BackgroundMost of the COVID-19 fatal cases and severe illnesses like acute respiratory distress syndrome occur in older adults and other people who have underlying medical comorbidities. Understanding patients with chronic disease' knowledge, attitudes, and intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine and related factors are necessary to control the mortality of COVID-19 infection. Therefore, this study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine among patients with chronic disease in Southern Ethiopia.Methods and materialsA facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 409 patients with chronic diseases having a follow-up at the hospitals of the Southern region of Ethiopia from November 14, 2021, to December 24, 2021. A structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression was conducted to show the association of variables with knowledge, attitude, and intention to take the COVID-19 vaccine. The associations of variables were declared with the use of a 95% CI and P-value < 0.05.ResultsOverall, 79.2, 70.9, and 58.2% of participants had good knowledge, favorable attitude, and intent to take the COVID-19 vaccine, respectively. Age ≥49 years old (AOR = 1.643; 95% CI = 1.008–3.060) and college and above level of education (AOR = 3.002; 95% CI = 1.897–5.021) were found to be significantly associated with knowledge about COVID-19 vaccine. College and above level of education (AOR = 1.510; 95% CI = 1.002–3.975) and good knowledge (AOR = 3.560; 95% CI = 1.481–6.120) were found to be significantly associated with intention to take COVID-19 vaccine.Conclusion and recommendationIntention to take the COVID-19 vaccine was low among patients with chronic diseases to achieve herd immunity. Therefore, a holistic and multi-sectoral partnership is necessary for a successful COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Further health education and communication are very crucial methods to improve vaccine acceptance and lastly to achieve herd immunity.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and identify associated factors of hepatitis B virus infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) follow-up. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March 04 to April 03, 2020. A total of 381 women were selected using systematic random sampling after every two consecutive women. Structured and interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. A 2 ml of venous blood sample was drawn from each participant. The plasma was separated from the collected blood samples and was analyzed using a rapid hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) kit to determine hepatitis sero status. Data were entered into the EPI-Data version 3.1, then exported to the statistical package for social sciences version 25 software and analyzed. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify independent predictors of HBsAg B seroprevalence at a p-value <0.05. Results: The prevalence of HBsAg sero-positivity among pregnant women was 6.6%, 95% CI (4.2, 8.9). History of hosptal admission (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.11; 95% CI = 1.33–12.71), surgical history (AOR = 6.8; 95% CI = 1.93–23.93), history dental procedures (AOR = 4.93; 95% CI = 1.31–18.53), and body tatoo practices (AOR = 6.822; 95% CI = 1.89–24.69) were found to be associated with HBsAg sero-positivity. Conclusion: This study found that HBsAg sero positivity among pregnant women in the study area was in intermediate edemicity. Factors such as history of hospital admission, history of surgery, history of dental procedures, and body tattoo practices were found to be associated with HBsAg sero-positivity. The government of Ethiopia should strengthen screening of all pregnant women for HBV as a part of routine ANC in ANC clinics and treating if they are positive to prevent mother to child transmission.

Background Hypertension is a major public health problem, resulting in 10 million deaths annually. Undiagnosed hypertension affects more people than ever before. It is more likely to be linked to severe hypertension, which can lead to stroke, cardiovascular disease, and ischemic heart disease. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to synthesize the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and its associated factors in Ethiopia. Methods Databases, such as Medline/PubMed, Google Scholar, Science Direct, AJOL, and the Cochrane Library, were systematically searched to find potential studies published until December 2022. A Microsoft Excel spreadsheet was used to enter the extracted data. The pooled prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and its associated factors was estimated using a random effect model. I2 statistics and the Cochrane Q-test were used to assess statistical heterogeneity across the studies. Begg’s and Egger’s tests were performed to identify possible publication bias. Results A total of ten articles with 5,782 study participants were included in this meta-analysis. In the random effects model, the pooled prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension was 18.26% (95% CI = 14.94–21.58). Being older (OR = 3.8, 95% CI = 2.56, 5.66), having a body mass index > 25 kg/m2 (OR = 2.71, 95% CI = 2.1, 3.53), having a family history of hypertension (OR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.47, 3.36), and having DM comorbidity (OR = 2.44, 95% CI = 1.38, 4.32) were significantly associated with undiagnosed hypertension. Conclusion In this meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension was found to be high in Ethiopia. Being older, having a BMI > 25 kg/m2, having a family history of hypertension, and having DM comorbidity were found to be risk factors for undiagnosed hypertension.

The likelihood of contraceptive implant discontinuation is very common and varies worldwide. This high prevalence of discontinuation may also indicate problems with implementation of family planning programmes. Consequently, a significant number of women are exposed to conception after discontinuation. Although studies have been conducted in Ethiopia, there are inconsistencies across studies. Therefore, this meta-analysis aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of contraceptive implant discontinuation among women in Ethiopia. Published articles from various electronic databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, Google Scholar, Science Direct, AJOL and Cochrane library were systematically searched. All cross-sectional studies conducted on prevalence of contraceptive implant discontinuation and published up to 30 January 2022 were included in this review. To estimate the pooled prevalence, random effect model was used and a subgroup analysis was performed to identify the possible source of heterogeneity. Begg’s and Egger’s tests were used to identify possible publication bias. A total of 13 cross-sectional studies with 5012 participants were included. Significant heterogeneity was observed across studies (I2 = 98.2%). However, there was no evidence of publication bias (p = 0.066). The estimated pooled prevalence of contraceptive implant discontinuation in Ethiopia was found to be 36.95% (95% confidence interval = 27.6–46.3). A subgroup analysis by time of discontinuation indicated that 21.5%, 42.2% and 33.5% of contraceptive implant user discontinue within 12 months, 2.5 years and 3 years, respectively. This meta-analysis indicated that the prevalence of discontinuation of contraceptive implant was found to be high in Ethiopia. Therefore, strengthening the appropriate counselling prior to insertion and proper follow-up, independent choice will improve the proportion of implants retention.

Primary dysmenorrhea is a highly prevalent gynecological problem and one of the most common causes of school absenteeism among school adolescents. Nearly, half of females with primary dysmenorrhea missed school or work at least once per cycle. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea and its associated factors among female students in Wolaita soddo town high schools. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among female students at Wolaita soddo town high schools from October 1-30/2021. A total of 733 students were selected using a simple random sampling technique. The data were entered using Epi data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was used. Variables with a p-value of <0.05 in the multivariable logistic regression analysis model were considered statistically significant. Results: The prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea was 70% (95% CI (66.6%, 73.4%)). Factors such as age <18 years (AOR 2.55; 95% CI (1.77, 3.68)), long duration of menstrual flow (AOR 2.72; 95% CI (1.42, 5.17)), irregular menstrual cycle (AOR 2.39; 95% CI (1.68, 3.41)), family history of dysmenorrhea (AOR 2.46; 95% CI (1.67, 3.64)) and skipping breakfast (AOR 1.62; 95% CI (1.13, 2.33)) were associated with primary dysmenorrhea. Conclusion:The prevalence of primary dysmenorrhea was high among high school students in the study area. Being younger age, long menstrual flow duration, irregular monthly menstrual cycle, family history of dysmenorrhea, and skipping breakfast were determinants of primary dysmenorrhea.