BackgroundShort birth intervals have been linked to higher rates of fetal loss, prenatal mortality, and poorer child survival. Therefore, for countries like Ethiopia that have a population policy intended at reducing fertility, understanding the level and factors influencing birth spacing is crucial in order to apply appropriate intervention. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of the short birth interval among child-bearing age women in the Gedeb Hasasa district of the West Arsi zone, Ethiopia.MethodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 20 July to 20 August 2018. A multistage sampling method was used. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to gather data. The collected data were entered into Epi Data version 3.1 and later exported to SPSS version 21 for analysis. Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with the short birth interval. The level of significance was declared at a p-value of <0.05.ResultsA total of 714 women participated, with a 98% response rate. The median birth interval length was 32 months. The prevalence of the short birth interval was 50.4%. After adjusting for confounding variables, being a rural resident [AOR = 2.50, 95% CI (1.52, 4.09)], having an illiterate husband [AOR = 4.14, 95% CI (2.15, 8.45)], breastfeeding duration for 7–12 months [AOR = 3.16, 95% CI (1.95, 5.13)] and 13–23 months [AOR = 2.45, 95% CI (1.52, 3.95)], sex of the prior child [AOR = 0.63, 95% CI (0.45, 0.88)], and previous child alive [AOR = 0.20, 95% CI (0.14, 0.96)] were the determinants of short birth interval.Conclusion and recommendationOne in every two women practiced short birth intervals. The median birth interval duration was 32 months, which is below the minimum standard recommended by the WHO duration for the birth interval, which is 33 months. Short birth intervals were determined independently by residence, husband education, breastfeeding time, previous child’s sex, and previous child’s survival. Therefore, increasing women’s awareness of the ideal birth interval should be done through community health professionals and health developmental armies.

IntroductionGlobally, more than 52 million under-five years old were wasted; One-third of these children live in Africa. Ethiopia is the seventh country among the ten top countries in which acute malnutrition (AM) is concentrated and currently 10% of under-five children are wasted. Even though Ethiopia has implemented a variety of nutritional interventions, acute malnutrition is still prevalent and spreading at an alarming rate. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of acute malnutrition and its contributing factors among children under-five years of age.Materials and methodsA community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 1 to 30, 2018 among 12 randomly selected kebeles. The sample sizes were proportionally allocated to the selected kebeles. A total of 457 mothers/caretakers of under-five children were interviewed using pre-tested structured questionnaires and anthropometric measurements of the children were taken using standard procedures. EPI data version 4.2 was used for data entry and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21 was used for statistical analysis. The World Health Organization (WHO) Anthro software was used to convert nutritional data indices. Binary logistic regression was used to determine the association between dependent and independent variables. The level of significance was declared at a P-value < 0.05.ResultsThe prevalence of acute malnutrition is 19.91% (95%CI; 16.24%, 23.57%) among under-five children. Factors contributing to acute malnutrition were mothers with no antenatal care (ANC) visits [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.26, 95% CI 1.14–4.46], mothers who had no autonomy in decision-making (AOR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.42–4.12), children with diarrheal disease in the last 2 weeks preceding the survey (AOR = 2.07, 95% CI 1.19–3.59), and not feeding colostrum (AOR = 1.99, 95% CI 1.07–3.71).Conclusion and recommendationThe prevalence of acute malnutrition is high as compared to other findings in Ethiopia. Moreover, decision-making power, not feeding colostrum, no ANC visit, and a child's history of diarrhea were independent determinants of acute malnutrition. Therefore, the local health department and health extension workers should consider imparting health education for women on nutritional counseling and timely treatment for children with diarrhea. Empowering women's decision-making is also a key element in addressing wasting among under-five children.