ObjectivesThis study aimed to assess the nutritional status and its associated factors among elderly people.DesignA community-based cross-sectional study.SettingThe study was conducted in urban and semiurban areas.ParticipantsThe study included 620 elderly community dwellers in Southwest Ethiopia from 3 October 2021 to 10 November 2021. Those who were seriously ill, could not get around or were on special diets were excluded from the study.Outcome measureThe Mini Nutritional Assessment was used to evaluate nutritional status and the STEPwise approach was used to collect data on backgrounds and lifestyle. SPSS V.22.0 was used for data analysis. Logistic regression was computed. The level of significance was set at 0.05.ResultsElderly people who were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition were found to make up 48.1% (44.1%) and 17.4% (14.5%) of the population, respectively. Those aged 80 years and older had a chance of being at risk of malnutrition (adjusted OR (AOR)=22.555; 95% CI: 7.963 to 63.881), while the odds of being malnourished were 11.5 times higher (AOR=11.755; 95% CI: 4.825 to 28.638). Informal education was a significant predictor of being at risk of malnutrition (AOR=6.102; 95% CI: 2.684 to 13.871). Urban dwellers were 8.9 times more likely to be malnourished. Inadequate financial resources make people 3.7 times more likely to be malnourished. A lower wealth index was a significant predictor of being at risk of malnutrition (AOR=4.156; 95% CI: 1.361 to 12.692). Single elderly people had a 3.4-fold higher risk of malnutrition. Elderly people with chronic pain, who were smokers and alcoholics, and who had depression were all at risk of nutritional problems.ConclusionThe risk of malnutrition and malnourishment was high. Age, urbanisation, finances, education, economics, being a woman, smoking and alcohol are associated factors. Interventional studies are warranted to minimise malnutrition challenges in the study population.
Ethiopia has implemented maternity waiting homes over the last several decades; however, its utilization is low. This study aimed to assess the factors associated with knowledge of and attitude towards maternity waiting homes among pregnant women in rural Ethiopia. The baseline survey was conducted from September 15 to October 30, 2022, in rural Southern Ethiopia. Survey data were collected from 320 women in their second trimester of pregnancy. The data analysis was performed using SPSS version 25. The mean age of the participants was 27.79 (SD ± 6.242) years. Nearly two-thirds (57.5%) of the participants had no formal education and more than three-fourths (72.5%) were housewives. Only approximately one-fourth (23.75%) of the participants used maternity waiting homes. Furthermore, 33.75% had good knowledge, 28.75% had favorable attitudes, and around one-fourth (26.25%) had good male partner involvement. Age group 30 to 39 years (AOR 4.78, 95% CI 1.12–20.36), household income (AOR 6.41, 95% CI 2.78–14.81), having pregnancy intention (AOR 2.63, 95% CI 1.21–5.73), and history of obstetric complications (AOR 6.72, 95% CI 2.81–16.07) were significantly associated with good knowledge about maternity waiting homes. Similarly, age group 30 to 39 years (AOR 4.23, 95% CI 1.14–15.65), household income (AOR 7.12, 95% CI 3.26–15.55), having pregnancy intention (AOR 2.57, 95% CI 1.21–5.47), and history of obstetric complications (AOR 5.59, 95% CI 2.30–13.59) were significantly associated with favorable attitudes towards maternity waiting homes. Providing health education and promoting male partner participation through educating couples may improve women’s access to maternity waiting homes.
Background Raising the median age at first sexual intercourse and first marriage among females is a policy goal of the Ethiopian government. Education figures prominently in the government’s plans for achieving its goals, including primary and secondary schools; higher education; and out-of-school interventions such as youth centers, peer clubs, and youth associations In this study, we tested whether adolescents and youth who had high educational and occupational expectations at younger ages were at a lower risk of first sexual intercourse and marriage during adolescence and early adulthood. Methods Data came from multiple waves of a longitudinal survey of households and adolescents conducted in southwestern Ethiopia. A measure of career expectations was created from educational and occupational expectations measured at baseline when the adolescents were ages 13–17. The occurrence and timing of first sexual intercourse (called first sex) and marriage were measured four years later in a wave 3 survey. Discrete-time logistic hazard regression models were applied to a person-year file to predict first sex for males and females separately and first marriage for females. Results Male and female adolescents who had high career expectations at young ages were at a significantly lower risk of first sex during adolescence and early adulthood. Unlike the delaying effect of being in school, the effect of high career expectations did not wear off as adolescents aged. Among female adolescents, delaying first sex, staying in school, and having parents who desired them to marry at older ages were all associated with a significantly lower risk of marriage during adolescence and early adulthood. Conclusions The educational and occupational expectations and family plans that youth develop early in adolescence influence the timing of the transition into sexual activity and marriage. Ethiopian youth who develop high career expectations delay first sex, which for female youth is a key predictor of age at first marriage. Adolescents’ perceptions of parents’ expectations for them are strongly associated with their own expectations and behavior.
Food‐insecurity and poor‐quality diets remain a challenge for pregnant women. Consumption of okra has a great impact on improving the nutritional status of pregnant women. Okra plays a critical role in the prevention of malnutrition among pregnant women living in resource‐limited settings. The evidence is scarce on the impacts of okra on mid‐upper arm circumference (MUAC) measurement of pregnant women. A community‐based cross‐sectional study was employed among randomly selected 224 pregnant women from June 1 to July 30, 2020. An interviewer‐administered questionnaire was used. The MUAC was measured by using an adult MUAC measuring tape. Data were entered into Epi‐data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis by linear regression. The statistical significance of variables was declared at a p‐value of .05, and unstandardized beta (β) coefficients along with a 95% confidence interval were computed. The proportion of pregnant women with low MUAC (≤22 cm) was 42.4%. In the multivariable linear regression model, hemoglobin concentration (β = 0.346, [95% CI: 0.153, 0.539], p = .001), food insecurity (β = −0.887, (95% CI: −1.441, −0.334), p = .002), daily consumption of okra (β = 1.269, [95% CI: 0.583, 1.956], p ≤ .001), and women working in NGO (β = 0.443, [95% CI: 0.256, 0.630], p ≤ .001) were significant variables. The prevalence of malnutrition among pregnant women (MUAC ≤ 22 cm) was 42.4%. Therefore, behavioral change communication interventions to promote okra consumption on regular basis were recommended.
The consumption of locally nutrient-rich edible plants in rural areas can be used to satisfy the dietary diversity of pregnant women. Date palm is one of the wild edible plants in different parts of the world. Studies on wild edible plants in Ethiopia cover only about 5 % of the country's districts. Furthermore, the nutrient composition of the palm heart of Phoenix reclinata is not yet investigated as it is commonly consumed by indigenous people in western Ethiopia. The utilization of such plants requires strong policy support based on scientific evidence to maintain the nutrition security of pregnant women. Homogeneous samples of 1000 grams (g) of palm hearts were collected randomly. The macronutrient contents were determined using standard methods of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC, 2000). The flame Photometric method was used for potassium and sodium determination. The carbohydrate concentration (g/100 g) was 78⋅2. It covers approximately 78⋅5 % of the total daily Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA). In line with this, the concentrations of minerals such as potassium (K+) and sodium (Na+), per milligram (mg/100 g) of the sample were 1962⋅3 and 7⋅9, respectively. The palm heart of Phoenix reclinata has many nutritional values and is important for pregnant women. Its nutrient composition is comparable with different staple foods of the country and can contribute to household food security in rural communities.
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