Common Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Associated Factors Among Under-5 Children in Rural Dembiya, Northwest Ethiopia: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Analysis of Health Ailments and Associated Risk Factors in Small-Scale Fisherfolk Community of Indian Sundarbans: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background

Small-scale fishers of Indian Sundarbans depend on open-water fisheries for their livelihoods. They often face health, occupational, and safety issues in their profession due to environmental, socio-economic, and policy changes. The morbidity pattern and related risk factors are important indicators of well-being for any community, hence applicable to small-scale fishers of Sundarbans. The present study was designed to assess patterns of morbidities, associated risk factors including occupational health hazards, and treatment-seeking behavior of small-scale fishers in the Indian Sundarbans.

Material and Methods

Household surveys, focused group discussions, and personal interviews were conducted through a predesigned pretested structured questionnaire. Associated risk factors and the nature of seeking treatment were considered during the data collection covering 650 individuals from 132 fishers' families.

Results

Morbidities were more frequent in males (39.33%) than in females (28.5%). The fever (31%) was the most dominant reason for morbidities followed by ocular ailments (23%), musculoskeletal disorder (20%), dermatological ailments (17%), and respiratory illness (9%). The highest morbidities (25%) were recorded in the age group of 21-30 years in males while that was 20% in the 11-20 years age group in the case of the females. Physical labor for fishing activities predisposes to health ailments of the studied population.

Conclusions

The prevalence of morbidity among the fishermen community was found to be 28.5%. The understanding of the morbidity profile of a population in general and specific age groups of both sexes in specific sheds light on the vulnerability of working groups that will help for effective healthcare planning and resource allocation.

Primary care drug therapy pharmacists in South Africa: Practice settings and conditions treated

Background

Primary Care Drug Therapy (PCDT) is a supplementary training course for South African pharmacists. The qualification affords pharmacists an expanded scope of practice to treat specific primary health care conditions.

Objective

To describe the practice settings and conditions being treated by PCDT pharmacists in South Africa, with specific focus on differences between services delivered in urban versus rural areas.

Methods

An online questionnaire survey was conducted under all PCDT trained pharmacists in 2021.

Results

Less than half (45.3%; n = 34) of the 75 respondents had received their Section 22 A(15) permit and were practicing as PCDT pharmacists. Of these respondents, only 41.2% were practicing in a rural setting. Overall, respondents indicated that ear, nose and throat conditions, and family planning, were the most often consulted conditions. Differences were, however, observed between provinces, and between urban and rural areas. Family planning, urological conditions and sexually transmitted infections were most frequently consulted in urban areas, whilst gastrointestinal conditions, and ear, nose and throat conditions, were more common in rural areas.

Conclusions

Conditions treated in the different settings in South Africa provided a unique insight into the epidemiological profile of the area, as well as the primary health care needs.

Enteric infections and management practices among communities in a rural setting of northwest Ethiopia

Infections with enteric pathogens have a high mortality and morbidity burden, as well as significant social and economic costs. Poor water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions are the leading risk factors for enteric infections, and prevention in low-income countries is still primarily focused on initiatives to improve access to improved WASH facilities. Rural communities in developing countries, on the other hand, have limited access to improved WASH services, which may result in a high burden of enteric infections. Limited information also exists about the prevalence of enteric infections and management practices among rural communities. Accordingly, this study was conducted to assess enteric infections and management practices among communities in a rural setting of northwest Ethiopia. A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1190 randomly selected households in a rural setting of northwest Ethiopia. Data were collected using structured and pretested interviewers-administered questionnaire and spot-check observations. We used self-reports and medication history audit to assess the occurrence of enteric infections among one or more of the family members in the rural households. Multivariable binary logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with enteric infections. Statistically significant association was declared on the basis of adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and p value < 0.05. Out of a total of 1190 households, 17.4% (95% CI: 15.1, 19.7%) of the households reported that one or more of the family members acquired one or more enteric infections in 12 months period prior to the survey and 470 of 6089 (7.7%) surveyed individuals had one or more enteric infections. The common enteric infections reported at household-level were diarrhea (8.2%), amoebiasis (4.1%), and ascariasis (3.9%). Visiting healthcare facilities (71.7%), taking medications without prescriptions (21.1%), and herbal medicine (4.5%) are the common disease management practices among rural households in the studied region. The occurrence of one or more enteric infections among one or more of the family members in rural households in 12 months period prior to the survey was statistically associated with presence of livestock (AOR: 2.24, 95% CI:1.06, 4.75) and households headed by uneducated mothers (AOR: 1.62, 95% CI: (1.18, 2.23). About one-fifth of the rural households in the studied region reported that one or more of the family members had one or more enteric infections. Households in the study area might acquire enteric infections from different risk factors, mainly poor WASH conditions and insufficient separation of animals including their feces from human domestic environments. It is therefore important to implement community-level interventions such as utilization of improved latrine, protecting water sources from contamination, source-based water treatment, containment of domestic animals including their waste, community-driven sanitation, and community health champion.

Determinants of handwashing practice and its associated factors among mothers of under-5 children in Kolladiba town, Northwest Ethiopia: cross-sectional study

PURPOSE

Handwashing is a single most preventive measure for reducing the spread of contagious diseases. Mothers serve as the children's nurses and poor practice of simple hygiene increases the risk of the spread of diseases to under-5 children.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed at investigating the proportion of handwashing practice at critical times and associated factors among mothers of under-5 children in Kolladiba town, Northwest Ethiopia.

DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS AND OUTCOME MEASURES

A community-based cross-sectional study design was carried out from 20 February 2020 to 12 March 2020, in Kolladiba town. A total of 334 mothers participated in this study. The study participants were selected using a systematic random sampling technique. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression was employed. A p<0.05 was used to declare statically significant variables.

RESULTS

The proportion of good handwashing practice among mothers at critical times was 51.2% (95% CI 45.8% to 56.5%). In the multivariable binary logistic regression analysis, mothers who attained college and above (adjusted OR, AOR 4.93, 95% CI 1.28 to 19), knowledge of handwashing (AOR 1.26, 95% CI 1.11 to 1.42), husband working in governmental organisation (AOR 0.17, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.76), husband working at private organisation (AOR 0.16, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.75), mercantile husbands (AOR 0.09, 95% CI 0.02 to 0.37), tap water supply (AOR 0.26, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.93) and handwashing facility adjacent to latrine (AOR 6.17, 95% CI 2.02 to 18.8) were significant factors.

CONCLUSION

Handwashing practice in kolladiba town among mothers at critical times was found to be low. Higher educational status, knowledge about handwashing practice and availability of handwashing facilities near the latrine, tap water source and husband occupation were significant factors. Thus, health awareness shall be given on the importance of handwashing practice with a due emphasis on mothers who do not attain higher education, with lower knowledge, who have tap water, working husbands and who do not have handwashing facilities near the latrine.