Background. Road traffic accidents (RTAs) remain an important public health issue worldwide. Psychoactive substance use is one of the main contributors to the occurrence of traffic accidents, and its use by truck drivers is a global problem. Also, psychoactive substance use is a commonly observed behavior among truck drivers. To the best of our knowledge, no evidence shows the prevalence and factors associated with psychoactive substance use among truck drivers in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the prevalence and factors associated with psychoactive substance use among truck drivers in Ethiopia. Methods. A cross‐sectional study was conducted among 400 systematically selected truck drivers at Modjo dry port in Ethiopia, from February 1 to March 1, 2018. The data were collected through face‐to‐face individual interviews using a structured questionnaire. The collected data were entered into EpiData version 4.2.0.0 and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Binary logistic regression analysis was computed to determine the association using crude and adjusted odds ratios at 95% confidence intervals. The level of significance was declared at p value < 0.05 in the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. Results. Of the 400 truck drivers interviewed, the overall one‐month self‐reported prevalence of psychoactive substance use was 70% (n = 280). In the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, aged 38 years and above (AOR = 0.40, 95% CI [0.23‐0.69]), Christianity religion (AOR = 0.52, 95% CI [0.28‐0.97]), college and university education (AOR = 3.47, 95% CI [1.27‐9.47]), having a family size of 3 or more (AOR = 0.34, 95% CI [0.20‐0.60]), having 6 or more hours spent sleeping at night (AOR = 0.46, 95% CI [0.28‐0.75]), and rest breaks between driving (AOR = 2.13, 95% CI [1.14‐3.97]) were significantly associated with psychoactive substance use. Conclusion. The one‐month prevalence of psychoactive substance use among truck drivers was remarkably high. We can conclude that psychoactive substance use is a public health problem among truck drivers, which is a major threat to themselves and others on the road. The sociodemographic and occupational factors are the factors associated with drivers’ psychoactive substance use. Therefore, devising health education and counseling program for drivers to tackle the problem plays paramount importance.

Objective To assess the prevalence of harmful traditional practices during pregnancy and associated factors in Southwest Ethiopia. Design A community-based cross-sectional study. Setting Southwest Ethiopia. Participants 667 women who were pregnant at the time of the study or gave birth 2 years prior to the study have participated. Outcome of the study Harmful traditional practices during pregnancy (yes/no). Harmful traditional practices during pregnancy include abdominal massage, herbal intake or food taboos done on/by pregnant women without health professionals’ instruction. Results The prevalence of harmful traditional practices in the study area was 37%, 95% CI (33.4% to 40.8%). The most commonly practised activities were abdominal massage (72.9%), intake of herbs (63.9%) and food taboos (48.6%). Monthly income (AOR=3.13, 95% CI (1.83 to 5.37), p<0.001), having had no history of child death (AOR=2.74, 95% CI (1.75 to 4.29), p<0.001), women with no formal education (AOR=4.81, 95% CI (2.50 to 9.23), p<0.001), women who had antenatal care (ANC) visits during their last pregnancy (AOR=0.24, 95% CI (0.10 to 0.59), p=0.002) and being multipara (AOR=0.47, 95% CI (0.27 to 0.80), p=0.003) were significantly associated with harmful traditional practices during pregnancy. Conclusion Our study showed that more than one-third of women in Southwest Ethiopia practised harmful traditional practices while they were pregnant. The practices were more common among primiparas, women who had lower educational and financial status, women with no ANC visits, and women with no history of child death. Health education should be given to the community about the complications of harmful traditional practices during pregnancy.

Backgrounds: The frequency of poor dietary practice due to inappropriate dietary habits is higher during pregnancy compared to any other stage of the life cycle. Suboptimal dietary practices during pregnancy can increase the risk of intrauterine growth restriction, low birth weight, anemia, prenatal and infant mortality, and morbidity. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the dietary practice and associated factors among pregnant women at the public hospitals of Bench-Sheko and Kaffa zone.Methodology: An institutional-based cross-sectional study design was conducted among 566 pregnant women who attended antenatal care at the public hospitals of the Bench-Sheko and Kaffa zones. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to select the study units. The data were entered into Epi Data 3.1 and exported to Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21 software for further analysis. Both Binary and Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between dependent and independent variables. The Crude Odd Ratio (COR) and Adjusted Odd Ratio (AOR) with 95% Confidence interval (CI) were calculated and the variable withP-value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Result: According to this study, only 23.7% (95% CI: 20.1, 27.4) of the study participants had a good dietary practice. The urban residents (AOR = 2.64; 95% CI:1.18, 5.92), monthly income of > 2000ETB (AOR = 2.47; 95% CI: 1.31,4.65), having nutrition information (AOR = 2.5; 95% CI: 1.14,5.52), good dietary knowledge (AOR = 2.79; 95% CI: 1.48,5.27), mothers occupation of employer (AOR = 1.88; 95% CI: 1.04,3.42) and a family size < 5 (AOR = 3.37; 95% CI: 1.32,8.65) were determinate of dietary practice.Conclusion: Generally, the prevalence of good dietary practice is suboptimal in the study area. Urban residency, monthly income > 2000ETB, good dietary knowledge, having nutrition information, family size < 5, and government employed mothers were the predictors of the good dietary practice in the Bench-Sheko and Kaffa zone. Therefore, providing in-service training for health professionals and assigning nutritionist to each public hospital should be done to provide health and nutrition education; and strengthen the existed nutrition counseling service for pregnant women. Moreover, the government should create sustainable income-generating activities for pregnant women.

Background: Partographs should be used universally to monitor the mother and fetus’s conditions during delivery. However, its application in different parts of the world, including Ethiopia, is inconsistent. Moreover, its magnitude has not been determined in study area. As a result, the aim of this study was to investigate the utilization of partograph and associated factors among obstetric caregivers in public health institutions of Southwest Ethiopian. Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Southwest Ethiopia from March 1st to June 30th, 2018. A simple random sampling technique was used to select study participants. A self-administered questionnaire was used to gather data on background characteristics, knowledge of partograph, and partograph utilization. The collected data were entered into an EPI Info and analysed using SPSS Version 22. We used bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Frequencies, tables, and graphs were used to present the final results. To determine statistical significance, a P-value of less than 0.05 was used. Result: The response rate of this study was 393(92.2 %). The magnitude of utilization of partograph was 43 % with (95 % CI: 38.4, 48.1). According to the multivariate analysis being nurse or health officer [AOR = 0.37(0.21, 0.66)], degree level educational qualification [AOR = 0.32 (0.17, 0.60)], being trainined on partograph [Adjusted OR = 7.83 (95 % CI: (4.54, 13.50)], good knowledge about partograph [AOR = 5.84 (95 % CI: (3.27, 10.44)] and working at health center [AOR = 1.99 (95 % CI: (1.12, 3.52)] were found as determinants of partograph utilization. Conclusions: The magnitude of partograph utilization among obstetric caregivers was found to be low in this study. Partograph utilization was determined by the type of profession, qualification level, knowledge of partograph, in-service training, and type of institution. To ensure its regular, obstetric caregivers must receive training and gain knowledge about it.

Background: Active trachoma is a highly contagious ongoing stage of trachoma that predominantly occurs during childhood in an endemic area. This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with active trachoma among school-aged children. Methodology/Principal findings: A community-based analytical cross-sectional study was done from March 1st to June 30th, 2021, in Southwest Ethiopia’s people’s regional state. A total of 1292 school-aged children were surveyed. The quantitative data were collected using a pre-tested, structured interview-based questionnaire and observation check list. The World health organization (WHO) simplified trachoma grading system was used to assess stages of trachoma. In this study, the prevalence of active trachoma was 570(44.1%), 95% CI (41.4, 46.9). Also, age group 6–10; being female; flies at household (HH), flies on child’s face, improved water source, improved sanitation, presence of ocular discharge, presence of nasal discharge, and unclean faces of the child were significantly associated with active trachoma. Conclusions/Significance: The very high prevalence of active trachoma in the study area is significantly associated with; age group 6–10, female gender, presence of flies in household and on child’s face, presence of ocular and nasal discharge, unclean faces, improved water source, improved sanitation in the household. Thus, environmental sanitation and facial cleans trachoma elimination strategy should be intensified in the study area.

Background: Measles is a serious respiratory disease that is spread easily through coughing and sneezing of the measles virus for which humans are the only reservoir. Even though prevention and elimination strategies had been implemented, the outbreaks of measles infection quietly occur in different parts of the world. As of November 2019 a suspected measles outbreak was reported from Tepi campus student’s clinic. We investigated the outbreak to determine its possible sources, control measures and identify associated risk factors among students of Mizan-Tepi University. Methods: A facility based unmatched case-control study was conducted. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. Data were cleaned and entered to Epi-info7 and analyzed using SPSS-20. A logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors associated with measles outbreak at a p-value ≤ 0.05. Results: A total of 40 measles cases were reported during the investigation. The probable source of the outbreak was an index case who had a travel history to a district with the measles epidemic. Five samples were collected for confirmation of the diagnosis. No measles-related deaths were reported. The major risk factors for measles infection in Mizan-Tepi University were being unvaccinated [AOR = 5.21, 95% CI (1.938, 12.058)], being female [AOR = 4.21, 95% CI (1.426, 11.182)], age group of 18– 20 [AOR = 0.123, 95% CI (0.041, 0.37)] and having a contact history [AOR = 0.149, 95% CI (0.041, 0.544)]. Conclusion: The findings of the present investigation indicated that being unvaccinated and having a contact history with confirmed or suspected cases increased the risk of measles infection. Reduction in the level of protective antibodies over time may accelerate transmission of measles in the campus. Strengthening case-based surveillance and supplemental measles vaccination are imperative.