Effectiveness of nutritional education intervention during pregnancy on birth outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa: a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Introduction: Nutritional education intervention during pregnancy is the process of teaching pregnant women about the importance of a healthy diet and how to make healthy food choices. It is an important part of public health and vital to preventing adverse birth outcomes. Therefore, synthesising available evidence on the effect of nutritional education intervention on birth outcomes is essential for decision-making by policymakers and for identifying needed gaps for future research.

Effects of High-Intensity Motor Learning and Dietary Supplementation on Motor Skill-Related Physical Fitness in Thin Ethiopian Children Aged 5 to 7 Years: An Exploratory Pilot Cluster-Randomized Trial.

Background: Malnutrition has extensive consequences, affecting multiple levels of functioning, including motor skill impairments. However, current interventions have mainly focused on dietary treatment, often neglecting motor impairments and relying solely on clinical and anthropometric indicators to assess treatment response. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the combined effect of ready-to-use supplementary food (RUSF) and high-intensity motor learning (HiML) on motor skill-related physical fitness in children with moderate thinness (MT).

Acceptability and feasibility of integrating psychosocial stimulation interventions in the inpatient care of children with severe acute malnutrition in resource-poor settings: a qualitative study.

Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) are at risk of developmental problems. Psychosocial stimulation can improve the developmental outcomes of hospitalised children with SAM. However, the intervention has remained underutilised in health facilities in resource-poor settings.

Associations of body composition at birth and accretion from 0 to 5 years with kidney function and volume at the 10-year follow-up: the Ethiopian Infant Anthropometry and Body Composition birth cohort.

Background: Fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) in early life are associated with later obesity and cardiometabolic disease.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the associations of FM and FFM at birth and conditional FM and FFM accretion from 0 to 5 y with kidney outcomes at the 10-y follow-up.

Methods: The Ethiopian Infant Anthropometry and Body Composition birth cohort included term infants born in Jimma town, with a birth weight ≥1500 g, and having no congenital malformations.

Effect of double-duty interventions on double burden of malnutrition among adolescents in Debre Berhan Regiopolitan City, Ethiopia: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

Combating the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) in adolescents is a critical public health challenge in low-income countries like Ethiopia. However, past efforts have lacked focus and exhibited diverse governance strategies. Therefore, this study assesses the effect of selected double-duty interventions (DDIs) on DBM among adolescents in Central Ethiopia.

Effect of Male Partner-Targeted Breastfeeding Education and Support Interventions on Optimal Breastfeeding Practices in Central Ethiopia: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

A male partner or husband is the most influential person in the family, especially in Ethiopia. The role of a male partner or husband in promoting and supporting breastfeeding has hardly been investigated in low- and middle-income countries, including Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of breastfeeding education and support interventions that focus on male partners, with the goal of promoting optimal breastfeeding practices in central Ethiopia.

Bridging disparity in knowledge and utilization of contraceptive methods among married couples in the pastoralist community of Fentale District, Eastern Ethiopia.

Background: Despite progress in national reproductive health, pastoralist regions, including the Fentale District in Eastern Ethiopia, face challenges with limited contraceptive coverage due to gaps in understanding and adoption among couples.

Methods: This cross-sectional study of 1496 couples in Fentale District, Eastern Ethiopia, from October 1 to December 25, 2021, utilized multistage sampling. Data entered into EPI Data underwent analysis with SPSS (v23.

Investigating the Effects of Dietary Supplementation and High-Intensity Motor Learning on Nutritional Status, Body Composition, and Muscle Strength in Children with Moderate Thinness in Southwest Ethiopia: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: In Ethiopia, moderate thinness (MT) is a persistent issue among children. Yet, evidence on the effects of dietary supplementation and motor skills training in these children is limited.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the effect of Ready-to-Use Supplementary Food (RUSF), whether or not combined with high-intensity motor learning (HiML), on weight, height, body composition, and muscle strength in children 5-7 years old with MT living in Jimma Town, Ethiopia.

Addressing disparity in attitudes and utilization of family planning among married couples in the pastoralist community of Fentale District, Eastern Ethiopia.

Background: Despite progress in national reproductive health programs, pastoralist regions like Fentale District in Eastern Ethiopia face challenges with low contraceptive coverage, attributed to insufficient positive attitudes and uptake among couples.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from October 1 to December 25, 2021, in Fentale District, Eastern Ethiopia. It involved 1,496 couples selected using multistage sampling.

Association between anemia in pregnancy with low birth weight and preterm birth in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Anemia in pregnancy has been associated with a number of adverse birth outcomes, such as low birth weight (LBW) or preterm birth (PTB). However, the evidence from primary studies on anemia in pregnancy with LBW and PTB is contentious. Moreover, a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize these findings have not been conducted for Ethiopia.

Micronutrient intake inadequacies in Northwest Ethiopian children aged 6-23 months.

The early stages of childhood are a crucial period of life for health, with inadequate nutrition impacting physical growth, cognitive development, and the immune system. A considerable proportion of children are affected by micronutrient intake inadequacy and deficiency across the globe. Evidence on micronutrient intake among children aged 6-23 months is limited in Northwest Ethiopia, where there is a divergence between production and dietary consumption practices compared to other regions of the country.

Effect of health education provided to couples on maternal knowledge, attitude and use of maternity waiting homes in rural Ethiopia: A cluster-randomized trial.

Background: Maternity waiting home (MWH) has been advocated as an approach to improve women's access to obstetric services in low-resource settings; however, its use remains low. This study investigated the effectiveness of couple-based health education on maternal knowledge, attitudes, and use of MWHs in rural Ethiopia.

Methods: A total of 320 couples from 16 clusters were allocated to the intervention and control groups using restricted randomization.

Effect of nutrition education on the nutritional status of pregnant women in Robe and Goba Towns, Southeast Ethiopia, using a cluster randomized controlled trial.

Maternal malnutrition is pervasive throughout the world, notably in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), including Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the effect of nutrition education on the nutritional status of pregnant women in urban settings in Southeast Ethiopia. A community-based two-arm parallel cluster randomized controlled trial was conducted among 447 randomly selected pregnant women attending antenatal care (224 intervention and 223 control).

Effectiveness of male partner-targeted breastfeeding education and support interventions on mothers' breastfeeding self-efficacy in central Ethiopia: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of male partners' targeted antenatal and postnatal breastfeeding education and support interventions on maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy in central Ethiopia. A two-arm parallel group cluster randomized controlled trial was carried out among couples in a community setting in the Hadiya Zone, central Ethiopia. A total of 408 couples from 16 clusters were randomly assigned to either the intervention (n = 204) or control group (n = 204).

A phenomenological qualitative study of male-partners perspectives of maternity waiting homes in rural Ethiopia.

Background: The implementation of maternity waiting home (MWH) has been used as a strategy to improve maternal health outcomes in low-resource settings such as Ethiopia. However, MWH utilization is low in Ethiopia, and women's access to MWH depends largely on male partners' decisions. This study explored male-partners perspectives of MWHs including their experiences of paternal support in rural Ethiopia.

Effectiveness of couple-based health education on utilization of maternity waiting homes among pregnant women in rural Ethiopia: A study protocol for cluster-randomized trial.

Background: Maternity waiting homes are used to enhance women's access to health facilities in low-resource settings; however, its use remains low in Ethiopia. It is important to investigate strategies that can enhance the usage of maternity waiting homes in Ethiopia.

Methods: The purpose of his study is to assess how well couple-focused health education works to increase maternal knowledge, attitudes, and use of maternity waiting homes in rural Ethiopia.

Comparing time to recovery in wasting treatment: simplified approach vs. standard protocol among children aged 6-59 months in Ethiopia-a cluster-randomized, controlled, non-inferiority trial.

Introduction: Wasting occurs when the body's nutritional needs are unmet due to insufficient intake or illness. It represents a significant global challenge, with approximately 45 million infants and children under 5 years of age suffering from wasting in 2022.

Methods: A cluster-randomized, controlled, non-inferiority trial was conducted in three regions of Ethiopia.

Effectiveness of couple education and counseling on uptake of cervical cancer screening among women in Southern Ethiopia: a cluster randomized trial.

Cervical cancer is a major public health problem worldwide. Women die of the disease due to low early screening practices and its detection at advanced stages particularly in developing countries. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the effectiveness of couple education and counseling on the uptake of cervical screening among women.

Correction: Frequency of relapse for severe acute malnutrition and associated factors among under five children admitted to health facilities in Hadiya Zone, South Ethiopia.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Effect of a simplified approach on recovery of children 6-59 months with wasting in Ethiopia: A noninferiority, cluster randomized controlled trial.

Worldwide, nearly 45 million children under the age of 5 years were affected by wasting in 2022. Ethiopia has been challenged by disasters increasing the caseload of children with wasting. This study aimed to determine the effect of a simplified approach on recovery of children with acute malnutrition as compared with the standard protocol.

Abdominal Pain of Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders in Dietary Diversity Patterns and Its Determinants among Healthy Adults in Jimma City, Southwest Ethiopia.

Background: Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (FGIDs) and their risk factors vary from region to region. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of abdominal pain of FGIDs in different dietary diversity score (DDS) and its determinant factors among adults in Jimma City, Southwest Ethiopia.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 17 to October 27, 2019.