Components of essential newborn care and neonatal resuscitation are proven interventions for reducing neonatal mortality rate and stillbirth rates. Various studies have been conducted, but they failed in assessing health workers that delivered essential newborn care, facets of the health care system, and different traditional beliefs. As such, the primary aim of this study is to fill the gaps of the aforementioned previous studies, assess mothers’ current practice of essential newborn care and identify factors affecting newborn care practices in Chencha District, Southern Ethiopia. A mixed type, community-based cross sectional study was conducted among 630 study participants by using one-stage cluster sampling method. Three focus group discussions (FGD) with purposively selected 18 mothers were involved for qualitative study. Data entry was carried out by Epi data version 3.1 and analysis was done by SPSS window version 22. Binary logistic regression was used to identify predictors. Qualitative data were analyzed deductively by using thematic framework analysis approach by using Open Code version 4.02. This study found that 38.4% of mothers had good practices in essential newborn care. Of the neonates, 52.9% received safe cord care, 71.0% received optimal thermal care and 74.8% had good neonatal feeding. Factors such as mothers receiving antenatal care, attending pregnant mothers meetings, receiving immediate postnatal care, wealth index, whether a complication was faced during delivery and overall knowledge of mothers were statistically significantly associated with practice. This study indicated that the current rate of essential newborn care practice was low. As such, strengthening the provision of antenatal and postnatal care services, information communication education and behavioral change communications on essential newborn care are recommended.

The outpatient therapeutic feeding program is one dimension of the Community Based Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) that provides screening, diagnostic and treatment services for children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM). However, little is known about the program outcomes and factors affecting time to recovery. To determine median time of recovery and associated factors among under-five children with SAM treated at outpatient therapeutic feeding unit in Dire Dawa, Eastern Ethiopia from January 1^st, 2013 to December 31^st, 2016. A facility-based retrospective cohort study supplemented with qualitative inquiry was conducted to analyze the records of 713 under-5 children with SAM that were randomly selected from four health centers and one hospital in Dire Dawa. In-depth interviews were conducted with five health professionals. Data was collected from the nutrition registration log book by using structured check lists. The collected data were entered into EPI-data version 3.1 software and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis using Kaplan Meir and Cox proportional hazard regression. The overall recovery rate was 569 (79.8%). Eighty (11.2%) defaulted, 27 (3.8%) were non-responders, 4 (0.6%) died and 15 (2.1%) were transferred-out. The median recovery time was 8.7 weeks (IQR: 5.0–14 weeks). Children with an admission weight of ≥7kg (AHR = 1.73, 95% CI: (1.41–2.14), children who were dewormed (AHR = 1.44, 95% CI: (1.01–2.06) and children with weight gain of ≥8g/kg/day (AHR = 5.76, 95% CI: (4.51–7.38) had higher probability of recovering faster. However, marasmic children stayed longer in treatment (AHR = 0.51, 95% CI: (0.37–0.71) and a low Plumpy Nut consumption rate (g/day) (AHR = 0.79) was associated with longer time of stay on treatment. The recovery rate was within the level specified in the Sphere International standards which is >75%. A higher weight at admission, taking deworming and a steady weight gain were positively associated with a fast recovery time. Appropriate nutritional therapy and management of SAM as per the national protocol will be helpful to overcome lower weight gain and higher length of stay on treatment.

Objective: This study assessed the prevalence of anemia among female adolescents and factors associated with it in Ambo town, West Shewa, Ethiopia. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 523 randomly selected female adolescents living in Ambo town, Ethiopia from August 5– 29, 2018. Data were collected through structured interview using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were done and the hemoglobin value was measured on the field and adjusted for the altitude. Logistic regression analysis was done to identify predictors of anemia. Level of statistical significance was declared at P< 0.05. Results: In this study, 39% (95% CI= 34.8– 43%) participants were anemic, of which 63 (30.9%) and 46 (22.5%) female adolescents were stunted and wasted, respectively. Anemia was considerably high among female adolescents with high dietary diversity score. Adolescents born to mothers who were unable to read and write (AOR= 3.27; 95% CI=1.79– 5.97), who always take tea and/or coffee within 30 minutes after meal (AOR= 6.19; 95% CI=3.32– 11.48), who were wasted (AOR=1.67; 95% CI=1.11– 2.52), and who had already attained their menses (AOR=1.93; 95% CI=1.19– 3.13) were more likely to be anemic compared to their counterparts. Conclusion: Nearly four in ten female adolescents in the study setting were anemic. Anemia among female adolescents was a moderate public health problem. Adolescents born to mothers who were unable to read and write, who consumed tea/coffee within 30 minutes after a meal, who were wasted, and who had already attained menses should be prioritized for interventions aiming at addressing iron-deficiency anemia in female adolescents.

Background: Child malnutrition during the first 1,000 days, commencing at conception, can have lifetime consequences. This study assesses the prevalence of anemia and undernutrition among children aged 6–23 months in midland and lowland agroecological zones of rural Ethiopia. Methods: Cross-sectional data examining sociodemographic, anthropometry, hemoglobin levels, and meal frequency indicators were collected from 216 children aged 6–23 months and their mothers randomly selected from eight rural kebele (villages). Results: Of 216 children, 53.7% were anemic, and 39.8%, 26.9%, and 11.6% were stunted, underweight, and wasted, respectively. The prevalence of anemia was higher in the lowland agroecological zone (59.5%) than the midland (47.6%). Among those children who were stunted, underweight, and wasted, 63.5%, 66.7%, and 68.0% were anemic, respectively. Child anemia was significantly associated with the child not achieving minimum meal frequency, sickness during the last 2 weeks before the survey, stunting and low body mass index, and with maternal hemoglobin and handwashing behavior. The prevalence of stunting was higher in the lowland agroecological zone (42.3%) than the midland (36.2%). The predictors of stunting were age and sex of the child, not achieving MMF, maternal body mass index, and age. As maternal height increases, the length for age of the children increases (P=0.003). Conclusion: The overall prevalence of anemia and undernutrition among children aged 6–23 months in these study areas is very high. The prevalence was higher in the lowland agroecological zone. Health information strategies focusing on both maternal and children nutrition could be sensible approaches to minimize stunting and anemia.

It is estimated that 6% of all deaths of under 5 years old children in developing countries can be prevented by appropriate complementary feeding, in particular good dietary diversity and meal frequency. The aim of this paper is to assess infant and young child feeding practices among mothers of children aged 6-23 months in rural Ethiopia. A community based cross-sectional study design was employed among mothers living in two agro-ecological zones. Trained data collectors conducted the interviews, anthropometric measurements, and the blood test for anaemia. To determine the predictors of minimum meal frequency, multivariable logistic regression models were used with 95% confidence intervals. We found that 95.4% of the children were breastfed, of whom 59.7% were initially breastfed within one hour after their birth, 83.3% fed on colostrum, 22.2% received pre-lacteal feeds and 50.9% of the children received complementary feedings by 6 months of age. In the 24 hours preceding the survey date, 39.8% of the children were fed using bottle; 4.6% and 1.9% of them consumed vitamin A-rich and iron-rich foods, respectively. Likewise 50.5%, 22.2%, and 12.0% of the children achieved minimum meal frequency, adequate dietary diversity and minimum acceptable diet, respectively. A significant proportion of children in the lowland fed on colostrum and had adequate dietary diversity compared to the midland agro-ecological zone. However, bottle feeding and minimum meal frequency were higher in the midland zone. There are also associations between the agro-ecological zones and initiation of breast feeding, pre-lacteal feeds, bottle and colostrum feeding. The predictors of poor minimum meal frequency were age of the child, being anaemic, stunting, while predictors of infant dietary diversity were maternal dietary diversity and age of the child. One out of nine children received appropriate diet for their age, which was very low. Mothers of child bearing age should be educated on the importance of infant and young child feeding.