Background: Diarrhea is responsible for 525,000 children under-five deaths and 1.7 billion cases globally and is the second leading cause of death among children under-five every year. It is a major public health problem in low income countries like Ethiopia. The main aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of diarrhea and associated risk factors among children under-five in Debre Berhan Town, Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in 420 parent or caretaker/children pairs in Debre Berhan town between 13 and 18 April 2018. A multi-stage sampling strategy was used to select the study participants. Data were collected using pre-tested and structured questionnaires. Data were entered in Epi-info computer software version 3.5.1 and exported to SPSS Window Version-16 for analysis. Adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the level of significance. Results: The two week prevalence of diarrhea among children under-five was 16.4% (69/351). Children aged 7–11 months (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 4.2, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2–15.3), being the second-born child (AOR: 3.9, 95%CI: 1.8–8.5), not vaccinated against rotavirus (AOR: 10.3, 95%CI: 3.2–91.3) and feeding children by hand (AOR: 2.5, 95%CI: 1.1–6.1) were significant predictors of diarrhea. Conclusions: This study revealed that the two weeks period prevalence of diarrhea among children under-five years was 16.4%. Education programs on the importance of vaccination against rotavirus, increasing breast feeding frequency with complementary food after six months and the critical points of hand washing are recommended.

Background: Anxiety is an un-pleasurable emotional state associated with psychophysiological changes in response to an intra-psychic conflict. The perioperative period is one of the worrying events for most surgical patients. Despite preoperative anxiety having many negative consequences on post-operative physical and mental health, no adequate information on the degree to which the preoperative period exposed clients to preoperative anxiety and its associated factors. Objective: To assess the prevalence of preoperative anxiety and associated factors among adult surgical patients in Debre Berhan Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia. Methods: Institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from June 1, 2020, to August 30, 2020. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Scale (S-STAI) was used to measure the level of pre-operative anxiety. A systematic random sampling technique was employed to collect the data. The data were entered to Epi-Data version 4.6 and exported to SPSS version 25 for data analysis. A statistically significant association was declared at a p-value less than 0.05. Results: A total of 330 patients were enrolled in the study with a response rate of 93.2%. The prevalence of a high level of preoperative anxiety was 53.6% (95% CI (49.6– 58.7)). Being female 3.2 (2.19, 3.71) illiterate 4.1 (2.01, 15.39), fear of death 2.12 (1.30, 3.44), results of operation 2.60 (1.75, 4.18), postoperative pain 2.35 (1.37, 4.02), and surgical complication 1.9 (1.03, 12.13) were statistically significant factors. Conclusion: Preoperative anxiety affects more than half of surgical patients which is a high and serious health burden. Additionally, this study revealed that being female, illiterate, fear of death, having a history of surgical complications and fear of complications, and fear of postoperative pain were significantly associated with preoperative anxiety. Assessing during the preoperative period helps to detect and ameliorate the problem. Preoperative counseling and informed consent taken as a prerequisite for surgery will help in reducing preoperative anxiety.

Background: Despite the high economic and mortality burden of chronic kidney disease, studies on survival and predictors of mortality among patients on hemodialysis in Ethiopia especially in the Amhara region are scarce considering their importance to identify some modifiable risk factors for early mortality to improve the patient’s prognosis. So, this study was done to fill the identified gaps. The study aimed to assess survival and predictors of mortality among end-stage renal disease patients on hemodialysis in Amhara regional state, Ethiopia, 2020/2021. Method: Institution-based retrospective record review was conducted in Felege Hiwot, Gonder, and Gambi hospitals from March 5 to April 5, 2021. A total of 436 medical records were selected using a simple random sampling technique. A life table was used to estimate probabilities of survival at different time intervals. Multivariable cox regression was used to identify risk factors for mortality. Result: Out of the 436 patients 153 (35.1%) had died. The median survival time was 345 days with a mortality rate of 1.89 per 1000 person-days (95%CI (1.62, 2.22)). Patients live in rural residences (AHR = 1.48, 95%CI (1.04, 2.12)), patients whose cause of CKD was hypertension (AHR = 1.49, 95%CI (1.01, 2.23)) and human immune virus (AHR = 2.22, 95%CI (1.41, 3.51)), and patients who use a central venous catheter (AHR = 3.15, 95%CI (2.08, 4.77)) had increased risk of death while staying 4 h on hemodialysis (AHR = 0.43, 95%CI (0.23, 0.80)) decreases the risk of death among chronic kidney disease patients on hemodialysis. Conclusions: The overall survival rate and median survival time of chronic kidney disease patients on hemodialysis were low in the Amhara region as compared with other developing Sub–Saharan African counties.

Background: The coexistence of diabetes mellitus and hypertension is a worldwide public health problem causing significant morbidity, mortality, and decreased quality of life. Despite the increasing burden of hypertension among patients with DM, data on determinants of hypertension among patients with DM in the Amhara region of Ethiopia is scarce. Hence, this study identified determinants of hypertension among people with diabetes attending chronic disease follow-up clinics in the Amhara region of comprehensive specialized hospitals in Ethiopia.Method and materials: An institutional-based unmatched case-control study was conducted among 470 individuals with diabetes in the Amhara region’s comprehensive specialized hospitals (Debre Berhan, Felege Hiwot, and Dessie Comprehensive specialized hospital). A multistage sampling technique was used to select participants for this study. We collected the data using standard questionnaires (short form of international physical activity questionnaire, Morisky medication adherence scale, patient health questionnaire, perceived dietary adherence scale, Oslo social support questionnaire, and alcohol use disorder identification test), physical measurements, and data extraction checklists. A multivariable binary logistic regression was fitted to identify determinants of hypertension, and we presented the findings using an adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI).Results: 235 cases and 235 controls participated in this study. The median (IQR) age for the cases was 60 (52–66 = 14), and the mean age (± SD) for the controls was 51.72 (± 12.51). The significant determinants of hypertension with AOR [95% CI] were a lower level of physical activity: 1.82 [1.00, 3.31], depression: 2.00 [1.24, 3.21], family history of hypertension: 2.13 [1.34, 3.37], not having diabetic health education: 1.87 [1.18, 2.96], a longer duration of diabetes: 1.99 [1.05, 3.79], and poor glycemic control: 1.57 [1.01, 2.45].Conclusion: In this study, determinants that increase the risk of hypertension among people with diabetes mellitus were older age, physical inactivity, depression, family history of hypertension, not having diabetic health education, a longer duration of diabetes, and poor glycemic control.

Since 2016, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health has adopted a "Universal Test and Treat" strategy to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). In this test and treat era, access to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) has been rapidly expanded. On the other hand, poor retention of patients on ART remains a serious concern for reaching ART program goals. Thus, this study is targeted at investigating the attrition rate and its predictors among HIV-positive adults following the implementation of the "test and treat" strategy in Ethiopia. An institution-based retrospective follow-up study was conducted among 1048 HIV-positive adults receiving ART at public health institutions in Bahir Dar city, Northern Ethiopia. Data were extracted from randomly selected patient charts, entered into Epidata 4.6 and exported to Stata 14.2 for analysis. Kaplan-Meier curve was used to estimate individuals' attrition-free probability at each specific point in time. Both bivariable and multivariable cox regression models were fitted, and variables with a P-value of <0.05 in the multivariable model were considered as significant predictors of attrition. A total of 1020 (97.3%) study participants were included in the final analysis. The attrition rate of individuals was 15 per 100 person-years of observation (95% CI: 13.5-16.9 per 100 PYO). World Health organization (WHO) stage III/IV clinical diseases (Adjusted hazard ratio/AHR/1.75 (95% CI:1.24-2.48)), Not disclosing HIV-status (AHR 1.6 (95% CI: 1.24-2.05)), rapid initiation of ART (AHR 2.05 (95%CI:1.56-7.69)), No history of ART regime change (AHR2.03 (95% CI: 1.49-2.76)), "1J (TDF_3TC-DTG)" ART regimen (AHR 0.46 (95%CI: 2.18-3.65)), and Poor ART adherence (AHR2.82 (95%CI: 2.18-3.65)) were identified as significant predictors of attrition rate of HIV positive adults. Following the implementation of the universal test and treat area, the attrition rate of adults living with (HIV) found to be high. Due attention shall be provided to those individuals who didn't disclose their status, were initiated into ART within seven days, had WHO stage III/IV clinical disease, had poor adherence history, had no regimen change, and are not on 1J (TDF_3TC-DTG) ART regimen type.

Background and Aim: Dietary nonadherence remains a significant challenge in diabetes management, compromising glycemic control and increasing the risk of complications. In Ethiopia, particularly in the Amhara region, adherence to dietary recommendations is influenced by cultural, economic, and educational factors. Despite the critical role of diet in diabetes management, there is limited evidence regarding dietary nonadherence and its determinants in this setting. This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with dietary nonadherence among diabetes patients attending follow‐up care in the Amhara region comprehensive specialized hospitals of Ethiopia.Method and Materials: A multistage sampling technique was used to conduct an institution‐based cross‐sectional study among 497 diabetes mellitus patients attending follow‐up care at Debre Berhan, Debre Markos, Felege Hiwot, and Dessie Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals. The Perceived Dietary Adherence Questionnaire (PDAQ) was used to assess Dietary adherence. Multivariable binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify determinants of dietary nonadherence, and findings were reported using adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).Results: Among the 497 individuals studied (mean age: 56.2 ± 12.3 years), 41.6% (95% CI: 37.4–46.0) failed to adhere to dietary recommendations. The identified factors were being single (AOR = 2.518; 95% CI: 1.248–5.083), being a farmer (AOR = 5.032; 95% CI: 1.772–14.293), rural residence (AOR = 0.307; 95% CI: 0.144–0.658), low family income (AOR = 3.707; 95% CI: 1.623–8.465), poor social support (AOR = 2.535; 95% CI: 1.456–4.412), and moderate social support (AOR = 1.861; 95% CI: 1.118–3.097).Conclusion: A high level of dietary nonadherence was observed among diabetic patients. To enhance dietary adherence, targeted nutritional education, community health promotion, and improved social support systems are recommended, especially in rural areas.