Background: “Is pregnancy opportunity or a barrier for engaging in exercise”. Maternal health still is a top priority in sub-Saharan Africa including Ethiopia. Participation in exercises during pregnancy in low-middle income countries is constrained. The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of antenatal exercises among Ethiopian women during pregnancy, and also to examine the barriers to prenatal physical activity. Methods: A descriptive hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted and 349 pregnant women receiving prenatal care at the ante-natal care clinic, University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital were recruited. Data were obtained on maternal characteristics, knowledge, attitude, practice, and barriers towards antenatal exercise (ANEx) by interview method. Results: Among 349 pregnant women, 138 (39.5%) and 193 (55.3%) had adequate knowledge, a positive attitude, and good practice respectively. Overall, 108 (30.9) of the respondents practiced antenatal exercise, while only 41 (37.9%) of those pregnant women had a good practice. Brisk walking (90.7%), relaxation (38.9%), and breathing exercise (36.1%) were most practice ANEx, while pelvic floor 6 (5.6%) and 3 (2.8%) yoga were the least practiced. Enhancing post-natal recovery (71%) and vaginal bleeding (64.5) were perceived as benefits and contraindication of ANEx. More than half of the pregnant women (53.6) reported that ANEx is not appropriate for Ethiopian culture. Knowledge, attitude, and practice of ANEx among pregnant women are significantly associated with higher education, government employees, pre-pregnancy exercise, and being advised on ANEx before. Women with adequate knowledge are more likely to have a good practice (AOR 4.53, 95%CI: 1.64, 15.3). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that knowledge concerning antenatal exercise is low and their attitude is reasonably favorable. However, very few Ethiopian pregnant practices ANEx according to recommended guidelines during pregnancy.

Solid fuels are types of fuel that comprise coal, biomass, charcoal, wood, or straw and are used for cooking, heating, lighting, boiling water, and generating revenue at home. Globally, 3 billion of the world’s poorest people continue to rely on inefficient solid fuels, which produce health-damaging contaminants. In Ethiopia, more than 90% of households rely on wood as their primary source of energy. The actual and potential determinants of solid fuel use have not been fully identified, particularly at the national level in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the magnitude of solid fuel use and its associated factors in Ethiopia. We used the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS), which was conducted in 2016. The data was conducted using a 2-stage stratified cluster sampling approach. A total of 16 650 weighted samples were taken. Multilevel logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with solid fuel use, and a cluster-level random intercept was introduced in the mixed model. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence level was reported to show the strength of the association and its significance. The goodness of fit of the model was checked using proportional change deviance (PCV). The magnitude of solid fuel use among households in Ethiopia was 94.03% (95% CI = 93.66, 94.37). Household heads completed in primary school (AOR, 3.09, 95% CI = 2.44, 3.91), outdoor cooking places (AOR, 4.13, 95% CI = 2.96, 5.76), and small peripheral regions (AOR, 14.44, 95% CI = 6.12, 34.04) were all significantly associated with solid fuel use. The intra-cluster correlation coefficient (ICC) showed that about 81% of the variations in the use of solid fuel were attributed to the difference at the 643 cluster level, but the remaining 19% were attributed to individual household factors. The PCV was 90%, which showed that the variation in solid fuel use among study households was explained by factors at both the individual and community levels. The deviation test of the fourth model had the lowest value (3528) and was chosen as the best-fitted model. Due to different influencing factors, the use of solid fuel is still high in Ethiopia. Promoting access to education and raising awareness toward solid fuel impact is very important.

The Foot health of a child plays a pivotal role in their participation in play, locomotive activities, healthy lifestyle, somatic development, and weight management. The burden of flatfoot among children in Ethiopia is not known. The objective of this study was to analyze the structure of the medial foot arch using Staheli plantar arch index and investigate its associated factors among larger sample school children, aged 11–15 years in Ethiopia. A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among children aged 11–15 years from eleven randomly selected primary schools. The sample size was determined proportionally across school strength and governmental and private schools to ensure variety within the sample. Data collection consisted of physical measurements, footprint-based measures whilst full weight-bearing, and a structured questionnaire on foot pain, footwear type, and physical activity. Data were analyzed descriptively and through uni- and multivariate logistic regression model. A total of 823 children participated. The overall prevalence of flatfoot was 17.6% with a significant difference between age, gender, type of school, BMI, and type of footwear. Being younger (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.6–6.7), male (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.0–2.4), experiencing foot pain (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.0–3.5), wearing closed shoe (OR 4.4, 95% CI 1.6–11.9), overweight (OR 3.8, 95% CI 1.2–8.7), obese (OR 4.2, 95% CI 2.5–10.9), and low level of physical activity (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.0–4.6) were significantly associated with flatfoot. Children who were overweight, obese, and also experiencing foot pain have a 2.8 (95% CI 1.62–5.94) and 4.1 (95% CI 2.85–8.31) times greater chance of having flatfoot respectively. The prevalence of flatfoot among 560 normal weight children was 17.5%. The findings of this study demonstrated that the overall prevalence and the prevalence of flatfoot among normal-weight children are almost the same. There is a definite need to develop a screening algorithm for diagnosis and treatment indication for this children's lower extremity disorder.

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.

Neonatal mortality is pervasive in developing countries like Ethiopia. Though the risk of neonatal mortality is preventable through consolidating simple, low-cost, and less time-consuming essential care, there is a scarcity of evidence about the spatial distribution of newborn care in Ethiopia. The current study aimed to demonstrate spatial distribution and determinants of newborn care within 2 days of the postpartum period in Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was employed based on Ethiopian demographic and health survey 2016 data and 2796 post-partum period women were included. Arc GIS version 10.7 and SaTScan version 9.6 software were used. Mixed effect analysis was done by STATA version 14 software. Bivariate analysis was done and variables with a p value<0.2 were taken as a candidate for multilevel multivariable logistic regression. Intra Class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), Proportion Change in Variance (PCV), and Median Odds Ratio (MOR) were used for model comparison and an Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with respect to a 95% confidence interval was used for declaring statistical significance. In the multivariable analysis, a p-value≤0.05 was considered as a cut point of statistical significance with the outcome variable. The spatial distribution of newborn care was not random and the overall prevalence was 48.39%. Secondary educational level (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR = 1.5;95% CI 1.06,2.62), college and above (AOR = 2.47; 95% CI 1.22,5.01), number of antenatal cares three (AOR = 1.5; 95% CI 1.10, 2.04), antenatal care four and above (AOR = 1.6; 95% CI 1.22; 2.19), place of delivery (AOR = 9.67; 7.44, 12.57) and child is a twin (AOR = 3.33; 95% CI 1.23, 9.00) were variables significantly associated with newborn care. Newborn care practice in Ethiopia is below half per hundred participants. Even the distribution was not random. There is a need to pay attention to those cold spot areas and factors significantly associated with newborn care. Improving women’s educational levels secondary and above, and consolidating the continuation of antenatal care and health facility delivery were the priority areas to improve newborn care in Ethiopia. Maternal and neonatal health program managers and policymakers should pay attention to those cold spots of newborn care to achieve the sustainable development goal.

Stroke is a common cause of mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries. It is a very sudden episode in the patients’ lives and can lead to multiple psychosocial, social, and economic consequences, and psychiatric problems. poststroke depression is the most common and major neuropsychiatric consequence of stroke that affects one-third of stroke survivors. The aim of this study to assess the burden of depression and its predictors among stroke survivors with local version validated Patient Health Questionnaire. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among stroke patients at selected tertiary level hospitals. Data were collected by interview method using structured questionnaires, and patient medical record reviews and data were recruited by using consecutive sampling method. Bivariate and multivariable binary logistic regression model analysis was used with SPSS version 23 to identify factors associated with depression. A total of one hundred eighty stroke patients participated in the study with a response rate of 88.2%. The overall prevalence of depression is 49.6% (95% CI: 42.8, 56.7). Occupation, marital status, level of education of stroke patients was significantly associated with post stroke depression with P < 0.05. The study findings presented that nearly half of the stroke patients suffered from post stroke depression. Post-stroke depression was strongly associated with patient occupation, marital status, and level of education There is urgent need for integration of screening for and management of post-stroke depression among stroke survivors.