Status In Ethiopia Research Articles

Plant Pest Biocontrol and its Status in Ethiopia

Plant Pest Biocontrol and its Status in Ethiopia

Review on History and Achievements of Triticale Breeding Status in Ethiopia

Review on History and Achievements of Triticale Breeding Status in Ethiopia

Undernutrition and its association with socio-demographic, anemia and intestinal parasitic infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care at the University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

BackgroundUnder nutrition is a worldwide public health problem affecting the well-being of millions of pregnant women in the developing world. Only limited research has been conducted on the prevalence and determinants of maternal nutritional status in Ethiopia. Particularly, data on the nutritional status of pregnant women are lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and determinants of undernutrition among pregnant women attending antenatal care at the University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsAn institution based cross-sectional study was conducted in January and February 2016. Randomly selected 409 pregnant women were included in the study. Nutritional status was estimated using mid-upper-arm circumference. Data on potential determinants of undernutrition were gathered using a structured questionnaire. The blood sample was collected to analyze hemoglobin. The stool sample was collected to identify intestinal parasitic infections. Statistical analysis was done using logistic regression. P-value < 0.05 at 95% confidence interval was considered as statistically significant.ResultsThe prevalence of undernutrition among pregnant women was 16.2% (95% CI: 12.4–20.1%). Using a logistic regression model, factors significantly associated with the undernutrition were living in rural areas (AOR = 2.26), low educational status [no formal education (AOR = 2.91), primary education (AOR = 2.69)], history of too many births (AOR = 2.55), anemia (AOR = 2.01), and intestinal parasitic infection (AOR = 2.73).ConclusionThe study findings provide evidence for the public health significance of under nutrition among pregnant women in the study area. The problem must be combated through rural livelihood promotion, socioeconomic empowerment of women, sustained nutrition education and expansion of family-planning services in the area.

Intergenerational Mobility in Socio‐economic Status in Ethiopia

AbstractUsing data from two comprehensive national Labour Force Surveys and monetary and non‐monetary outcomes, we examine the extent of intergenerational mobility in Ethiopia. Results from ordinary least squares and quantile regression suggest moderate to high levels of earnings persistence. Generalised ordered logit‐based results suggest significant mobility educationally, which may be linked to the significant widening of educational opportunities over the last two decades, but hardly any evidence of mobility occupationally. Sons are found to be more mobile than daughters in all cases. Public policy may have to foster the equality of opportunities generally and along gender lines in order to enhance mobility. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley &amp; Sons, Ltd.

Heterogeneity of Children Weight-for-age Variations: Determinants and Consequences of Child Nutritional Status in Ethiopia

Background: The general wellbeing of children has become an issue of increasing concern and it has been a major problem in developing countries like Ethiopia. Objective: This study is an attempt to identify the determinants of we ight for age status of children in Ethiopia using data collected during the Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) in 2011. Design: The sampling technique employed was multistage stratifie d cluster sampling. Results: Analysis of the study revealed that 29.2% of children unde r 5 years of age are underweight. Results of the multiple binary logistic regressions showed tha t region of residence, age of the child, educational status of mothers, preceding birth interval, a vailability of electric power and sex of child are the most important determinants of weight for age status of children. Among the multilevel models, the random intercept model best fitted the data than the othe rs considered in the analyses. The variance of

Ascariasis: Public Health Importance and its Status in Ethiopia

Waterborne diseases are a major public health problem in many countries of the world including Ethiopia. Waterborne diseases are caused by viruses, bacteria, protozoa, helminthes, and fungi. Currently, about 1.1 billion people in the world drink unsafe water, which is responsible for millions of cases of waterborne diseases. Ascariasis is among the several parasites which is widely prevalent helminthic disease of public health significance. It is commonly found in warm tropical and sub-tropical climates in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. It flourishes in areas with poor sanitation and crop irrigation by improperly treated wastewater. Severe ascariasis infections cause approximately, 60,000 deaths annually, mainly in children. It is transmitted through accidental ingestion of Ascaris eggs from contaminated water, food or soil. Among the Ascaris species, Ascaris lumbricoides and Ascaris suum are the parasitic nematode infections of humans and pigs with serious outcomes, respectively. Ascariasis is found in association with low personal hygiene, poor sanitation, and in places where human faeces are used as fertilizer. Clinical spectrum of disease varies from asymptomatic to nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, pneumonia, and intestinal obstruction. Laboratory help is imperative to assist the clinical diagnosis. Treatment of adult worms can be done with albendazole, mebendazole, and pyrantel pamote. Public health department should improve the safety of the drinking water. Health education to the community, mainly the school children about the personal hygiene and environmental sanitation will be important in preventing the infection. Ascariasis caused by A. lumbricoides is found among children and adults in Ethiopia. Considering the importance of ascariasis from public health and economic perspective, further research on the development of safe, potent and cheap vaccine is emphasized. Moreover, comprehensive studies on zoonotic importance of A. suum should be planned particularly, in pig rearing countries

Intergenerational Mobility in Income and Economic Status in Ethiopia

Using data from two comprehensive national labour force surveys conducted in 2005 and 2013, this paper examines the extent of intergenerational mobility in Ethiopia using monetary and non-monetary measures. Quantile regression and OLS based results suggest there is moderate level of stickiness in income mobility across generations. Sons are found to be more mobile than daughters both in monetary and non-monetary terms, although the mobility gap appears to have narrowed recently. There is virtually no evidence on intergenerational mobility in the context of low income countries in general and Sub-Saharan Africa in particular. The paper thus provides valuable insights into issues of intergenerational mobility in a low income country setting. The mixed approach used addresses possible measurement error in income, as well as offering a broader scope in examining intergenerational mobility.

The Effect of Location and Information Technology on Banks Deposit Mobilization Status in Ethiopia: Empirical Evidence on Private Commercial Banks in Adama Town

The Effect of Location and Information Technology on Banks Deposit Mobilization Status in Ethiopia: Empirical Evidence on Private Commercial Banks in Adama Town

Oral health status, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours among marginalized children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Data on oral health status in Ethiopia are scarce. We assessed the prevalence of dental decay and gum disease and oral health practices and its barriers. We performed a cross-sectional study using comprehensive questionnaires and oral examination of 132 children aged 6-15 years in Addis Ababa. Mean age was 10 years and 50% were females. A significant number of children were HIV positive and orphaned. Forty-eight percent did not brush teeth and 43% brushed only once daily. The majority consumed sugary food despite knowing its relationship with dental decay. Seventy-four percent had between 1 and 13 dental caries and 52% showed evidence of bleeding upon brushing. Seventy-eight percent did not clean between teeth and were more likely to consume sugary food (p < 0.05) with oral pain within past six months (p < 0.01). In logistic regression, bleeding upon brushing and caries were not predicted by age or gender. We provided oral health trainings with illustrative flip-book, games and interactive discussions. Marginalized children suffer from poor oral health. We recommend national oral health strategies, targeted health education tailored towards Ethiopian societal norms and resources, improving access to local preventive tools and provision of oral care by training community health workers in the World Health Organization basic oral care package.

Sesame (&lt;i&gt;Sesame indicum L&lt;/i&gt;.) Crop Production in Ethiopia: Trends, Challenges and Future Prospects

The Aim of this paper is to review the importance of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) oil crop, production status in Ethiopia, constraints, potentials and future opportunities. Sesame is one of the most important high value oil crops in Ethiopia contributing high foreign currency. Sesame oil is useful edible oil and has wide applications. Different reports indicate that the sesame production is increasing from year to year which is mainly driven by high current market demand and suitability of environmental factors.For instance, the recent five years data indicated that the production is growing at the rate of about 54% in parallel with an increased area coverage of about 45% during the same years indicating a yield gain from extensive farming system. The production is concentrated in South western and north western parts of Ethiopian. The three commonly used sesame commercial varieties in these areas are known by their brand name as Humera, Gondar and Wollega types. The presence of genetic diversity insesame genetic resources, proximity of Ethiopia to the international market, an increased demand for Ethiopian sesame, the presence of relatively high oil content of sesame cultivars and suitability of environmental condition for sesame growth will give high opportunity for Ethiopia to improve the crop. Therefore, to increase yield potential and quality of sesame crop and achieve better profit requires the collaborative efforts of all stake holders in capacity building on sesame crop improvement and post harvest handling of the crop, development of high yielding widely adapted cultivars with better resistance to diseases and pests, development of improved agronomic and managemental practices, environmental clustering for high oil quality and creating a capacity to process the sesame and/or oil seeds in the country.

Household structure and children’s nutritional status in Ethiopia

Child malnutrition is one of the major public health problems in Ethiopia. Although most of the previous studies have investigated the problem in relation to social, economic, and demographic variables, the difference in nutritional status across different household types is not explored. Hence, this study assessed the effects of household structure on children’s nutritional status in Ethiopia using data obtained from 8827 children sampled in the 2004 National Welfare Monitoring Survey. The results revealed that children in single parent nuclear households were more vulnerable to malnutrition than those in two-parent nuclear and extended households. The persistent disadvantageous position of single parent nuclear households that did not have access to high child caring capacity and welfare support unveiled that lack of resources (i.e. financial, material, and labour) within the household is associated with poor nutritional status of children. Children’s nutritional status improved with increase in the educational level of mothers. On the other hand, the likelihood of stunting increased with increase in the number of under-five siblings. Thus, household structure affects the nutritional status of children through the mediating effects of socio-economic and demographic factors, indicating the importance of socio-economic support to poor households to address problems of children’s malnutrition. Eshetu GURMU, Center for Population Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 150055, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. E-mail: eshetugurmu@gmail.com. Dula ETANA, Center for Population Studies, College of Development Studies, Addis Ababa University, P. O. Box 150055, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. E-mail: etanad29@gmail.com.

Maternal/household characteristics and child stunting in Ethiopia: A secondary analysis of the 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey

Characteristics related to child (&lt;60 months, n=9,892) stunting and underweight were examined using data from the nationally representative 2011 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey. Stunting (height‐for‐age Z &lt; −2) and underweight (weight‐for‐age Z &lt; −2) were categorized using World Health Organization standards. Both stunting and underweight were significantly associated with maternal education, BMI, residence and wealth. Children of underweight mothers (BMI &lt; 18.5) were significantly more likely [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.16] to be stunted than children of mothers with normal BMI. Furthermore, mothers with no formal education [AOR=1.67] and mothers with primary education [AOR=1.52] were significantly more likely to have a stunted child than mothers with secondary or tertiary education. Rural children were more likely than urban to be stunted [AOR=1.34], and children from the lowest wealth category were more likely to be stunted than those from the highest wealth category [AOR=1.57]. Likewise for underweight, mothers with no education were more likely to have an underweight child [AOR= 2.05] compared to mothers who had more than primary education. Children from the lowest wealth category were nearly twice as likely [AOR=2.04] to be underweight compared to children from the highest category. Maternal and household characteristics remain important predictors of child nutritional status in Ethiopia. (Supported by Oklahoma State University)

Task-shifting of HIV/AIDS services down the professional ladder: Current status in Ethiopia and lessons from other African countries

This review tried to bring to light success stories and challenges of other African countries on the same topic as lesson for current endeavors in Ethiopia where the process of implementation of task shifting is in its early stage. It concluded that task shifting can help improve access, coverage and quality of HIV/AIDS related services only if other human resource, financial, health care quality issues and the need for ongoing evaluation and research are addressed.

PEOPLE OF GOD, CHILDREN OF HAM

Taxonomies inherited from the nineteenth century have shaped the discourse surrounding the racial identity and supposed roots of Ethiopian immigrants to Israel. Through their interactions with just a few colonial actors, some of whom were Christian missionaries, others who were Jewish Zionists, a small group of young Falashas developed an elite status in Ethiopia as the true lost Jews in Africa. While most historians specializing in the history of Ethiopia do not believe the Beta Israel are a “lost tribe” of the ancient Israelites, Ethiopian immigrants have altered their self‐conceptions over the past hundred years and come to see themselves as both black and Jewish. This essay offers an alternative reading of the Beta Israel narrative, and asserts that the transformation of their social identities are embedded in a political process of racialization tied to racial ideology, and both secular and religious institutions and the State. In the process of incorporation into western society, their social identities have been transmogrified from religious others in Ethiopia to co‐religionists yet racial others in Israel.

Effect of zinc supplementation in treatment of acute diarrhea among 2-59 months children treated in Black Lion Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract Background: Diarrhoeal disease is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in under five children. Worldwide, there are about 1.3 million under five children deaths attributable to diarrhea. Health status in Ethiopia is one of the lowest in the world with estimated health service coverage of 60%; and diarrhoeal disease remains one of the major causes of under five morbidity and mortality. Treatment with ORS does not affect the duration and severity of diarrhoea, hence acceptance of ORS is low and diarrhoea still remains the major cause of child morbidity and mortality. Diarrhoea is a commonly associated problem in children with Zinc deficiency and also leads to excess zinc losses. Objective: To assess variations in the usage of antimicrobial and/or antidiarreals in children with acute watery diarrhoea randomized to receive zinc supplementation as compared to those who do not receive it; and assess the adherence to zinc supplementation given with ORS in the management of an episode of acute watery diarrhoea. Methodology: This is part of a multicentre, multi-disciplinary, randomized and open effectiveness trial conducted in out-patient settings in Addis Ababa, Black Lion Hospital at the Department of Paediatrics. The sample size has been calculated for a two-tailed alpha of 0.05 and power of 0.2. Children aged 2-59 months and who presented with acute watery diarrhoea for less than 7 days were recruited. Results: There were 188 children randomized to the Zinc plus ORS arm and 226 children to the ORS arm. There were 193 (46.6%) females and 221 (53.4%) males. Fifty two percent of the cases were between 2-11 months of age and decreasing trend of proportion of older children was observed in the study population (P=0.0001). Zinc adherence rate was 95%. Seventy three (39.3%) patients from Zinc + ORS group and 71 (32.3%) patients from ORS group took ORS when they came for the first follow up visit (P-value=0.115). From the total study subjects 16.1% took antibiotic or antidiarhael tablets before randomization which was significantly higher than the second follow up visit observation with only 1.7% (P=0.0001). Only 3 (1.7%) patients from Zinc arm and 4 (1.8%) patients from ORS arms took antibiotic/anti diarrhoeal on the second follow up visits. Conclusion: Proper counselling of care takers significantly reduces unnecessary use of antibiotic/anti diarrhoea drugs in the treatment of childhood diarrhoea. Zinc supplementation in the treatment of childhood diarrhoea is well tolerated by patients and there is good compliance of care takers. However, we could not observe any significant difference in antibiotic/antidiarheal drug use between ORS and ORS plus Zinc groups. [Ethiop.J.Health Dev. 2008;22(2):187-190]

Development projects to improve maternal and child health: assessing the impact.

Demographic and social conditions in Ethiopia pose serious challenges to human survival. These challenges are particularly relevant to women who often have the prime responsibility for the welfare of children and the family at large. Womens status in Ethiopia as in other developing countries is low and their daily workload is often enormous. Women have the dual responsibility of both reproducing and ensuring the survival of their children. Leisure time for women is declining due to increasing economic difficulties; even the period of confinement following childbirth has declined. There have been many initiatives to improve the life of people living in rural Ethiopia over the last few decades but many of these initiatives were not systematically evaluated. Thus the short-term and long-term impacts of development interventions in Ethiopia remain largely unknown or unreported. In a new study in PLoS Medicine Mhairi Gibson and Ruth Mace attempted to evaluate the effect of improved water access in rural Ethiopia--a development initiative that reduces womens workloads since they no longer have to collect water from distant sites--on birthrate and child malnutrition. As such this study is a very important step forward in making developmental interventions evidenced based and contextual. (excerpt)

An overview of environmental health status in Ethiopia with particular emphasis to its organisation, drinking water and sanitation: a literature survey

Communicable diseases attributable to poor sanitation and which principally affect the underprivileged sections of the population are still considered as major health problems in Ethiopia. Despite a relatively long history of environmental health activities in the country their service provisions in the field are so far not up to expectations. An extensive literature review was made in this study in order to examine the status of environmental health with particular emphasis to drinking water and sanitation with respect to its legal institutional human resource frameworks and service outputs. It was found out that environmental health services in Ethiopia have a documented history spanning five decades. The creation of the Gondar Public Health College in 1954 was the springboard for the commencement of training and activating sanitation services in the country. Environmental sanitation became a component of PHC in the 1970-80s. While the regulatory function in sanitation was developed in the 1950s it was dramatically reoriented in the 1970s. Sanitation regulations and related activities are now readdressed with the National Health sector Development programme and Health Extension Packages developed by the MOH. The progresses made so far in environmental health however did not show any significant changes over the last three decades. Currently the coverage of safe drinking water and latrines remains very low at about or less than 30% and 13% for the country respectively. The per capita drinking water can not satisfy 50% of the minimum requirement. Access to latrines as well has similar drawbacks. Out come indicators as measured by diarrhoea prevalence still remain to be significant. KAP towards sanitation is at the low side. The poor achievements in environmental health service coverages over the past decades are attributed to various socio-economic factors and weak implementation practices that are detached from policies. Impacting on both the internal and external environment is believed to bring changes in the current sanitation status. (authors)

Genetic influence on East African running success

AbstractEast African athletes now dominate international distance running events from the 800 m to the marathon. Explanations for their phenomenal success have included optimal environmental conditions for developing distance running performance, psychological advantage and advantageous physiological characteristics. It is well established that genetics plays a role in determining inter-individual differences in exercise performance and adaptation to training stimuli. It is not known, however, to what extent inter-population differences (i.e. between ‘races’ and/or ethnic groups) in exercise performance can be attributed to genetics. There have been considerations that ‘black’ athletes are genetically adapted towards performance, given the concurrent success of athletes of West African ancestry in sprint events. However, the current notion of ‘race’ is not universally accepted, and genetic differences within and between populations are not clearly delineated by geographical or ethnic categorizations. Recent findings from mitochondrial DNA show that the populations from which Ethiopian athletes are drawn have not been isolated populations and are not genetically distinct from other Ethiopians. Y-chromosome analysis of the same population shows concurrent results, although some differences are present between athletes and the general Ethiopian population, suggesting an influence of the Y chromosome on athlete status in Ethiopia. It is concluded that there may be a role for genetics in the success of East African athletes; however, any genetic component to their success is unlikely to be limited to East Africans and is more likely to be found in other populations. At present it is unjustified to implicate a role for genetics in the success of East African runners when no genes have been identified as being important to their performance.

Inequality and Intergenerational Mobility in Schooling: The Case of Mexico

The authors consider two hypotheses for crowding at the lower-secondary level and the reversal in intergenerational mobility: 1) the economic crisis of the 1980s and 2) institutional barriers to the continued expansion of schooling. Though the crisis appears to have played a role we find evidence that institutional barriers are also important. The existence of these barriers is problematic for the long-term prospects of educational expansion because it suggests a deep-rooted limit of the system and not just a temporary setback. This article proceeds as follows. Section II discusses the links between schooling inequality intergenerational mobility in schooling and income inequality. Section III describes the data and provides an overview of educational expansion over the past 47 years. Section IV establishes trends in intergenerational schooling mobility. Section V ponders the causes and implications of the recent slowdown in schooling mobility and Section VI concludes. (excerpt modified)

For our soul: Ethiopian Jews in Israel

Between 1977 and 1992, practically all Ethiopian Jews migrated to Israel. This mass move followed the 1974 revolution in Ethiopia and its ensuing economic and political upheavals, compounded by the brutality of the military regime and the willingness - after years of refusal - of the Israeli government to receive them as bona fide Jews entitled to immigrate to that country. Based on fieldwork conducted over several years, For Our Soul describes the ongoing process of adjustment and absorption that the Ethiopian Jewish immigrants, also known as Falasha or Beta Israel, have experienced in Israel. As the sole black Jewish community from sub-Sahara Africa in Israel, the Ethiopian Jews have met with unique difficulties. Teshome Wagaw examines the problems between the Falasha and Israeli Jews that have resulted from dissimilarities in language, culture, religious practices, education, technology, race, and class. Further, he considers the various conflicts that have arisen in villages, schools, and workplaces as the immigrants have interacted with the larger community. In these contexts, Wagaw analyzes the issues of modernity, work skills and habits, family formation, and methods of presenting self. To further clarify the concerns that have developed among both the immigrants and the Israeli society, the author addresses the history of the Falasha; their religious and occupational practices in Ethiopia; their social, occupational, and religious status in Ethiopia; and the adversity they experienced as they navigated from their homeland to Israel. He also provides a brief but insightful analysis of the history of Israel prior to and since statehood.