Background. Diarrheal diseases are the leading cause of preventable death, especially among under-five children in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Although efforts have been made to reduce the morbidity and mortality resulting from diarrheal diseases, there is scarce information on the progress of the interventions against the burdens. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of diarrhea and its associated factors in under-five children in Horo Guduru Wollega Zone, Oromia Region, Western Ethiopia. Methods. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted. Of 12,316 households, 620 households that had under-five children were selected by simple random sampling technique from randomly selected kebeles. Before data collection, a pretest of the structured questionnaires was done on nonselected kebeles. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association of the diarrheal diseases with independent variables. Finally, the odds ratio along with a 95% confidence interval was used to report the significant association between the outcome variable and its associated factors. A value of ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant Results. The prevalence of diarrhea among under-five children was 149 (24%) (95% CI: 20.8, 27.3). Diarrhea was significantly associated with poor knowledge of mothers/caretakers on diarrhea prevention methods (AOR: 2.05, 95% CI (1.14, 3.69), being in the age group of 6–11(AOR = 1.546 (1.68, 3.52), and 12–23 months (AOR = 1.485 (1.84, 2.63)), families with poor wealth index (AOR: 2.41, 95% CI (1.29, 4.51)), children who were not vaccinated against measles (AOR: 4.73, 95% CI (2.43, 9.20)), unsafe child feces disposal (AOR = 3.75; 95% CI (1.91, 7.39)), inappropriate liquid waste disposal (AOR = 3.73 (1.94, 7.42)), and having two or more siblings (AOR: 3.11, 95% CI (1.81, 5.35)). Conclusion and Remarks. The prevalence of diarrhea among under-five children was high. There was a statistically significant association between diarrhea and age of the child (6–11 and 12–23), poor knowledge of mothers/caretakers on diarrhea prevention methods, families with poor wealth index, being unvaccinated against measles, improper liquid waste disposal, unsafe child feces disposal, and having at least two siblings. The findings have a significant policy inference for childhood diarrheal disease prevention programs. Therefore, educating mothers/caregivers on diarrheal disease prevention methods, child spacing, regular hand washing practice after disposing child feces, safely disposing liquid waste, and vaccinating all eligible children against measles should be a priority area of intervention for diarrheal disease prevention. Moreover, since these associated factors are preventable, the government needs to strengthen the health extension workers program implementations to reduce childhood diarrhea.

Background: Understanding the determinants of malaria morbidity offers helpful insights toward the changing malaria situation, which might lead to the adjustment of malaria program activities. Even though the determinants of malaria morbidity remain unknown, school-aged children were the highest malaria morbidity contributors in the East Hararghe Zone. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the determinants of malaria morbidity among school-aged children in the study area from February 1 to May 31, 2020. Methods: A case-control study was conducted among school-aged children living in ten randomly selected low, moderate, and high malaria transmission kebeles. Cases were confirmed as positive for malaria, while controls were confirmed as negative for malaria among randomly selected school-aged children. Rapid diagnostic testing (RDT) and blood film (BF) malaria testing methods were used. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify association between malaria and its determinants. Results: The determinants of malaria infection were having no formal education (adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=4.91, 95% CI: 1.20– 20.17), low family wealth index (AOR=2.50, 95% CI: 1.22– 5.12), being from rural residence (AOR=2.34, 95% CI: 1.87– 4.12), living near to stagnant water (AOR=2.01, 95% CI: 1.14– 3.54), having a maximum of three family members (AOR=0.37, 95% CI: 0.18– 0.78), using indoor residual spraying (IRS) (AOR=0.15, 95% CI: 0.08– 0.29) and long-lasting insecticide-treated net (LLITN) over the last night (AOR=0.19, 95% CI: 0.10– 0.35), and living in the house surrounded by cultivated land(AOR=0.24, 95%CI: 0.10-0.60) compared with their counterparts. Conclusion: This study revealed that residence, family size, education, wealth index, stagnant water existence, and using LLITN and IRS had significant association with malaria morbidity. Thus, all concerned bodies, including the community should strengthen working on stagnant water elimination around their house to cut the breeding site of the malaria vector mosquito. Moreover, the findings have an important implication for improving interventions targeting the economic status and literacy of the society that may help in the reduction of the risk of malaria in the school-aged children.

Background: In 2020, more than three billion of the world’s population were the risk of being infected with malaria and four out of five deaths were from the African population. However, information is scarce on the association between risk perceptions and malaria prevention behaviors in resource-limited countries, particularly Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess malaria risk perceptions and preventive behaviors. Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted among 401 elementary school students in Jimma zone, Oromia, Ethiopia, from April 2 to June 8, 2020. Data were collected through interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire. The data were entered into Epi-data 4.6 and analyzed using STATA version 14.2. The descriptive statistics were presented using frequency and percentages. A Cronbach’s α coefficient of 0.7 or higher was used to assess the reliability of each domain. The Generalized Structural Equation Model (GSEM) was employed to examine the relationships and prediction of explanatory variables with risk perception and preventive behaviors of malaria. The model with a lower information criterion was taken as a better-fitting model. Finally, the statistically significant model effects were declared at a P-value of less than 0.05 at a confidence interval of 95%. Results: This study showed that having knowledge about malaria had an indirect positive effect on malaria preventive behavior (β = 1.29, 95% CI 0.11 to 2.47), and had a positive total effect on the preventive behavior (β = 2.99, 95% CI 0.08 to 2.67). Besides, an increased knowledge level had a direct positive effect on malaria risk perceptions (β = 0.08, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.14), and malaria risk perception had a direct positive effect on malaria preventive behavior (β = 1.21, 95% CI 0.10 to 2.31). Conclusion and Recommendation: This study demonstrated that having knowledge about malaria had a direct and indirect association with malaria preventive behavior. An increased level of knowledge had a direct positive effect on malaria risk perceptions. Moreover, malaria risk perception had a direct positive effect on malaria preventive behavior. Therefore, malaria prevention-targeted interventions, behavior change, and knowledge enhancing communication should be enhanced or scaled up to contribute to prompt treatment and progress toward the elimination of malaria.

In developing countries, safe piped drinking water is generally unavailable, and bottled water is unaffordable for most people. In these countries, diarrhea accounts for the largest cause of disease and nearly 50% of deaths in young children. In Ethiopia, childhood diarrhea is a serious public health issue that affects 13.5 to 30.5% of the children with different diarrheal causes. Nonetheless as of late for work, no thorough comprehensive review for the pooled prevalence of diarrhea as well as the risk factors has been conducted, which was the goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis. A Search was conducted of numerous international databases, including PubMed, Medline, Embase, Direct Science, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Global Health, Google Scholar, CINAHL and University Repository. Articles from the last ten (10) years ranged from 2015 to mid-2024 were included. Using a common data extraction format, three authors extracted all required data. The statistical program STATA Version 17 was used to analyze pooled prevalence of diarrhea and the risk factors among children under five years old. The heterogeneity of the studies was evaluated using the I2 test and the Cochrane Q test statistics. Pooled prevalence of diarrhea and risk factors were calculated. The random effect model was utilized to investigate the relationships between risk factors and prevalence of diarrhea at national level. The random effect size was deemed to be less than 0.05 at a confidence interval of 95% (CI:95%). Out of 2548 studies, 36 studies were eligible for the review from north, southern, central, eastern and western part of Ethiopia. Regarding mothers/caregivers, out of 29,881 total populations, 10,641(36%) them were accessed from the national data reported by single study, 7438 (25%) and 5882(20%) were extracted from studies conducted in the northern and eastern Ethiopia, respectively. The pooled prevalence of two weeks diarrhea among children under five years old for the last ten years was 19.62% (95%CI:15.93, 23.31). Of this, 19.82% (95% CI:12.74–26.90%) and 19.83 (95% CI:15.31–24.36%) were between the interval of 2015–2019, and 2020- mid-2024, respectively. The pooled adjusted odds of improper disposal of child feces (AOR:3.33, 95% CI:2.70, 4.11), unvaccinated against Rota virus (AOR:1.81,95% CI:1.55, 2.12) and low maternal education (AOR:1.05, 95%CI:1.00, 1.11) were the risk factors for the prevalence of diarrhea among children under five years old. Meanwhile, the pooled adjusted odds of unimproved latrine (AOR:1.27, 95% CI:1.21, 1.35), improper waste disposal (AOR:2.57,95% CI:2.35, 2.81) and utilized untreated water (AOR:1.72, 95% CI:1.52, 1.94) were the significant risk factors. Also, adjusted odds for lack of handwashing (AOR:3.12, 95% CI:2.52, 3.88) and absence of handwashing during critical times (AOR:3.27,95%CI:3.06,4.49) were the risk factors. A number of risk variables contribute to diarrhea morbidity among children under five years old, which was substantially correlated with water, hygiene and sanitation, illiterate mothers and access to a safe water source. Effective interventions such as promotion and education of proper hygiene, sanitation, proper hand washing; latrine installation at the household and community level; household-based chlorination; and improved water storage to prevent diarrhea among these age group is recommended.

Background: The demand for health-related information has increased dramatically in recent years. Media is crucial in reaching health messages to audiences, especially those who are distant and rural. Therefore, the study aimed to assess demands, access, and factors associated with access to health messages through mass media in the rural community of Kersa District of East Hararghe, Eastern Ethiopia. Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted from October 15 to November 20, 2020. A quantitative cross-sectional and a qualitative phenomenological study design were applied. A total of 578 participants were included by using a systematic sampling technique. Collected data were entered into Epidata version 3.1 and analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. A multivariate logistic regression analysis model was used and reported using an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. For qualitative, six-focused group discussions (FGDs) were used and then analyzed thematically. Results: Overall, the demand of and access to health messages through mass media was 32.5% (95% CI=28.5– 34.2%) and 26.6% (95% CI=24.6– 28.7%), respectively. Factors such as having electric services (AOR=2.36, 95% CI=2.13– 5.41), having a mobile phone (AOR=4.56, 95% CI=4.32– 8.73), exposure to TV (AOR=4.73, 95% CI=1.03– 11.62), and exposure to social media and printed media (AOR=5.24, 95% CI=1.07– 15.63), a preference for programs such as news, current affairs, entertainment, health and educational were 2.37, 9.47, 4.75 and 7.55 times more likely to access health messages (AOR=2.37, 95% CI=1.00– 5.61; AOR=9.47, 95% CI=3.54– 25.34; AOR=4.75, 95% CI=1.23– 18.38; and AOR=7.55, 95% CI=3.12– 8.66, respectively). Qualitative findings, participants demand for health messages from health workers, radio, and the main source for accessing the message was the radio. Conclusion: Approximately one in every three and one in every four rural communities in the study area had demand, and access to health messages through mass media, respectively. As a result, all stakeholders should emphasize and strengthen expanding methods of reaching health messages using mass media.

Background: The very unprecedented virus causing severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has continued causing catastrophes in economy and loss of human lives. Despite countries’ urgent and resilient public health actions against the COVID-19 pandemic, the disease is causing a large number of deaths. However, predictors of mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients have not been well investigated in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the predictors of mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients at a tertiary care hospital in Ethiopia. Methods: A hospital-based retrospective cohort design study was implemented among hospitalized COVID-19 patients at a tertiary care hospital in Harar, Ethiopia from March 20 to August 20, 2021. Data of 531 admitted patients were entered using Epi-data 3.1 and exported to STATA 14.2 for analysis. Binary logistic regression was used to identify significant predictors of outcome variables with an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval. Results: Of the total 531 study participants, 101 deaths occurred. The mortality rate was 16.2 per 1000 person-days of observation with median survival time of 44 days with IQR [28, 74]. Smoking history [AOR=2.55, 95% CI (1.15, 5.65)], alcohol history [AOR=2.3, 95% CI (1.06, 4.97)], comorbidities [AOR=2.95, 95% CI (1.26, 6.91)], and increasing oxygen saturation [AOR=0.92, 95% CI (0.89, 0.95)], and lymphocyte count [AOR=0.90, 95% CI (0.88, 0.97)] were independent significant predictors of death from Covid-19. Conclusion: The incidence of mortality among hospitalized COVID-19 patients was found to be high. Devising individual, tailored management for patients with “risk” behaviors, comorbid conditions, and poor prognostic markers such as lymphopenia and low oxygen saturation, may reduce the incidence of death among hospitalized COVID-19 patients.