The aim of this study was to assess the level of continuum of maternal, newborn, childand reproductive health coverage using the composite coverage index (CCI) and to identify its determinants, including socioeconomic, community context, individual and family, and health service-related factors, among postpartum women one year after childbirth in Ethiopia.

This study was a secondary analysis of longitudinal data from the second cohort of the performance monitoring for action (PMA) Ethiopia survey, which was conducted from 2021 to 2023. Data were collected at four intervals: a baseline survey, a 6 week postpartum survey, a 6 month postpartum survey and a 1 year postpartum survey to track reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health indicators.

The study was conducted from the major regions of Ethiopia, namely Amhara, Oromia, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ and the city administration of Addis Ababa.

A total of 2297 women enrolled in cohort two of PMA Ethiopia. Of these, 2072 completed the 6 week, 1874 the 6 month and 1858 (along with their 1800 children) the 1 year postpartum follow-up surveys. The final analysis was based on a weighted sample of 1793 participants.

The outcome variable for this study was the continuum of maternal, newborn, child and reproductive health services, assessed using the CCI. We applied quantile regression analyses at the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th quantiles of the outcome variable. Statistical significance of predictors was determined based on p values

The findings revealed that the mean CCI was 56.2% (95 % CI 52.5% to 59.8%), indicating the proportion of maternal, newborn, child, and reproductive health services received. Notably, only 4% of women received all 12 maternal, newborn, child, and reproductive health services as part of the continuum of care, while 1.1% did not receive any intervention. The study identified several factors significantly associated with CCI across different quantile levels, including maternal age, maternal education level, household wealth index, first antenatal care visit (ANC1), parity, previous facility delivery, partner encouragement, use of maternity waiting homes, and administrative regions.

Based on the findings of this study, the coverage of continuum of maternal, newborn, child and reproductive health services in Ethiopia remains low. This highlights a substantial gap in Ethiopia’s progress toward the 2030 sustainable development goal target. Ethiopia must significantly accelerate efforts to improve maternal, newborn, child and reproductive health services in order to achieve the set goals. Policymakers and programme implementers should carefully consider the identified determinants when designing policies and programmes aimed at enhancing maternal, newborn, child and reproductive health outcomes.

Metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) can lead to substantial fat-free mass loss (FFML) due to malnutrition, decreased protein intake and insufficient physical activity. Disproportional FFML has been associated with an increased risk for adverse health outcomes. Resistance training (RT) combined with protein intake contributes to maintenance and increase of fat-free mass (FFM) in healthy individuals. However, it is unclear whether RT and protein supplementation can prevent FFML after MBS.

In the EffectiveNess of pRotein supplementatIon Combined witH resistance Exercise training to counteract Disproportional fat-free mass loss following metabolic bariatric surgery (ENRICHED) randomised controlled trial, 400 patients scheduled to undergo MBS will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to the ENRICHED perioperative care programme (intervention group) or the standard perioperative care programme of the Dutch Obesity Clinic (control group). The study is currently recruiting participants at two centres in the Netherlands: Nieuwegein and Amsterdam. The postoperative standard programme consists of 13 group sessions spread over a period of 18 months. As part of the ENRICHED programme, RT and protein supplementation will be added 3 weeks after MBS. Additional whole-body RT consists of home-based training sessions two to three times a week, and supervised RT sessions of 45–60 min once weekly, performed at 60–75% of one-repetition maximum (1-RM). Protein supplementation will start by adding 20 g of whey protein to the daily intake. The supplementation will be gradually increased with 20 g every 4 weeks until a total of 60 g whey protein a day is reached. After 12 weeks of protein supplementation, the focus shifts towards incorporating protein-rich food products into the daily dietary intake. The primary endpoint is the prevalence of disproportional FFM loss, defined as FFML/total weight loss ≥30%, at 3 months post-MBS. Secondary endpoints are differences in body composition, muscle strength and function, cardiorespiratory fitness, (cardio)metabolic health, health-related quality of life, gastrointestinal discomfort, cost-effectiveness of the intervention and treatment satisfaction. Outcomes will be assessed preoperatively and at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively.

The study protocol V.2.0 was approved by the Medical Research Ethics Committee Oost-Nederland (NL-OMON57119) on 9 April 2025. All participants will provide written informed consent prior to enrolment. Study findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Insights gained in this study will provide evidence for a patient-tailored intervention that could be implemented in clinical practice.

NCT07156552.

The objective of this study was to generate evidence for strengthening the local food system to contribute to improved dietary diversity among children in Ethiopia.

A community-based cross-sectional survey.

The study was conducted in the Amhara, Oromia and Somali regions of Ethiopia.

A total of 1475 children aged 6–23 months were included. Children requiring special care or not permanently residing in the study areas were excluded.

The primary outcome measure was the adequate Minimum Dietary Diversity, defined as the consumption of at least five of the eight defined food groups in the previous 24 hours.

Only 25.6% of children met the adequate minimum dietary diversity requirement. Children from households with backyard gardening (Adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=1.43, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.88), access to communication devices (AOR=1.99, 95% CI 1.51 to 2.64), attendance at cooking demonstrations (AOR=1.99, 95% CI 1.44 to 2.74), use of labour-saving and time-saving technologies (AOR=1.55, 95% CI 1.15 to 2.09) and irrigation use for crop production (AOR=1.78, 95% CI 1.26 to 2.52) had higher odds of meeting adequate minimum dietary diversity. Residence was strongly associated with dietary outcomes: children in Amhara had more than seven times the odds of achieving adequate minimum dietary diversity of children compared with Somali (AOR=7.56, 95% CI 4.92 to 11.62), while those in Oromia had nearly twice the odds (AOR=1.74, 95% CI 1.17 to 2.60).

Dietary diversity among children was low in the study areas. Strengthening local food systems through promotion of backyard gardening, cooking demonstrations, irrigation use, communication access and appropriate technologies could improve children’s dietary diversity. Regional disparities highlight the need for context-specific strategies, particularly to address the low dietary diversity in children.

Immunisation is one of the most valuable, impactful and cost-effective public health interventions which delivers positive health, social and economic benefits. Globally, 4 million deaths worldwide are prevented by childhood vaccination every year. In Ethiopia, despite huge progress being made, the routine immunisation coverage has never reached the targeted figures and planned goals. Pastoralist communities are often disproportionately under-vaccinated, and there is often a confluence of interrelated factors that drive this outcome. This study enables us to identify factors affecting immunisation service utilisation in the pastoralist communities of Ethiopia, which helps to design effective and context-specific interventions.

This study aims to explore the behavioural and social drivers (BeSDs) of routine immunisation among the communities with high numbers of zero-dose and under-immunised children in Afar, Somali and Gambella regions of Ethiopia.

A qualitative exploratory study was conducted in three selected regions of Ethiopia (Gambella, Somali and Afar) from 9 November 2023 to 30 December 2023. Purposive sampling was used. A total of 33 interviews were conducted in the three regions. Sample size was determined based on idea saturation. Data was collected using interview guides. The interview guide was developed after reviewing relevant literature, desk review and using the journey to health and immunisation framework. A separate interview guide was developed for the journey mapping exercise, in-depth interview, healthcare workers discussion guide, focus group discussion and observation. Data was analysed thematically.

Behavioural (lack of awareness, lack of reminder/forgetting, misperception about vaccines, negative previous experience, lost card and fear of post-vaccination adverse events).

Structural (language barrier, long distance from home to facility, high cost of transportation, long waiting time, limited training of healthcare professionals and incentives, inconvenient service hours, shortage of health professionals, disrespect by the healthcare provider), Socio-cultural (competing priorities, low community engagement, lack of decision-making autonomy, limited husband involvement, workload, rural residence and larger family size were the commonly mentioned barriers to routine immunisation uptake. On the other hand, structural (house to house visit by health extension workers, counselling about adverse events, presence of outreach service, affordability (free of charge)), behavioural and socio-cultural (knowledge of adverse event management, and respect from community) were enablers to routine immunisation service uptake in pastoralist communities.

The study found several individual and contextual factors affecting routine immunisation uptake in pastoralist communities. Context-specific and tailored interventions which address zero dose drivers should be designed so as to enhance vaccine uptake. The findings suggested the need to design context-specific interventions to address the aforementioned barriers to immunisation.

Understanding maternal perceptions of the quality and safety of care serves as a crucial management tool for the planning and enhancement of health interventions. In Iran, where cultural norms emphasise mothers’ central role in caregiving and healthcare resources are often limited, incorporating their perspectives into nursing care strategies is essential. This study aimed to assess the perception of key nursing safety practices among Iranian mothers of children with leukaemia undergoing their first chemotherapy course.

A longitudinal study.

Oncology wards of hospitals affiliated with Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.

Mothers of children with leukaemia.

The mean perception score increased from 2.75 (out of 4) at baseline to 2.99 by week 4. The largest increases in perception were observed in patient identification and hand hygiene, with mean differences of 0.41 and 0.38, respectively. A significant increase in overall perception and subscales was observed (p

Actively involving mothers in the care process enhances their perceptions of safety and quality during hospitalisation. Supportive and educational interventions are needed to further improve the safety and quality of nursing care.

This study employs structural equation modelling to explore the inter-relationships among optimal antenatal care (ANC), health facility delivery and early postnatal care (EPNC) in Ethiopia. By identifying both direct and indirect influencing factors, the study offers valuable insights to support integrated maternal health strategies and guide informed decision-making by policymakers and women alike.

The secondary analysis of the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey 2016 was performed to investigate inter-relationships between optimal ANC, health facility delivery and postnatal care (PNC) among women in Ethiopia. Data were analysed with R software V.4.3.2. The study used binary logistic regression to examine differences in optimal ANC, health facility delivery and EPNC, focusing on variables with a p value of 0.1 or less. Selected variables were incorporated into a generalised structural equation model (GSEM) using the LAVAAN package to explore both direct and indirect effects. The GSEM method assessed the impact of exogenous variables on endogenous variables, all binary, using a logistic link and binomial family. Missing data were handled with the multiple imputation by chained equations package, and sampling weights were applied to ensure national and regional representativeness.

The source population comprised all women of reproductive age (15–49 years) who gave birth in the 5 years preceding the survey. From 16 650 interviewed households (98% response rate), we identified 7590 eligible women with recent births. Finally, we included 2415 women who had attended four or more ANC visits.

Media exposure significantly boosts the likelihood of using ANC (OR=1.8, 95% CI (1.04 to 3.23), p=0.04), health facility delivery (OR=1.7, 95% CI (1.23 to 2.45), p=0.05) and PNC (OR=2.0, 95% CI (1.6 to 4.01), p=0.01). Urban residence and secondary education also enhance ANC (OR=1.2, 95% CI (1.01 to 2.88), p=0.022; OR=1.3, 95% CI (1.20 to 3.01), p=0.018), health facility delivery (OR=1.1, 95% CI (1.01 to 3.24), p=0.035; OR=1.5, 95% CI (1.22 to 3.45), p=0.03) and PNC (OR=1.6, 95% CI (1.01 to 4.32), p=0.03). ANC directly affects health facility delivery (OR=1.4, 95% CI (1.28 to 3.09), p=0.01) and PNC (OR=1.6, 95% CI (1.01 to 3.80), p=0.03). Additionally, women aged 20–34 years and those from male-headed households positively impact health facility delivery (OR=1.5, 95% CI (1.20 to 4.80), p=0.01; OR=1.3, 95% CI (1.07 to 3.45), p=0.014) and PNC (OR=1.4, 95% CI (1.10 to 2.90), p=0.01; OR=1.2, 95% CI (1.07 to 3.08), p=0.025).

Optimal ANC is vital for encouraging health facility delivery and EPNC. To enhance maternal and neonatal health, policies should integrate these services. Key predictors include being aged 20–34, having secondary and higher education, media exposure, male-headed households and living in urban areas. Improving education and media exposure can boost maternal healthcare service use.

Palliative cancer care is comprehensive, specialised medical care of patients that aims to alleviate physical, mental and emotional distress based on patients’ needs rather than on prognosis. In Ethiopia, the federal ministry of health started palliative care (PC) in 2016. Since then, services have been developed and integrated as important components of the Health Sector Transformation Plan II. However, there is a scarcity of nationally summarised data regarding PC service utilisation in Ethiopia. Therefore, this protocol describes a planned systematic review and meta-analysis that will evaluate utilisation of PC services and its predictors among adult cancer patients in Ethiopia.

The online databases of PubMed, Hinari, EMBASE, CINHAL, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar will be comprehensively searched from inception to 31 February 2025. To assess the quality of included studies, the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools will be used. The statistical software STATA V.17 will be used for data analyses. To examine the heterogeneity between studies, inverse variance (I²) will be used. To calculate the pooled prevalence of PC service utilisation, a fixed or random effects meta-analyses model will be used with a 95% CI, depending on the presence or absence of heterogeneity between included studies. To look for publication bias, a visual inspection of the funnel plot and Egger and Begg’s regression test and a 5% level of significance will be used.

Ethical approval is not applicable. The results will be disseminated to academic beneficiaries and the public.

The study aims to assess the magnitude of acute gastroenteritis and associated factors among under-five children visiting public hospitals in Jigjiga City, Somali Region, Ethiopia.

A hospital-based cross-sectional study design was used to carry out the study. We then employed a systematic random sampling technique through face-to-face interviews to gather the data. A structured questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic, behavioural, environmental and clinical factors was developed after reviewing relevant literature.

The study was conducted in public hospitals located in Jigjiga City, Somali Region, Ethiopia.

A total of 353 under-five children visiting public hospitals were involved in the study.

The primary outcome of the study was the prevalence of acute gastroenteritis.

The 2-week prevalence of acute gastroenteritis among under-five children was 24.6% (95% CI 23.4% to 25.9%). The study found strong links between acute gastroenteritis and having a household greater than five (adjusted OR (AOR)=2.94, 95% CI 1.55 to 5.60), an unprotected source of drinking water (AOR=2.74, 95% CI 1.29 to 5.82), unimproved latrine facilities (AOR=3.15, 95% CI 1.26 to 7.78), the presence of faeces around the latrine (AOR=3.53, 95% CI 1.77 to 7.03) and mothers or caregivers’ history of diarrhoea over the past 2 weeks (AOR=6.23, 95% CI 3.22 to 12.06).

The overall prevalence of acute gastroenteritis in Jigjiga City was relatively high in the 2-week period. Having a household greater than five, an unprotected source of drinking water and unimproved latrine facilities was a significant predictor of acute gastroenteritis. Additionally, the presence of faeces around the latrines and the history of diarrhoea in mothers or caregivers over the past 2 weeks were strongly linked to acute gastroenteritis.

This study aimed to compare the nutritional status and dietary intake between khat chewer and non-chewer women of reproductive age in Halaba Zone, South Ethiopia.

A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted.

The study was conducted in Halaba Zone, South Ethiopia.

A total of 792 (396 khat chewers and 396 non-chewers) women of reproductive age were selected by a simple random sampling technique from 20 June 2023 to 26 August 2023.

Dietary intake was assessed by a single 24-hour recall method. The nutrient adequacy ratio and mean adequacy ratio were applied to estimate the adequacy of micronutrients. Standing height was measured using a wall-mounted stadiometer to the nearest 0.1 cm, and weight of the women was measured to the nearest 0.1 kg on a battery-powered digital scale (Seca Gmbh & Co. KG, Germany). A linear regression model was fitted to determine the relationship between nutritional status and khat chewing. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the odds of nutrient intake inadequacy among the two study groups. A p value of

Women who chewed khat had a higher prevalence of underweight (36.6%) than those who did not (9.4%). The mean (SD) body mass index for khat chewer women was 48.66±5.39 kg, while that of non-chewer women was 55.29±6.75 kg. Women who chewed khat were significantly more likely to be underweight than those who had never chewed khat (β = –1.91, 95% CI –2.30 to –1.53; p12 (AOR=2.79 (95% CI 1.79 to 4.36), p

Women who chewed khat were significantly more likely to be underweight compared with those who had never chewed khat. Khat chewers were more likely than non-chewers to have inadequate carbohydrate, protein, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B₁₂, zinc and calcium intake. Public health interventions aimed at improving the nutritional status of women of reproductive age should develop strategies to address the spread of khat-chewing habits.

Studies show conflicting evidence regarding individuals’ healthcare costs following bariatric surgeries. This study aimed to evaluate the healthcare costs of individuals with obesity before and after bariatric surgery and compare them to a matched control group.

Retrospective cohort study.

Primary care nationwide.

This retrospective cohort study included all adults insured by Maccabi Healthcare Services who underwent bariatric surgery between 2015 and 2019 and a control group matched by body mass index, age, gender and socioeconomic status (case n=10 178).

We collected each patient’s annual costs for six consecutive years (3 years before and after the index date). We used generalised linear mixed models to assess the interaction between time (presurgery vs postsurgery) and group (bariatric vs control) on healthcare costs during the second and third years before and after surgery, adjusting for covariates not matched between groups, including smoking status, ethnicity and comorbidities. The analyses were made in three age groups: young adults (18–39), adults (40–64) and older adults (65 or more).

From 2015–2019, 10 178 bariatric surgeries were performed (51.9% sleeve gastrectomy, 36.7% bypass surgeries and 11.4% combined surgeries). Total healthcare costs increased after the index date in both the bariatric and control groups, with a greater absolute increase in the bariatric group; however, the between-group differences in cost changes were not statistically significant (p=0.987 for younger adults, p=0.311 for adults and p=0.771 for older adults).

While healthcare costs increased in both groups following the index date, the lack of a significant difference between the bariatric and control groups suggests that bariatric surgery may not lead to short-term cost savings. Ongoing long-term follow-up is essential to fully understand its economic impact.

This study assessed husbands’ knowledge of neonatal danger signs in Dessie City, Northeast Ethiopia, focusing on fathers of infants born within the preceding 6 months (2023).

Community-based cross-sectional study.

Dessie City, Northeast Ethiopia.

We systematically selected 613 husbands of postpartum women (sampling period: December 15, 2022,–January 15, 2023).

Data were collected via structured questionnaires, entered into EpiData (v4.6) and analysed using SPSS (v26). Binary logistic regression identified factors associated with knowledge; statistical significance was set at p

Among the 613 respondents, slightly over half (53%, n=325) demonstrated good knowledge of neonatal danger signs. Several factors were significantly associated with higher knowledge levels. Husbands residing in urban areas were nearly seven times more likely to have good knowledge compared with their rural counterparts (adjusted OR (AOR)=6.93; 95% CI, 3.23 to 14.90). Educational attainment also played a critical role: those with primary education or higher had 6.44 times higher odds of good knowledge than those with no formal schooling (95% CI, 1.83 to 22.61). Parity was another predictor, with fathers of 2–4 children showing markedly greater knowledge (AOR=10.39; 95% CI, 4.68 to 23.05) than those with only one child. Most notably, receiving information from health professionals had the strongest association—respondents who accessed such guidance were 11 times more likely to be knowledgeable (AOR=11.05; 95% CI, 5.46 to 22.36).

Nearly half of the participants lacked adequate knowledge. Thus, integrating targeted health education into maternal and child health programmes could improve awareness and neonatal outcomes.

Ethiopia, the second most populous country in Africa, faces significant demographic transitions, with fertility rates playing a central role in shaping economic and healthcare policies. Family planning programmes face challenges due to funding limitations. The recent suspension of the US Agency for International Development funding exacerbates these issues, highlighting the need for accurate birth forecasting to guide policy and resource allocation. This study applied time-series and advanced machine-learning models to forecast future birth trends in Ethiopia.

Secondary data from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey from 2000 to 2019 were used. After data preprocessing steps, including data conversion, filtering, aggregation and transformation, stationarity was checked using the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) test. Time-series decomposition was then performed, followed by time-series splitting. Seven forecasting models, including Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average, Prophet, Generalised Linear Models with Elastic Net Regularisation (GLMNET), Random Forest and Prophet-XGBoost, were built and compared. The models’ performance was evaluated using key metrics such as root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE) and R-squared value.

GLMNET emerged as the best model, explaining 77% of the variance with an RMSE of 119.01. Prophet-XGBoost performed reasonably well but struggled to capture the full complexity of the data, with a lower R-squared value of 0.32 and an RMSE of 146.87. Forecasts were made for both average monthly births and average births per woman over a 10-year horizon (2025–2034). The forecast for average monthly births indicated a gradual decline over the projection period. Meanwhile, the average births per woman showed an increasing trend but fluctuated over time, influenced by demographic shifts such as changes in fertility preferences, age structure and migration patterns.

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of combining time-series models and machine learning, with GLMNET and Prophet XGBoost emerging as the most effective. While average monthly births are expected to decline due to demographic transitions and migration, the average births per woman will remain high, reflecting persistent fertility preferences within certain subpopulations. These findings underscore the need for policies addressing both population trends and sociocultural factors.

To assess the incidence, progression and predictors of chronic kidney disease among adult patients living with HIV/AIDS who are receiving antiretroviral therapy.

An institution-based, multicentre retrospective follow-up study was conducted among a randomly selected sample of 535 adult patients. Data were entered into Epi Data version 4.6.0 and analysed using STATA version 14.0. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was fitted to identify independent predictors of chronic kidney disease incidence. Variables with p

The study was conducted at comprehensive specialised hospitals in the Amhara Region of Ethiopia. Adult patients with HIV/AIDS receiving follow-up antiretroviral therapy between 1 April 2012 and 31 September 2022 were the cohort participants.

Of the 528 adult patients included in the final analysis, 15 (2.84%) developed chronic kidney disease during the follow-up period, resulting in an overall incidence rate of 4.1 per 1000 person-years of observation. Significant predictors of chronic kidney disease included baseline age (adjusted HR (AHR)=1.053; 95% CI, 1.001 to 1.108), serum creatinine (AHR=1.698; 95% CI, 1.302 to 2.215), blood urea nitrogen (AHR=1.031; 95% CI, 1.001 to 1.061) and baseline viral load ≥1000 copies/mL (AHR=3.464; 95% CI, 1.104 to 10.871).

The incidence of chronic kidney disease among adult patients with HIV was clinically significant. Older age, baseline viral load ≥1000 and high blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels were significant predictors of higher risk. Proactive measures, such as closer kidney monitoring, targeted care for older patients and ensuring optimal viral suppression with effective antiretroviral therapy, can delay or prevent the development of chronic kidney disease.