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Background The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale (RUDAS) is currently widely used for research and clinical purposes in many countries. However, its applicability and validity have not been evaluated in the Ethiopian context so far. Therefore, we designed this study to assess the reliability and validity of Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale to detect major neurocognitive disorder among older people in Ethiopia. Methods An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among selected older people residing in Macedonia institutional care center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The gold standard diagnosis was determined using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for major neurocognitive disorders. Stata v16 statistical software was used for data analysis. Receivers operating curve analysis, correlations, linear regression, and independent t-test were performed with statistically significant associations declared at a p-value of <0.05. Inter-rater, internal consistency reliabilities, content, criterion and construct validities were also determined. Results A total of 116 individuals participated in the study with a 100% response rate. Most (52.7%) of the participants were male and the mean age in years was 69.9± 8. The Cronbach’s alpha for RUDAS was 0.7 with an intra-class correlation coefficient value of 0.9. RUDAS has an area under the receivers operating curve of 0.87 with an optimal cutoff value of ≤ 22. At this cutoff point, RUDAS has sensitivity and specificity of 92.3 and 75.3 with positive and negative likelihood ratios as well as positive and negative predictive values of 3.7, 0.1, 65.5%, and 91.5%, respectively. There has also been a significant difference in the mean scores of RUDAS among the two diagnostic groups showing good construct validity. Conclusion The Rowland Universal Dementia Assessment Scale has been demonstrated to be a valid and reliable tool to detect major neurocognitive disorder. Policy makers and professionals can incorporate the tool in clinical and research practices in developing countries.

Background: Cognition is one of the most complex functions of the human brain, and major neurocognitive disorders affect this function causing a wide array of problems in an individual's life. Screening for major neurocognitive disorders can be helpful in designing and implementing early interventions. Purpose: This study was designed to assess the reliability and validity of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool to detect major neurocognitive disorders among older people in Ethiopia. Methods: One hundred and sixteen randomly selected older adults in Ethiopia were involved in a cross-sectional study. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders criteria for major neurocognitive disorders was used as a gold standard. Data were analyzed using STATA v16 statistical software. Receiver operating curve analysis was performed, and inter-rater, internal consistency reliabilities, content, criterion and construct validities were determined. Statistically significance was declared at a p-value of <0.05. Results:The study had a 100% response rate. The mean age of the study participants was 69.87 ± 7.8. The inter-rater reliability value was 0.96, and Cronbach's alpha was 0.79. The optimal cutoff value was ≤21, and Montreal Cognitive Assessment has an area under curve value of 0.89. The sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and positive and negative predictive values of MoCA are 87.18%, 74.03%, 3.35, 0.17, 63%, and 91.9%, respectively. The tool also has good concurrent and construct validities. Conclusion:The Montreal Cognitive Assessment tool was a reliable and valid tool to detect major neurocognitive disorder. It can be incorporated into the clinical and research practices in developing countries.

Background: Substance abuse has become the major health and health related behavioral problem worldwide. Substance related problems occur in most segments of most societies mainly in the youth. They result in decreased work and school performance, accidents, absenteeism, violent crime, and theft. The objective of this study was to assess the status of substance use and its effect on the academic performance among students of Arba Minch University, Ethiopia.Methods: Institution based cross-sectional study was conducted on 510 university students. Semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect the desired information. Data was analyzed using SPSS V. 23 statistical software. Descriptive statistics, binary logistics regression and multinomial regression were employed. Independent sample t-test was also used to indicate the effect of substance use on academic performance.Results: The data was collected from 498 students making a response rate of 97.6%. The overall proportion of students with substance use was 21.3% and among them, the current prevalence was 79.2%. Being Male and having family member or a friend who uses substance were associated with substance use. The results show that, substance users have a lower mean CGPA than non-substance users.Conclusion: The study revealed the prevalence of substance use among the youth to be comparable with other studies conducted the country and that the problem is as worrisome as it is everywhere else. The findings also indicated a negative association between substance use and academic performance.