneumonic pasteurellosis should be emphasised to M. haeimolytica using the most effective drugs along with appropriate herd management practices.

Magnitude and determinants of road traffic accidents in North Gondar Zone; Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Background: Despite efforts that the government has made to minimize the number of casualties or injury levels in Ethiopia, road traffic accidents remain a severe health concern throughout the country and in the study area as well. This study aims to examine the primary contributing variables of road traffic accidents in the North Gondar zone, under 24 administrative. Methods: The functional class of roads were directly examined on the site to evaluate the existing conditions of the roads which includes the geometric design constraints, functional class, daily traffic, and surfacing materials. Secondary source of data types, previously recorded road traffic accident information was collected from North Gondar zone traffic police departments. Road inventory information was collected from Gondar branch Ethiopian road authority under the specified horizon lines. Results: The magnitude and frequency of traffic accidents caused by driver-related factors( age, sex, level of education, driving experience, ownership responsibility of a vehicle and driver responsibility, time and day-wise distribution of traffic accidents), vehicle-related factors (failures of mechanical parts and its service age), road related factors( geometric design and construction, inventory information, road surfacing materials), pedestrians, and environmental factors were critically analysed. The result shows that a higher proportion (67%) of traffic accidents are mainly due to driver behaviour related factors than other causative factors. Conclusions: According to the results of the study, bad driving behaviour’s (exceeding the design speed, using a phone while driving, dangerous overtaking, excessive braking, loading above capacities, illegally parking out of public stations should be controlled to reduce the road traffic accident in the study area. In addition, successive up-to-date advanced computerized traffic accident safety training and recording systems should be given at least once a year through regional-based or at a central zone administrative zones for the traffic officers.

Health information utilization and its associated factors among health professionals in northwest Ethiopia: A crossectional study

IntroductionHealth information utilization is a global approach to improving the healthcare service quality. However, health information utilization has been challenging in developing countries due to health professionals having limited access to appropriate data. ObjectiveTherefore this study aimed to assess health information utilization and associated factors among health professionals in North Gondar Zone Hospitals. MethodsAn institution-based cross-sectional survey study was conducted among 335 health professionals from June 1 to July 3, 2022. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 software. Data was collected using pretested interviewer-administered questionnaires. Data were entered with epi data 4.6 versions and cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 26. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression was carried out to see the effect of explanatory variables on the outcome variable. The strength of the association between the dependent and independent variables was assessed using the odds ratio, and statistical significance was determined using a p-value of less than 0.05. ResultsA total of 327 study subjects participated in this study with a 97.6% response rate. About 64%(95%; CI = 58.4, 68.8) of the participants had good health information utilization. Discuss feedback at a meeting (AOR = 2.65, 95% CI = 1.31–5.39), collect and store data using HMIS tools was (AOR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.10–4.10), and respondents who had check data quality (AOR = 4.54, 95% CI = 2.31, 8.92) were found to be the significant factors associated with health information utilization. ConclusionOverall, this study finding showed that the level of health information utilization was moderate. The following points are forwarded to improve health information utilization such as; discuss feedback, check data quality, and use HMIS tools.

Rural households’ perception of climate change in the central and north Gondar zones, northwest Ethiopia

In the Central and North Gondar Zone, climate change is causing a challenge for smallholder farmers to improve their living standards. Rural communities face different climate change variables which negatively affect their livelihoods. Hence, this paper investigates rural households’ perception of climate change, its determinants and their indigenous mitigation strategies in response to the perceived impacts of climate change. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected through interviews, focus group discussions, key informant interviews and a review of different documents. To carry out the study, a multistage sampling procedure was employed. From each zone, study districts were selected purposively based on their economic activity and agroecological representativeness of the zone. A systematic sampling technique was employed to select 130 rural households. Primary data collected were analyzed by simple descriptive statistics and a logit regression model. The study results revealed that rural households did not similarly perceive climate change due to socioeconomic factors. Socioeconomic factors that significantly (at p≤0.05) determined rural households' perceptions of climate change were age, sex, educational status and access to extension services (at p≤0.01). The finding indicates that smallholder farmers used different indigenous mitigation strategies such as reforestation, minimizing deforestation, planting trees on their farmland and protection and tillage management practices for resolving climate change. According to the study, female-headed households participated less in agricultural training and had less access to information and restricted mobility outside the community to share information that help them to perceive climate change. Hence, equity issues should be considered for female-headed households and concerned bodies such as environmental protection experts and agricultural extension service providers should emphasize the upgrade of the farmer's capacity to mitigate climate change through indigenous knowledge for enhancing their living standard. In addition, development agents’ facilitation of indigenous knowledge sharing among farmers should be emphasized to mitigate climate change. Key words: Climate change, mitigation strategies, perception, respondents, rural

Investigating spatial relationship between vegetation cover and soil moisture using sentinel satellites: a case study of North Gondar Zone, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Assessing spatial and temporal variations of soil moisture has a great role in different applications, such as natural resource management, flood-risk prediction, irrigation development, hydrology, and climatology. The current study is focusing on investigating the spatial relationship between soil moisture and vegetation cover. The Delta index model was applied using Sentinel-1 images to estimate soil moisture, and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index was applied using Sentinel-2 images to assess vegetation cover. Besides, regression analysis was conducted to investigate the spatial relationship between soil moisture and vegetation cover. The derived soil moisture ranges from 0% to 48.4811%. Most areas with high elevation had high soil moisture, and low elevation had low soil moisture. In most part of the study area, vegetation cover and soil moisture have a direct relationship. Thus, higher vegetation cover was observed in areas with higher soil moisture; and lower vegetation cover was observed in areas with lower soil moisture.

Analysis of technical efficiency of irrigated onion (Allium cepa L.) production in North Gondar Zone of amhara regional state, Ethiopia.

Onions are a significant source of revenue and food security for households. Despite their importance in human nutrition, economic benefit, and area coverage, in Ethiopia, onion productivity is significantly lower than it should be. The purpose of this study is to address this gap by examining efficiency variations and determining the variables that affect onion farmers' levels of efficiency in the North Gondar Zone of Ethiopia. The sources of data were both primary and secondary. 205 onion farmers from the Gondar Zuria, Takusa, and Dembia districts were chosen using simple random sampling proportional to sample size. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather primary data from these participants. A Cobb-Douglass production function, a single-stage stochastic frontier model, and descriptive statistics were used to investigate the technical efficiency of onion production at the farm level. The mean technical efficiency of an irrigated onion was 53%, according to the maximum likelihood estimates of the stochastic frontier analysis. By enhancing agricultural methods using current technology, it is possible to raise the average production efficiency of irrigated onions. The stochastic frontier model's maximum likelihood estimates revealed that plot size, Di Ammonium Phosphate, and oxen have a significant effect on onion output; education, livestock holding, experience, and frequency of watering have a positive and significant effect on technical efficiency, whereas family size and marketing training have a negative and significant effect on technical efficiency. Therefore, the government or any relevant bodies should deliver continual scheduled training and an integrated adult education at the existing farmers' training center; modern livestock production techniques; further groundwater resources and proper watering technologies should be used since currently farmers use an inefficient irrigation system, specifically furrow irrigation.

Analysis of technical efficiency of irrigated tomato production in North Gondar Zone of Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a country with a total population of more than 110 million, of which about 80% of the total population is engaged in subsistence farming in rural areas. Although the agricultural sector plays a great role in the Ethiopian economy, it is characterized by low productivity due to technological and socioeconomic factors. Improving smallholder irrigated tomato production, and productivity would contribute to enhancing food security and alleviating poverty. Therefore, this study was investigated to fill this gap to analyze the technical efficiency of irrigated tomato production and its determinant factors in North Gondar Zone, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. Primary data were collected from 160 farmers selected using a multistage sampling procedure and analyzed using descriptive statistics, a parametric stochastic frontier production function model. The stochastic frontier and Cobb–Douglas functional form with a one-step approach were employed to analyze efficiency and factors affecting efficiency in irrigated tomato production. The estimated gamma parameters indicated that 0.69% of the total variation in tomato output was due to technical inefficiency. The means technical efficiency was found 60%, and about 6480.19 kg of tomato output per hectare was lost due to inefficiency factors implying there is a room for improvement in technical efficiency by 40% with the present technology. The Stochastic Production Frontier (SPF) result revealed that plot size at 1% and UREA at 10% probability level significantly influenced tomato production. The socio-economic variables that exercised an important role for variations in technical efficiency positively were the level of education, TLU, fair water distribution service and water in the morning, and in contrast watering frequency, marketing training, and credit were found to increase inefficiency significantly among farm households. To get better farmers' efficiency in the production of irrigated tomatoes continuous marketing training should be established and strengthening the available farmers training center (FTC) to improve farm productivity. The government and any concerned bodies should be built irrigation canals and other alternatives to reduce watering frequency. There should be a timely and sufficient supply of UREA to improve farmers’ efficiency in the production of tomatoes.

Post-harvest losses of Malt Barley at the farm level in Debark district, North Gondar zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Malt Barley has a great contribution to food security and farm income in Debark district. Despite the contribution, there was a loss in Malt Barley production due to improper post-harvest handling at the farm level. Thus, this study assessed the extent of post-harvest loss in Malt Barley at different stages at the farm level and the factor affecting post-harvest loss of Malt Barley in Debark district. Three-stage purposive and simple random sampling techniques were applied to draw 223 samples. Tobit model was used to analyse factors affecting post-harvest loss at the farm level. The study result shows that post-harvest loss at the farm level was estimated to be 12.68%. The result from the Tobit model revealed that post-harvest loss was significantly influenced by variables such as family labour, education level, land allocated for Malt Barley, access to frequency of extension contact, storage facility, and volume of Malt Barley production. Therefore, expansion of adult and basic education for farmers, increasing the frequency of extension contact, the introduction of a harvesting machine, and proper storage facilities are expected to minimize post-harvest losses of Malt Barley at the farm level.

Phytochemical Investigation and Antimicrobial Study of Some Selected Traditional Medicinal Plants from North Gondar Zone

The present study was carried out on the phytochemical investigation and antimicrobial activities of the leaf extract of H. abyssinica, O. lamifolium, R. chalepensis and S. incanum because, the plants was used for traditional medicinal in Ethiopia specially in North Gondar zone as treatment for many ailments. The powdered leaf of H. abyssinica, O. lamifolium, R. chalepensis and S. incanum was sequentially extracted with organic solvents: petroleum ether and methanol respectively. The petroleum ether and methanol crude extracts was subjected to phytochemical screening to test the presence of steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, phenols, tannins and terpenoids compounds that has might be responsible for the claimed activities by local people. The crude extracts was tested against four bacterial species (Gram negative bacteria: Escherichia coli and Salmonela thyphei; Gram positive bacteria: Staphylococcus aureusand Streptococcus agalactiae) using paper disc diffusion method. The results showed that the methanol was the best solvent for extracting antimicrobial substances from those plant when compared to petroleum ether. This indicates that plants rich in a wide variety of secondary metabolites such as tannins, alkaloids, tannin, flavonoids and terpenoids.

Midwifery-led researches for evidence-based practice: Clinical midwives engagement in research in Ethiopia, 2021.

IntroductionHealth workers involvement in research had an impact on studies and whole system. They influence the clinical practice and help to implement evidences. Although International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) put research as one of the midwifery competencies and professional development activity, clinical midwives are poorly involved in research. Therefore, this study is aimed to assess clinical midwives engagement in research and bridge the gap through applicable strategies.MethodInstitution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among clinical midwives working at public health facilities of Central and North Gondar Zone, Ethiopia from September to October, 2020 G.C. A structured and pre-tested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data and entered into Epi-info version 7. Descriptive statistics was used to describe study population. Bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regression analysis was performed using STATA Version 14 and significance level declared at 95% confidence interval, p-value ≤ 0.05 and respective odds ratios.ResultOut of 335 clinical midwives, 314 were participated making the response rate 93.7%. Among the midwives, one hundred seventy two (54.8%) (95% CI: 49.08%, 60.37) have good skill on conducting a research. Clinical midwives with mothers with formal education [AOR: 1.90, 95% CI: (1.03, 3.51), currently work on referral hospitals [AOR: 2.33, 95% CI: (1.19, 4.53)] and having good level of knowledge on research [AOR: 2.19, 95% CI: (1.25, 3.82)] have significant association with having good research skill. Forty eight (15.2%) (95% CI: 11.5%, 19.7%) ever participated in research during their clinical practice. Clinical midwives who have good knowledge on research [AOR: 0.31, 95% CI: (0.14, 0.70)] are about 0.3 times less likely to participate on research than who have poor knowledge [AOR: 0.31, 95% CI: (0.14, 0.70)].Conclusion and recommendationAlthough more than half have good research skill, only a small proportion of midwives were involved in research. Capacity building activities are crucial to strengthen midwives skill on research and ensure their involvement.

The magnitude of neonatal asphyxia and its associated factors among newborns in public hospitals of North Gondar Zone, Northwest Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.

Birth asphyxia is a prominent and avoidable cause of infant illness and death worldwide, particularly in underdeveloped countries such as Ethiopia. Early identification and control of the underlying contributory factors would help to alleviate the situation. As a result, the goal of this study was to assess the magnitude and determinants of neonatal asphyxia among live newborns at the northern Gondar public Hospitals in northwest Ethiopia. From April 1 to May 2, 2020, 357 newborns were studied in an institution-based cross-sectional study. The sample size was proportionally distributed among three public hospitals, namely Gondar referral teaching hospital, Debark general hospital, and Kola-Diba District Hospital, which was chosen at random. The number of deliveries given at each hospital six months prior to the data collecting period was used to allocate the hospitals. To get all participants, a systematic random sampling approach was adopted based on hospital delivery registration. The physicians' evaluation of an APGAR score of 7 in the first and fifth minutes of birth was used as the confirmation of birth asphyxia. Data was collected using a standardized and pretested questionnaire. Variables having p-values less than 0.25 were entered into a multivariable logistic regression analysis in the bivariable analysis. At a p-value of 0.05, a statistically significant level was reported. As per the study, the total prevalence of neonatal asphyxia was found to be 27.1 (95% CI: 21.4, 32.7). In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, neonates born to rural mothers (AOR = 2.441, 95% CI: 1.137, 5.241), primiparity (AOR = 5.521 95%CI: 1.691, 8.026), premature rupture of membrane, (AOR = 3.202, 95% CI: 1.484, 6.909) and low birth weight (< 2.5kg) (AOR = 3.706, 95%CI: 3.307, 4.152) were all found to be independent predictors of birth asphyxia. This study identified that rural residence, primiparity, premature rupture of membrane, and birth weight were found to be the independent predictors of birth asphyxia. The majority of variables that cause birth asphyxia can be controlled.

Heavy Metal Distribution in Surface Water and Sediment of Megech River, a Tributary of Lake Tana, Ethiopia

Excess heavy metal concentrations caused by severe anthropogenic activities are among the major threats of aquatic pollution in developing countries like Ethiopia. So far, there is limited information regarding concentrations of selected toxic heavy metals in the freshwater bodies of northern Ethiopian highlands. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the current status and spatial distributions of heavy metals in water and sediment samples of the Megech River located in the North Gondar zone of the Amhara region from November 2018 to January 2019. Six different sampling sites (M1–M6) were identified based on the anthropogenic influence. A total of 30 water and 30 sediment samples were collected along the course of the river. Results revealed that concentrations of Cu (0.11 to 0.17 mg L−1), Zn (0.11 to 0.16 mg L−1) and Cr (0.03–0.05 mg L−1) in the water were within international guidelines for domestic use. In the sediment, maximum concentrations of heavy metals detected at site M2 were within the recommended sediment quality guideline for aquatic systems. Generally, higher concentrations of heavy metals were observed at sites with higher anthropogenic activity (M2). Therefore, continuous monitoring and seasonal studies with representative samples including benthic organisms and macrophytes are needed to quantify the impact on downstream sections.