Background: Fall is a major public health problem and potentially disabling issue. A vast burden of visually impaired live in low-middle income countries particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. Limited ability to detect environmental hazards puts visually impaired at a greater risk of falls and unintentional injuries. Falls among visually impaired is associated with considerable disability, health care cost, loss of independence, and socio-economic consequences. Ethiopia lacked estimates of fall among any vulnerable population, particularly among visually impaired people. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the prevalence of falls and factors associated among adult people with medically diagnosed visual impairment in Ethiopia.Methods: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among visually impaired adults who attended the ophthalmology clinic at the University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital during the study period. Data were collected by interview method using structured questionnaires, patient medical record reviews, and physical measurements. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression model analysis was used to identify factors associated with falls. Adjusted odds ratio with corresponding 95% confidence intervals were computed to show the strength of association.Results: A total of 328 adults medically diagnosed with visual impairment participated in the study (97.3% response rate). The age of the participants ranged from 25 to 89 years with a mean age of (56.46 ± 14.2 years). The overall cumulative prevalence of self-reported falls among adults with visual impairment was 26.8% with 95%CI (22.7, 32.4%). The major associated factors of fall identified by multivariate analysis were; visual impairment in both eye (AOR 3.21, 95% CI 1.11, 9.29), fear of falling: some concerned: (AOR, 4.12; 95%CI, 1.44, 11.76), very concerned fear (AOR 10.03; 95% CI, 3.03, 33.21), medications: (AOR 4.63; 95% CI 2.14, 10.00) and self-reported depression: (AOR 3.46; 95% CI 1.11, 10.79).Conclusion: The result of this study indicates a moderate self-reported prevalence of fall among adult people with medically diagnosed visual impairment. Identifying sub-groups at risk of falls among visually impaired, modifiable risk factors, implementation of precaution measures to avoid fall and fall-related injuries, and most importantly measures that would reduce the fear of falls in visually impaired people deserves immediate attention.

Background: Frailty is a multidimensional geriatric condition that increases vulnerability to stressors, increases the risk of negative health outcomes, and lowers quality of life in older people. However, little attention has been paid to frailty in developing countries, particularly in Ethiopia. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of frailty syndrome and the sociodemographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors associated with it. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study design was conducted from April to June 2022. A total of 607 study participants were included using a single cluster sampling technique. The Tilburg frailty indicator, which is a self-reported schedule for assessment of frailty, required respondents to answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and the total attainable score ranged from 0 to 15. An individual with a score of ≥ 5 considered frail. Data were collected by interviewing the participants using a structured questionnaire, and the data collection tools were pre-tested before the actual data collection period to check for the accuracy of responses, language clarity, and appropriateness of the tools. Statistical analyses were performed using the binary logistic regression model. Results: More than half of the study participants were male, and the median age of the study participants was 70, with an age range of 60–95 years. The prevalence of frailty was 39% (CI 95%, 35.51–43.1). In the final multivariate analysis model, the following factors associated with frailty were obtained: older age (AOR = 6.26 CI (3.41–11.48), presence of two or more comorbidities (AOR = 6.05 CI (3.51–10.43), activity of daily life dependency (AOR = 4.12 CI (2.49–6.80), and depression (AOR = 2.68 CI (1.55–4.63) were found to be significant factors. Conclusion and recommendations: Our study provides epidemiological characteristics and the risk factors of frailty in the study area. Efforts to promote physical, psychological, and social health in older adults are a core objective of health policy, especially for older adults aged 80 and above years, and those with two or more comorbidities.

: Background: Axial of trunk rotation is a key distinguishing feature in the diagnosis of structural scoliosis. The non-affordability, high cost, and non-availability of clinical scoliometer device and availability of the mobile application like scoliogauge to measure the angle of this rotation has led to frequent usage. However, the reliability of such applications should be assessed on the specific population before using them for screening scoliosis. Objective: To test the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the scoliogauge mobile application in children with scoliosis. Methods: Sixty-two children with a diagnosis of idiopathic scoliosis in both sexes were agreed to participate in this study. The mean age of the participant was 11.73 (±2.31) years; the mean height was 1.32 (±0.22) m and the mean weight was 31.92 (±7.82) kg. The scoliogauge measurement procedure was performed by two consultants senior musculoskeletal physiotherapists on an iPhone4 Scoliogauge. For statistical analysis, the measurements were divided by spinal levels into the upper thorax, medium thorax, lower thorax, and lumbar segments. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was used to determine the intra-rater reliability and inter-rater reliability. Results: The observer intra-rater reliability of axial trunk rotation of subjects measured by the scolioguage was considered excellent for the upper, lower thorax, and lumbar segments range from (ICC = 0.871 to 0.932). The inter-rater reliability of axial trunk rotation measures was considered excellent for the upper thorax segment, excellent for the lower thorax, and lumbar segments (ICC, 0.884 to 0.925), and the lowest inter-rater reliability coefficients were in the lumbar spine segments (ICC = 0.884). Conclusion: The scoliogauge application in the iphone device has respectable intra and inter-rater reliability. Though the intra and inter-rater reliability for the lumbar spine region is relatively lower compared to that of the thoracic spine region. Highlights: