Smallest Administrative Unit Research Articles

Under What Conditions Do Rural Schools Learn From their Partners?

This case study was designed to explore the strategies and actions that high performing schools with sustainable results employ at the district level in a rural part of Norway. The district subjected to the study is characterised by small municipalities and a scattered population, with a few small school administrative units, which might be a challenging context for sustainability and improvement. In response, the districts developed collaborative structures to increase collective learning capacity. The research design involved a collective case study, and it draws on data from interviews with school leaders at the municipal level and local school policy documents. The findings suggest that Norwegian school district actors can facilitate school improvement by shaping collaborating cultures, inter-organisational learning processes and educational infrastructures. Furthermore, the findings highlight the schools’ ability to recognise and value new knowledge from external sources, such as academic institutions and partner schools, assimilate novelties across boundaries and, eventually, utilise these for strategic or operational ends to enhance an organisation’s absorptive capacity. Finally, the findings indicate that superintendents can play important roles through boundary-spanning and gatekeeping activities.

Cataloguing Wards of Delhi for effective Local Area Planning using Geographical Information Systems

Increased urbanization in an unprecedented manner has resulted in the splitting of urban areas into small divisions for the administrative convenience and effective planning purpose. In India, ward is the smallest administrative unit and has been in attention since 74th Constitutional Amendment Act. This act provided for autonomy to the ULBs to be responsible for the planning, implementation and operation of municipal services at local level. As per the Master Plan of Delhi 2021, all the wards shall have a Local Area Plan (LAP) to meet the needs and aspiration of the local people. The LAP is deciphered at the individual ward level in case of Delhi. There are 272 wards in Delhi and the population of these wards varies from 5000 to 200000. Hence, it is gathered that one approach or framework for urban management at local level may not be suitable for all wards of Delhi and also it is technically not achievable to have 272 individual LAP in the light of both financial and material resources shortage. With this background, the study is conducted and authors have attempted to list the criteria for spatial categorization of wards through literature review with the view to catalogue the wards in Delhi. This will enable planners to formulate strategies suitable for various wards catalogued under one category leading to effective utilization of common resources As a pilot study three important planning criteria - population density, building density and development pattern - were identified from literature studies and Geographical Information System (GIS) application and correlation analysis statistical used over these three criteria to catalogue the wards in Delhi. Consequently, 272 wards of Delhi were catalogued under 9 different categories. The findings are suggestive that physical planning attributes are important tools to define the vast spatial built areas into categories that are more conducive for local planning in comparison to the administrative boundaries delineated on the basis of population only. This may give stimulus to the operative planning at local level and shall enable policy makers and planners to design the strategies which are more efficient in terms of resources, time and are more effective and implementable at ward level. The originality of the study is in the fact that no such study has been conducted in the Indian context that attempts to catalogue built and unbuilt spaces based on physical planning attributes.

Assessment of status of solid waste management in Asella town, Ethiopia

BackgroundImproper solid waste management (SWM) is a major public health and environmental concern in the urban areas of many developing countries such as Asella Town. The aim of this study was to assess the status of SWM in Asella town.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study design was used to assess the status of improper SWM and associated factors in Asella town. From the total of eight kebeles (smallest administrative unit in Ethiopia) four kebeles were randomly selected using lottery method. The sample size was 413 households. The households were proportionally allocated to each randomly selected kebeles. The data was collected by pretested questionnaire in the local language. Data was entered using statistical software Epi Info version seven and transferred to SPSS version 21. Descriptive data analysis was done to summarize the socioeconomic status of the respondents. Chi-square was used to show the association between the status of solid waste management and different variables. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the potential factors for improper SWM.Result332 (82.8%), had improper solid waste management practice. Lack of adequate knowledge about solid waste management and not having access to door to door solid waste collection could have contributed to the reported improper solid waste practice. Participants who didn’t have access to door to door solid waste collection service were about three times more likely to practice improper solid waste management when compared to those who had access (AOR = 2.873, 95 CI (1.565,5.273) P = 0.001).ConclusionThe study finding showed that, the majority of the residents practiced improper solid waste management. Lack of adequate knowledge about solid waste management and not having access to door to door solid waste collection could have contributed to the reported improper solid waste practice. Therefore, there is a need to enhance the awareness of the community about proper SWM and to improve the door to door solid waste collection service by the town municipality.

SUN-241 THE TREND IN THE INCIDENCE OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN THE CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE OF UNCERTAIN ORIGIN (CKDu) AFFECTED NORTH CENTRAL PROVINCE OF SRI LANKA

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) of uncertain origin (CKDu) has affected North Central Province (Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa district) of Sri Lanka. The cause is still unknown. The objective of this study was to describe the trend in the incidence of CKD/CKDu in Divisional Secretariat (DS) areas (smaller administrative units) of North Central Province (Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa districts) of Sri Lanka.

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants in Nagelle Arsi District, West Arsi Zone of Oromia, Ethiopia

Ethnobotanical study was conducted in Nagelle Arsi District, Ethiopia with the objective of identifying and documenting medicinal plants, associated indigenous knowledge and ethnobotanical practices of local communities. Household survey using semi-structured interviews, key informant interview, group discussions, field observations and market survey methods were used for data collection. A total 17 kebeles (smallest administrative unit) out of the 34 in the District were selected for this study, from which 90 informants for the household survey were interviewed. Eight key informants per each site were selected following purposive sampling method. Qualitative and quantitative statistical methods, priority ranking, paired comparison, direct matrix ranking, informant consensus and percentage distribution were used for data analysis. A total of 102 medicinal plants belonging to 85 genera and 55 families were collected and identified including four endemic plants to Ethiopia. The finding indicated that 65 species were used for treating human diseases, 31species for both human and livestock diseases and 7 for livestock diseases. Species used for treating cancer, blood pressure, malaria, diabetes, hemorrhoids and prostate problems were identified and documented. Seventeen medicinal plants were found to be wild edibles. Commonly used plant parts were leaves followed by roots and barks. The common routes of administration were oral followed by dermal. It was concluded that although the District was rich in medicinal plants, these species have been under serious threat due to agricultural expansion, deforestation, forest degradation and over harvesting for different purposes including firewood collections. Therefore, urgent conservation measures applying in-situ and ex-situ methods and strengthening sustainable management of natural forest were recommended. Keywords: Biodiversity conservation, indigenous knowledge, medicinal plants, Nagelle Arsi, sustainable use. DOI : 10.7176/JNSR/9-13-01 Publication date :July 31 st 2019

Using neighborhood association area as new spatial data infrastructure to link public administrative data with GIS in Indonesia

Despite its potential use for earth observation and GIS-based analysis, Public Administrative Database (PAD) has been neglected in the spatial big data discussions. For instance, linking unaggregated public databases to the smallest administrative units for mining spatial data currently absents from literatures. In this study, a neighbourhood association base map was developed and the usability as a platform for linking PAD in Indonesia was investigated. The base map is proposed as a new feature in the Indonesia’s SDI. A data model was developed, and data accuracy and reliability were assessed by a case study. Four unaggregated databases obtained from public institutions were examined using common structured query language. The results show that from 1.3 million records, more than 95% can be directly linked to the base map. Finally, it is concluded that despite existence of challenges, linking PAD with the base map is feasible and beneficial for GIS-based analysis.

Omnidirectional connectivity of urban open spaces provides context for local government redevelopment plans

Governance of large cities requires local planning and administration, and most cities contain nested levels of government. There are challenges for coordinating urban planning and development among these local governments, which lead to the need to assess regional or city-wide contexts that can be used by smaller administrative units. Urban metabolism treats a city as a system within which the movement of resources can be estimated. In this study, we employed an urban metabolism approach to estimate the permeability of open space within an entire megacity, Seoul, the capital of South Korea. We provide district-level relative permeability scores for the 25 district governments to use in assessments and incentivize cooperation to improve the city’s overall open space connectivity. We analyzed the relative level of open space of 69 classes using Seoul’s land use map, and used Omniscape, a modeling tool that charts the level of suitability and resistance of every grid cell to every other grid cell using a moving window. This is an omnidirectional continuous approach that does not require open space “cores” or least-cost “paths”. We modeled two scenarios, one where open water is a barrier and contributes little to open space, and the other where open water is considered an attractive element to open space. We used the modeled outputs to define five levels of permeability and then compared the relative permeability scores for the 25 districts. Five districts had over 30% of their area in the lowest level, and eight of the 10 largest impermeable areas spanned across districts under water suitable scenario. The comparable metrics permit intra-district assessments to improve open space access, but also expect creative approaches to overcome issues including limited availability for open spaces.

Impact of Population Density on PM2.5 Concentrations: A Case Study in Shanghai, China

We examine the effects of the urban built environment on PM2.5 (fine particulate matter with diameters equal or smaller than 2.5 μm) concentrations by using an improved region-wide database, a spatial econometric model, and five built environment attributes: Density, design, diversity, distance to transit, and destination accessibility (the 5Ds). Our study uses Shanghai as a relevant case study and focuses on the role of density at the jiedao scale, the smallest administrative unit in China. The results suggest that population density is positively associated with PM2.5 concentrations, pointing to pollution centralization and congestion effects dominating the mitigating effects of mode-shifting associated with density. Other built environment variables, such as the proportion of road intersections, degree of mixed land use, and density of bus stops, are all positively associated with PM2.5 concentrations while distance to nearest primary or sub-center is negatively associated. Regional heterogeneity shows that suburban jiedao have lower PM2.5 concentrations when a subway station is present.

Child development center-based sentinel surveillance of soil-transmitted helminthiases in preschool-age children in selected local government units in the Philippines

Soil-transmitted helminthiasis (STH) remains a public health concern in developing countries, such as the Philippines. Preschool-age children (PSAC) are among the high-risk groups for STH. Data on the status of STH in PSAC are needed to help guide policy formulation and program implementation; however, in the usual setting, such data may remain limited. This study aimed to describe the parasitologic status of PSAC in selected local government units (LGUs) in the Philippines through sentinel surveillance methodology in a child-development center (CDC)-based setting.This cross-sectional study, which included 1732 PSAC in selected barangays (a village or the smallest administrative unit in the country) in the provinces of Cavite, Guimaras, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, and Davao del Norte and cities of Iloilo and Lapu-Lapu in the Philippines, utilized Kato-Katz technique to determine parasitologic status. A single Kato-Katz smear was prepared from the adult-thumb sized stool sample submitted by each participant. Ten percent of Kato-Katz slides examined by field microscopists were re-examined by a reference microscopist as part of quality control.Results showed a prevalence of any STH infection and a moderate-heavy ((M−H)) intensity prevalence of 24.9% and 10.3%, respectively. Five cases of schistosomiasis were found in Lapu-Lapu City and Davao del Norte. While the Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) - Integrated Helminth Control Program (IHCP) target for prevalence of any STH of less than 50% was attained, none of the barangays or villages met the World Health Organization (WHO) target for (M−H) intensity STH prevalence of less than 1%, despite the program being implemented for almost a decade.Sentinel surveillance in PSAC, possibly adopting a CDC-based approach, may be implemented biannually in the Philippines and other countries where a similar early child care development system exist to generate data needed to guide policy formulation and program implementation. Preventive chemotherapy through facility-based mass drug administration (MDA), such as CDC-based MDA, may be explored to improve the mode of MDA delivery and coverage in PSAC.

Assessment of Ficus thonningii tree production and utilization for livestock feed by smallholder farmers in northwestern Ethiopia

BackgroundAn assessment on the management practices and uses of Ficus thonningii tree by smallholder farmers’ was carried from December 2014 to March 2015 to evaluate the status of tree management, utilization as livestock feed and identify major production and utilization constraints. Three districts were purposely selected based on abundance of the tree from northwestern Ethiopia, and from each district, three peasant associations (smallest administrative unit) were selected purposely based on the abundance of F. thonningii availability and farmers’ utilization practices. The methodology of the study encompasses questionnaire, group discussion, key informant interview and secondary data sources. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were employed to present the quantitative and qualitative variables obtained from the survey.ResultsThe result indicated in all districts, livestock feed shortage during dry season was a critical problem. The ownership of F. thonningii tree indicated nonsignificant (P > 0.05) difference among the study districts. The types of livestock species reported feeding F. thonningii were cattle (54.2%), sheep (24.1%) and goats (21.7%) in all study districts. Among the parts of the tree used as feed, leaves in fresh form were used as dry season supplement to the livestock. The majority of respondents in the study districts reported to have accustomed practicing feeding F. thonningii leaves in the fresh from, followed by wilting and both fresh and wilting. Of the constraints of farmers in the study districts in using F. thonningii as feed for livestock were lack of training (51%), followed by land shortage (31%) and labor scarcity (18%).ConclusionsThis preliminary assessment indicated that the tree has valuable benefit to mitigate critical livestock feed scarcity in the dry season; farmers do have many constraints in its fullest utilization. Hence, to exploit the potential of F. thonningii as livestock fodder in northwestern Ethiopia, smallholder farmers should get training on production and utilization of the fodder tree.

Prospects of Tourism Development on the Royal Domains of North Shewa

North Shewa is one of the arenas of Ethiopian history and cultures. Nevertheless, its heritages are not only unknown to the large public but they benefit little to the local development and to the nation. This paper intends to identify the cultural and natural heritages for tourism development in Basso-Warana districts. The data are collected through reviewing written sources, interviewing the local people and personal observations of the researchers. The research has identified major sites namely the historical and cultural heritages of king Shale Selassie (1813-40) palace, the birth place of king Menilek II (1889-1913), and the Gobena cave and his residence at Alam Katama in Aman-Gult <i>kabala</i> (small administrative unit) Besides, there are traditional games that can be re-enacted for tourism development. The research reveals the main prospects and challenges of the sites for their development to tourist destinations. It recommends the short and long term tourist development plan particularly for the Angollala royal seat, Gobena cave and Alam Katama.

Planting Fruits and Vegetables in Homegarden as a Way to Improve Livelihoods and Conserve Plant Biodiversity

Multi-story cropping systems are used to grow fruits and vegetables in rural homegardens, and it has been argued that they are crucial for the food and nutrition safety of rural populations. They also are considered as refuges for a number of plant species, and as one way to reduce pressure on the surrounding ecosystem by providing resources such as food, fiber, and firewood to farmers on their own farmland. This study was conducted to assess the contribution of fruits and vegetables in homegardens to household livelihoods and biodiversity conservation in the Yayo biosphere reserve in southwestern Ethiopia. The role of fruits and vegetables was evaluated for 96 households that were selected randomly from both fruit and vegetable users and only vegetable-user strata. To collect socioeconomic data, semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and focus group discussions were employed. A complete enumeration of plant species was done for diversity assessment in 48 homegardens from four kebeles (the smallest administrative unit in Ethiopia) in the Yayo and Hurumu districts and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The results indicated the highest plant diversity, with a total of 76 species identified from 38 families. Fruit and vegetable users were found to harbor more diversity in their homegardens compared to only vegetable-user homegardens. Homegarden size correlated significantly with species richness. Fruits and vegetables in homegardens were found to considerably contribute to household food consumption and total annual income independent of wealth categories. We also found a significant negative relationship between fruit and vegetable use and forest product harvesting, indicating the reduction of pressures on nearby forest ecosystems. This study supports the idea that fruits and vegetables contribute to biodiversity conservation directly as the entity of homegarden agrobiodiversity and indirectly through minimizing households’ demand for forest harvesting by providing food and generating income. Nevertheless, fruits and vegetables were not contributing at their full potential, which was mainly due to disease problems, pests, and a lack of better market access. Therefore, further research and interventions are needed to help farmers confront these challenges affecting fruit and vegetable production and productivity.

Population Exposure to Ambient PM2.5 at the Subdistrict Level in China.

Fine-particulate pollution is a major public health concern in China. Accurate assessment of the population exposed to PM2.5 requires high-resolution pollution and population information. This paper assesses China’s potential population exposure to PM2.5, maps its spatiotemporal variability, and simulates the effects of the recent air pollution control policy. We relate satellite-based Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) retrievals to ground-based PM2.5 observations. We employ block cokriging (BCK) to improve the spatial interpolation of PM2.5 distribution. We use the subdistrict level population data to estimate and map the potential population exposure to PM2.5 pollution in China at the subdistrict level, the smallest administrative unit with public demographic information. During 8 April 2013 and 7 April 2014, China’s population-weighted annual average PM2.5 concentration was nearly 7 times the annual average level suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO). About 1322 million people, or 98.6% of the total population, were exposed to PM2.5 at levels above WHO’s daily guideline for longer than half a year. If China can achieve its Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution targets by 2017, the population exposed to PM2.5 above China’s daily standard for longer than half a year will be reduced by 85%.

Predictors of infant and young feeding practices among children 6-23 months old in Bennatsemayworeda, Ethiopia

Feeding practices of children under two years directly affect their nutritional status, impacting survival. Many observational studies showed that maternal knowledge of optimal child feeding practices is basic to keep health of a child. However, maternal knowledge, attitude and practices towards child feeding and associated factors of pastoralist children were not well documented in BennaTsemayWoreda, South Omo Zone, and Southern Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was designed to assess child feeding practices and associated factors among pastoralist children aged 6-23months in Benna Tsemay Woreda, South Omo Zone, and Southern Ethiopia. A community-based cross sectional study was conducted among 645 pastoralist children aged 6-23 months from February-March 2016. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select kebeles (smallest administrative unit) and children. Out of Journal of Nutritional Health & Food Engineering Research Article Open Access 32kebeles, six were randomly selected. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire, 24hour food recall and focus group discussions. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected. Quantitative data was analysed using SPSS for windows version 20.0. Qualitative data was analyzed based on thematic content analysis. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted.

Spatial-temporal clustering analysis of yaws on Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea to enhance planning and implementation of eradication programs

BackgroundIn the global program for the eradication of yaws, assessments of the prevalence of the disease are used to decide where to initiate mass treatment. However, the smallest administrative unit that should be used as the basis for making decisions is not clear. We investigated spatial and temporal clustering of yaws to help inform the choice of implementation unit.Methodology/Principal findingsWe analyzed 11 years of passive surveillance data on incident yaws cases (n = 1448) from Lihir Island, Papua New Guinea. After adjusting for age, sex, and trends in health-seeking, we detected three non-overlapping spatial-temporal clusters (p < 1 × 10−17, p = 1.4 × 10−14, p = 1.4 × 10−8). These lasted from 28 to 47 months in duration and each encompassed between 4 and 6 villages. We also assessed spatial clustering of prevalent yaws cases (n = 532) that had been detected in 7 biannual active case finding surveys beginning in 2013. We identified 1 statistically significant cluster in each survey. We considered the possibility that schools that serve multiple villages might be loci of transmission, but we found no evidence that incident cases of yaws among 8- to 14-year-olds clustered within primary school attendance areas (p = 0.6846).Conclusions/SignificanceThese clusters likely reflect transmission of yaws across village boundaries; villages may be epidemiologically linked to a degree such that mass drug administration may be more effectively implemented at a spatial scale larger than the individual village.

Association between local-level resources for home care and home deaths: A nationwide spatial analysis in Japan.

AimLittle is known about whether and how local-level resources regarding home care are associated with the prevalence of home deaths. We aimed to investigate whether geographic patterns of the resources for home care were associated with the prevalence of home deaths, taking spatial variation into consideration.MethodsWe conducted an ecological cross-sectional study in Japan using nationwide data in 2014. The areal unit was the municipality, the smallest administrative unit in Japan. We investigated the association between the percentage of home deaths and the resources of home care support clinics with available 24-hour-a-day functions, considering the geographic effect of neighboring municipalities by applying a geographically weighted regression model.ResultsThe mean and standard deviation of the percentages of home deaths were 11.4% (5.0%), and those of the number of home care support clinics per 10,000 elderly population were 3.4 (3.7). The percentages of home deaths in neighboring municipalities tended to be significantly correlated (Moran’s I 0.34, p<0.001). Adjusting for the number of hospital beds, total population, and the socio-economic status of municipality, the results of an ordinary least squares regression model showed a positive correlation between the percentage of home deaths and the local resources for home care support clinics per 10,000 elderly population (regression coefficient 0.15, 95% confidence interval 0.07, 0.22), while the existence of spatial autocorrelation of the residual was suggested (Moran’s I of the residual 0.227, p<0.001). The geographically weighted regression model showed local regression coefficients varying across municipalities with a better model fit over the analogous ordinary least squares model (adjusted R2 0.414 vs. 0.131).ConclusionHome deaths were more prevalent in municipalities with greater home care resources. This association was geographically varied and further strengthened in some areas.

Estimating the spatial risk of tuberculosis distribution in Gurage zone, southern Ethiopia: a geostatistical kriging approach

BackgroundIn low-income countries it is difficult to obtain complete data that show spatial heterogeneity in the risk of tuberculosis within-and-between smaller administrative units. This may contribute to the partial effectiveness of tuberculosis control programs. The aim of this study was to estimate the spatial risk of tuberculosis distribution in Gurage Zone, Southern Ethiopia using limited spatial datasets.MethodsA total of 1601 patient data that were retrieved from unit tuberculosis registers were included in the final analyses. The population and geo-location data were obtained from the Central Statistical Agency of Ethiopia. Altitude data were extracted from ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model Version 2. Aggregated datasets from sample of 169(40%), 254(60%) and 338(80%) kebeles were used to estimate the spatial risk of TB distribution in the Gurage Zone by using a geostatistical kriging approach. The best set of input parameters were decided based on the lowest prediction error criteria of the cross-validation technique. ArcGIS 10.2 was used for the spatial data analyses.ResultsThe best semivariogram models were the Pentaspherical, Rational Quadratic, and K-Bessel for the 40, 60 and 80% spatial datasets, respectively. The predictive accuracies of the models have improved with the true anisotropy, altitude and latitude covariates, the change in detrending pattern from local to global, and the increase in size of spatial dataset. The risk of tuberculosis was estimated to be higher at western, northwest, southwest and southeast parts of the study area, and crossed between high and low at west-central parts.ConclusionThis study has underlined that the geostatistical kriging approach can be applied to estimate the spatial risk of tuberculosis distribution in data limited settings. The estimation results may help local public health authorities measure burden of the disease at all locations, identify geographical areas that require more attention, and evaluate the impacts of intervention programs.

Transportation infrastructure investment and the location of new manufacturing around South Korea's West Coast Expressway

This study analyzes the impact of the opening of the West Coast Expressway in Korea on the location of new manufacturing establishments near the road. The expressway opened in December 2001 and connects the Seoul Metropolitan area with Jeolla province. Major construction goals were to stimulate the industrial development of nearby regions and improve the traffic flow around existing industrial complexes. The analysis used panel data for the ten years of 1997 through 2006. The database was developed from the annual Korea Mining and Manufacturing Survey and other sources.The analysis used a fine spatial resolution based on three non-overlapping, small spatial administrative units: city wards (Korean: dong), towns (K. eup), and rural districts (K. myeon). This led to 2029 observations (one for each spatial unit) per year, or a total of 20,290 observations for the 10-year panel. The analysis was performed with a fixed-effect negative binomial panel regression. The analysis modeled the formation of new manufacturing establishments, both in total and classified by technology level and establishment size.The results found that the opening of the West Coast Expressway had a significant positive impact on the decision of the location of new manufacturing establishments. The average wage of employed workers in local manufacturing establishments was also an important location determinant for new manufacturing establishments, especially for establishments based on lower technology levels which pay lower wages. Land price was found to produce a negative effect, regardless of technology level or size. The number of employed workers in existing manufacturing establishments in the local area was a highly significant positive determinant of location for new manufacturing establishments, indicating agglomeration effects.

Nutritional Status and Associated Factors Among Pastoralist Children Aged 6-23 Months in Benna Tsemay Woreda, South Omo Zone, Southern Ethiopia

Nutritional status of children is an important outcome measure of their health status. However, nutritional status and associated factors of pastoralist children were not well documented in Benna Tsemay Woreda, South Omo Zone, Southern Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was designed to assess nutritional status and associated factors among pastoralist children aged 6-23 months in Benna Tsemay Woreda, South Omo Zone, Southern Ethiopia. A community-based cross sectional study was conducted among 645 pastoralist children aged 6-23 months from February-March 2016. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select kebeles (smallest administrative unit) and children. Out of thirty-two kebeles, six were randomly selected. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, 24 hour food recall and anthropometric measurements. Quantitative data were collected and analyzed using SPSS for windows version 20.0. Anthropometric indices were computed using WHO Anthro 2011 software (version 3.2.2). Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted. Crude odds ratio (COR) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) were reported. Prevalence of stunting and underweight were higher in fewer than two children in Benna Tsemay compared to the national average. This study showed, being older child (12-23 months) (AOR=3.29, 95%CI, 2.03-5.32), being from agro-pastoralist (AOR=0.46, 95%CI, 0.24-0.88), middle wealth quantile household (AOR=0.40, 95%CI, 0.20-0.77), use of treated water (AOR=0.60, 95%CI, 0.37-0.96), being second birth order (AOR=2.17, 95%CI, 1.11-4.24), being female child (AOR=0.55, 95%CI, 0.37-0.82) and good child feeding practice of mothers (AOR=0.47, 95%CI, 0.28-0.78) were significantly associated with stunting of pastoralist children in Benna Tsemay Woreda (p<0.05). Having large family size (≥6 individuals) (AOR=30.93, 95%CI, 4.91-194.7), polygamous marriage (AOR=2.46, 95%CI, 1.07-5.61), being from agro-pastoralist (AOR=0.19, 95%CI, 0.05-0.66) and farming as maternal occupation (AOR=3.00, 95%CI, 1.36-6.62) were significantly affected with thinness of children (p<0.05). Being from pastoralist (AOR=3.18, 95%CI, 1.74-5.81) and being female child (AOR=0.35, 95%CI, 0.14-0.89) were significantly predicted underweight in children (p<0.05). In conclusion, high numbers of pastoralist children are suffering from chronic malnutrition with low dietary diversity score (DDS). Large numbers of mothers have poor infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices. Being from pastoralist and poor family, elder and male child, and poor IYCF practices, polygamous marriage, and poor health service are factors for child under nutrition. Therefore, the authors recommend interventions targeting on community-based nutrition education on IYCF, dietary diversity, cultural food taboos, and family planning in Benna Tsemay pastoralist community.

Determinants of defaulting from completion of child immunization in Laelay Adiabo District, Tigray Region, Northern Ethiopia: A case-control study.

BackgroundGlobally 2.5 million children under five years of age die every year due to vaccine preventable diseases. In Tigray Region in Northern Ethiopia, full vaccination coverage in children is low. However, the determinants of defaulting from completion of immunization have not been studied in depth. This study aimed to identify the determinants of defaulting from child immunization completion among children aged 9–23 months in the Laelay Adiabo District, North Ethiopia.MethodsAn unmatched community based case-control study design was conducted among children aged 9–23 months in the Laelay Adiabo District from February—March 2015. A survey was conducted to identify the existence of cases and controls. Two hundred and seventy children aged 9–23 months (90 cases and 180 controls) were recruited from 11 kebeles (the smallest administrative units) by a simple random sampling technique using computer based Open Epi software. Cases were children aged 9–23 months who missed at least one dose of the recommended vaccine. Controls were children aged 9–23 months who had received all recommended vaccines. Data were collected from mothers/care givers using structured pretested questionnaire. The data were entered into Epi Info version 3.5.1 and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Bivariate and Multiple logistic regression analysis were used to identify the predictors of the outcome variable. The degree of association was assessed by using odds ratio with 95% Confidence Interval (CI).ResultThis study shows that mothers who take >30 minutes to reach the vaccination site (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 3.56,95%CI:1.58–8.01); households not visited by health extension workers at least monthly (AOR = 2.68,95%CI:1.30–5.51); poor participation in women's developmental groups (AOR = 3.3,95%CI 1.54–7.08); no postnatal care follow-up (AOR = 5.2,95%CI:2.36–11.46); and poor knowledge of child immunization (AOR = 3.3,95%CI:1.87–7.43) were predictors of defaulting from completion of child immunization.ConclusionPostnatal care follow-up, household visits by health extension workers and maternal participation in women’s development groups are important mediums for disseminating information and increasing knowledge to mothers about child immunization. To reduce the rate of defaulters, health providers should motivate and counsel mothers to attend postnatal care. Health extension workers should visit households at least once per month and strengthen mothers’ participation in the women’s development groups.