Publications by authors named "Mengistu Asnake"

Background: Training health extension workers on Implanon insertion offsite, or away from the workplace, can be cost-intensive, can depend on the human and financial resources of partners, and can compromise routine health services by taking health workers off the job. To address these limitations, the USAID Transform Primary Health Care Activity in Ethiopia designed an onsite Implanon insertion training at the primary health care level. This study compared and documented the implementation experience of onsite vs offsite Implanon insertion training for health extension workers.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Over the last two decades, improvements in Ethiopia's socio-economic context, the prioritization of health and development in the national agenda, and ambitious national health and development policies and programmes have contributed to improvements in the living standards and well-being of the population as a whole including adolescents. Improvements have occurred in a number of health outcomes, for example reduction in levels of harmful practices i.e.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This commentary is in response to a paper published in the Lancet entitled: "Progress in adolescent health and well-being: tracking 12 headline indicators for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016" (Peter Azzopardi et al, 2019). We agree with the authors' overall conclusions that although there has been progress in some health outcomes, health risks and social determinants, the situation has worsened in other areas. Other important messages emerge from studying the data with an adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) lens.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Robust evidence, including systematic reviews and recommendations from the 2016 Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, does not wholly support the unambiguous endorsement of peer-led community-based interventions. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an intensive three-day training for peer educators (PE) on dispelling myths and misconceptions about long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) among Ethiopian youth. Post-training, PEs conducted demand-generation activities with their peers to encourage LARCs referrals.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite robust evidence regarding long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) low failure rates, immediate return to fertility and safety, LARC uptake among youth is low. We evaluated the effect on contraceptive uptake of training youth-friendly service providers to counsel and provide all contraceptive methods including LARCs in the same unit. A convenience purposive sampling technique was used to select 20 youth friendly health units; ten each in Amhara and Tigray regions, Ethiopia; randomly allocated to the intervention (five) and non-intervention (five) arms.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In 2009, the Ethiopian Federal Ministry of Health launched an Implanon scale-up program with the goal of improving the availability of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods at the community level. The Integrated Family Health Program (IFHP) supported the ministry to train Health Extension Workers (HEWs), a cadre of frontline health workers, on Implanon insertion. Prior to this task-sharing initiative, HEWs were only permitted to provide short-acting contraceptive methods; Implanon insertion services were only available at higher-level health facilities, such as health centers and above.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

. Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death among Ethiopian women. Low awareness of cervical cancer, in combination with low health care seeking behavior, is a key challenge for cervical cancer prevention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Introduction: Cervical cancer is the second most common form of cancer for women in Ethiopia. Using a single-visit approach to prevent cervical cancer, the Addis Tesfa (New Hope) project in Ethiopia tested women with HIV through visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid wash (VIA) and, if tests results were positive, offered immediate cryotherapy of the precancerous lesion or referral for loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP). The objective of this article is to review screening and treatment outcomes over nearly 4 years of project implementation and to identify lessons learned to improve cervical cancer prevention programs in Ethiopia and other resource-constrained settings.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In Ethiopia, modern contraceptive prevalence among currently married women nearly tripled over the last decade, but the method mix remains skewed toward short-acting methods. Since 2011, the Integrated Family Health Program (IFHP+), jointly implemented by Pathfinder International and John Snow Inc., has supported the Federal Ministry of Health to introduce intrauterine devices (IUDs) in more than 800 health centers across 4 regions to improve access to a wider range of methods.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Despite growing recognition of the importance of linking obstetric fistula prevention and treatment strategies with rehabilitation and social reintegration programmes, little research and programming has been oriented toward this goal. Using in-depth interviews, this study aimed to examine the experiences of 51 Ethiopian women after fistula repair surgery to identify priority post-repair interventions that could maximise their quality of life. The results showed that the majority of women felt a dramatic sensation of relief and happiness following repair, yet some continued to experience mental anguish, stigma, and physical problems regardless of the outcome of the procedure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: To describe women who accept single-rod progestogen contraceptive implants (Implanon; N.V. Organon, Oss, Netherlands) from community health workers in Ethiopia and to assess whether community-based provision addresses unmet need for contraception.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

This commentary discusses the historical development, organization and activities of the Ethiopian Public Health Association (EPHA), a professional civil society organization that operates on the principles of protection of public interest and professional standards in health in areas of health development in Ethiopia. The important roles played by the EPHA in health training, research and policy advocacy have been highlighted. Some of the important health system interventions that have been effected in the country through the influence and active participation of the Association have also been pointed out.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF