PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Y Berhane

Publications and source records attributed to Y Berhane.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

Magnitude and determinants of bottle feeding in rural communities.

BACKGROUND: Though bottle feeding is known to be hazardous either due to over-dilution of the supplement or faulty hygienic techniques during its preparation, especially in areas where general sanitation is poor, very little attention has been paid to it in developing countries. OBJECTIVE: To determine the extent of bottle use in child feeding and the factors associated with its use in rural communities. DESIGN: Community based cross-sectional study. PATIENTS: One thousand five hundred and thirty six children, aged 0-23 months and their mothers were included in the study. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of bottle feeding was 11.3%. Out of the 174 children who were bottle fed, only 11(6.3%) were exclusively on it. Residence, maternal education and occupation were significantly associated with the practice of bottle feeding in the crude analysis and after adjusting for parental and child characteristics (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The extent of bottle feeding in the studied communities is generally high, with a higher rate among town women, a trend which was seen in the developed world at the beginning of the century. Improvement in maternal and child health services including education on child feeding are recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Prevalence of wheeze and asthma related symptoms among school children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

This survey was conducted as part of the international multi-centre study to determine the prevalence of wheeze and asthma-related symptoms among school children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It was conducted in June 1995. A standardized self-administered questionnaire developed by the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) was used. The questionnaire was designed to offer a standardized epidemiological instrument to ensure comparison of results from wide range of countries. A total of 2951 children aged 13 and 14 years were enrolled into the study, of which 1393 (47.2%) were males and 1558 (52.8%) were females. Five hundred fifty seven children (18.2%) reported that they have had wheezing at least once in the last 12 months while only 84 children (2.8%) reported to have "Bronchial Asthma". One hundred eighty eight (6.4%) and 214 (7.3%) children reported sleep disturbance and limitation of speech associated with attacks, respectively. Nocturnal cough was reported by 805 (27.3%) children. Eight hundred two (27.2%) children reported exercise-induced wheeze. This study revealed that the prevalence of wheeze and other asthma related symptoms to be fairly high among school children of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Moreover, the majority of these children do not seem to know their problems and therefore, remain untreated. Further studies are recommended to precisely determine the prevalence of wheeze and asthma using more objective methods such as bronchial hyper-responsiveness test.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

The mitochondrial phosphoglyceroyl-ATP-containing polymer, purinogen, is unchanged by cardiac ischaemia and reperfusion but may function in the regulation of free intracellular inorganic phosphate concentrations.

Previous work in our laboratory demonstrating large unexplained systematic variations in the heart contents of free adenine nucleotides led us to propose the existence of some unrecognised sequestered form and thence to the purification of very labile acid-insoluble oligomers which we characterised as oligo[3-phospho-glyceroyl-gamma-triphospho(5')adenosine(3')] , abbreviated to (PG-ATP)n. More recently, we provided evidence that these oligomers appear to be the end chains of a complex polymer located in the mitochondrial intermembrane space of a number of rat tissues. We called this polymer purinogen and devised a means of assaying it quantitively [Patel, B., Sarcina, M. & Mowbray, J. (1994) Eur. J. Biochem. 220, 663-669]. Here we report measurements of purinogen in perfused hearts subjected to moderate and severe global ischaemia and reperfusion. Measurements of tissue and perfusate nucleotides, nucleosides and purine degradation products demonstrate that ischaemia led to the augmentation of the free nucleotide content by up to 30% and its re-sequestration on reperfusion in reversible but not in irreversible ischaemia. The purinogen content was unchanged by ischaemia or reperfusion implying the existence of some other unidentified storage pool. By contrast, glucose addition to glycolytically deprived hearts or removal of Pi from perfusion medium, conditions which might be expected to alter demand for intracellular Pi, led to the quantitative transfer of nucleotides between phosphate-rich purinogen and free nucleotides. The possibility that purinogen may act as a rapidly accessible reservoir of intracellular inorganic phosphate is discussed.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1998

Weaning in Butajira, south Ethiopia: a study on mothers' knowledge and practice.

A descriptive cross sectional study on mothers' knowledge and practice related to weaning was conducted in Butajira in 1994. A total of 1,543 mother-child pair were included in the study, of which 1,052 (68%) children were on weaning diet and 491 (32%) were exclusively breast feeding. Among children who were already weaned, 40% were reported to have been started on weaning food at the age of 4-6 months. Of the children who were reported to be exclusively breast feeding, 34% were beyond the age of 7 months. The most commonly used weaning food were cow's milk, adult food, sorghum water and cereal gruel in descending order and the most important reasons for mothers to start weaning were reduction of the amount of breast milk and mothers' belief that the child is at the right age to start weaning food. The majority of the mothers used "swallow or suffocate" method in feeding their children, though cups and bottles were also mentioned as important feeding methods. The study demonstrated the presence of inappropriate weaning practice in the area which needs appropriate intervention.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Prevalence and outcomes of sexual violence among high school students.

A cross sectional, school-based survey using self administered anonymous questionnaire was conducted in Addis Ababa and Western Shoa among high school students to determine the prevalence, and reported outcomes of sexual violence. A total of 1401 female students were involved in the study. The prevalence of completed rape and attempted rape among female students was 5% and 10% respectively. The age range of completed rape was between 12-23 years and 61/72 (85%) of the rape victims were under 18 years of age. No significant linear trend was observed among the different age intervals (Chi Square for linear trend = 1.18; p-value = 0.27). Of the total respondents 78%, believed that rape was a major problem. Sexual harassment was reported in 74% of female students. Among the seventy two girls who reported to be raped 17(24%) had vaginal discharge and 12(17%) became pregnant. Social isolation, fear and phobia, hopelessness and suicide attempt were reported in 33%, 19%, 22%, 6% of rape victims, respectively. It is concluded that the prevalence of sexual violence among high school students is a serious problem and concern. Awareness creation to adolescents and the family need to be introduced and schools should also devise appropriate sex education regarding damaging effect of rape and educate youth on sexuality and responsible sexual decision making.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Characteristics of street children in Nazareth, Ethiopia.

A census based survey was conducted in Nazareth, a town in south-eastern Ethiopia, to determine the number and background of the street children, in December 1994. 5138 street children were counted in the town during a one day census. 4626(90%) were males and 512(10%) were females. The age ranged from 5 to 18 with mean age of 12.9(SD = 3.16). 312(52.3%) of the children left their families before their tenth birthday. 109(18.3%) were attending school at the time of the survey. 326(54.6%) of the children were "on" the street type with a house to sleep in at night and 271(45.4%) were "of" the street type and completely homeless. 530(88.8%) of the children had at least one of their parents alive. Most of the street children take odd jobs to earn a living. Only 76(12.7%) were found to be living on begging. From this study it was concluded that the number of street children was very high, and exploration of opportunities to rehabilitate the children who still have their families alive is recommended.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1997

Primary resistance to anti-tuberculosis drugs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: To obtain current, representative information on current drug resistance patterns in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study whereby 167 isolates were tested for susceptibility to the anti-tuberculosis drugs commonly used in the country (isoniazid, thiacetazone, rifampicin, streptomycin and ethambutol). All hospitals, health centres and 6 of the 9 clinics in Addis Ababa were included in the study. RESULT: Overall primary drug resistance was found to be 15.6% (26/167). Primary resistance to two or more drugs was 7.2% (12/167). The highest rate of primary resistance was to streptomycin (10.2%) followed by isoniazid (8.4%). Resistance to rifampicin was low (1.8%, 3/167) and to ethambutol nil. Multiple drug resistance in combinations with rifampicin was low. CONCLUSION: To prevent further development and spread of resistance, universal use of standard treatment protocol, control of the circulation of anti-tuberculosis drugs, training of health workers, expansion of strictly supervised short-course treatment and establishing a nation-wide and regular surveillance system are recommended.

Antitubercular Agents↗
PubMed1997

Injection practice in north western Ethiopia.

A community based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in December 1994 in Bahir Dar District, north western Ethiopia, to describe injection practices. Systematically selected 1380 households both from the urban and rural settings were included in the study. A two-week overall prevalence of injection therapy was found to be 13%. The rates were comparable in the rural and urban settings, as 12 and 14%, respectively. Diarrhoea and fever were the major symptoms for which injection was received. The informal health care providers were consulted more by the rural population than the urban. Disposable syringe and needle use was more common among the urban injection receivers. Age was the only factor observed to be significantly associated with the injection medication. A statistically significant (P < 0.05) higher injection treatment rate was observed among children under five. Improvement of the supplies of injection equipments and regular on-the-job training and supervision are recommended to improve the safety of injections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Status of expanded program on immunization in a rural town--south Ethiopia.

A community based cross-sectional survey was conducted in a randomly selected kebele of Zway town, eastern Shoa, Kilil 4, to assess the status of expanded program of immunization. A total of 309 children aged 12-23 months were entered into the study. Fifty-three per cent of the children were fully immunized, 19% were defaulters and the rest were totally not immunized. The main reason for defaulting were inconvenience of vaccination time, child sickness and lack of information about the need for repeated vaccination. The main reasons for not being immunized were lack of faith in vaccination, not knowing its availability and lack of time. Inconsistent outreach programs and weak health education were the major rectifiable causes of the low coverage and high defaulter rate. Strengthening of the health education and outreach programs and development of mechanism for follow-up and defaulter tracing are recommended.

Child Welfare↗
PubMed1995

Home care for persons with AIDS: community attitude in a neighbourhood of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A survey was carried out to assess community attitude towards provision of home care for persons with AIDS in an urban community in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in June and July 1993. Of the 530 people interviewed, 455 (86%) had heard about AIDS and the majority of these had a correct perception of the disease. Practising a single sexual partner relationship and using condom were regarded as ways of preventing AIDS by 80% and 53% of the respondents, respectively. Knowledge about AIDS was found to be very high. Misconceptions about the disease were observed in some participants. 55% of the respondents expressed willingness to give home-care for persons with AIDS. On the other hand, the majority (90%) regarded hospitals as the best place to give care for persons with AIDS. Most obstacles for not providing home-care for persons with AIDS were related to fear and misconceptions associated with the disease. Strengthening public education to create a more favourable attitude in a community towards the provision of home-care for persons with AIDS is recommended.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1995

Morbidity pattern among refugees in Eastern Ethiopia.

The population of refugees in eastern Africa and the health problems affecting them are enormous. This study was conducted to document the morbidity pattern among refugees in eastern Ethiopia. The study was conducted to document the morbidity pattern among refugees in eastern Ethiopia. The study utilized a descriptive cross sectional design. Data were collected using a uniform format from all refugee camps in the eastern Ethiopia. Respiratory tract infection and diarrhoeal diseases were identified to be the major causes of morbidity, accounting for 31.8% and 27.3% respectively in children under five years, and for 34.9% and 8.5% respectively in the other age groups. The findings were consistent with other studies done in refugee populations elsewhere. Universality of the problems was noted and a coordinated multidisciplinary approach is recommended to alleviate the health problems of refugees.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Are reminder stickers effective in reducing immunization dropout rates in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia?

A field trial to assess the effectiveness of a reminder sticker in reducing immunization dropout rates was conducted in two districts of Addis Ababa between 14 October 1991 and 31 January 1992. A total of 703 children were entered into the study. The study population was randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received a reminder sticker and the control group did not. All other services were identical. A baseline interview documented the socio-demographic and maternal characteristics potentially related to immunization services utilization and revealed no statistically significant differences between the two groups. The dropout rates were 7.3 and 13.3% in the intervention and control groups respectively. This difference is clinically and statistically (P < 0.01) significant. Therefore, it is concluded that the reminder sticker is effective in reducing immunization dropout rates. Further investigations under operational conditions are recommended prior to the routine introduction of stickers into the immunization services.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗