Sustaining women's empowerment for development in resource-limited settings: an exploratory qualitative approach.

Background: Women's empowerment is one of the fundamental issues for attaining sustainable development goals crossing multiple dimensions. In Ethiopia, Women's Development Network (WDN), a network of women, was established in 2010 with development aims. Ensuring women's empowerment critically needs collective efforts of platforms such as WDN.

Predictors of delayed health seeking for febrile children: multi-level analysis of cross-sectional study data from southern Ethiopia.

Background: Febrile illnesses are commonly reported as a primary reason for seeking healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa. Timely diagnosis and getting prompt treatment within 24 h of fever onset is crucial to avert the risk of developing severe complications and death. Understanding factors contributing to delayed health seeking is important for public health interventions.

Uncovering community needs regarding violence against women and girls in southern Ethiopia: An explorative study.

Background: Violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a significant global public health problem and a violation of human rights experienced by one in three women worldwide. This study explores community perceptions of and responses to VAWG and challenges in accessing support services among female violence survivors in Arbaminch City.

Methods: We adopted a phenomenological explorative qualitative study design.

Low long-lasting insecticidal net use in malaria elimination areas in Southern Ethiopia: results from community based cross-sectional study.

Background: Despite remarkable progress in malaria burden reduction, malaria continues to be a major public health problem globally. Ethiopia has been distributing long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) for free and nationwide distribution was completed in 2016. However, evidence suggests that the utilization of LLINs varies from setting to setting and from time to time due to different factors, and up-to-date evidence is required for LLIN related decision-making.

Readiness of public schools before reopening during COVID-19 pandemic: School-based cross-sectional survey in southern Ethiopia.

Background: School closures in response to the COVID-19 impacted children's education, protection, and wellbeing. After understanding these impacts and that children were not super spreaders, countries including Ethiopia decided to reopen schools with specified preconditions. But when deciding to reopen schools, the benefits and risks across education, public health and socio-economic factors have to be evaluated.

Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards COVID-19: Community survey in southern Ethiopia.

Background: Being well informed about the pandemic and how the virus spreads help to prevent and control the pandemic. Health authorities should monitor community practice to prevent the pandemic to identify gaps and minimize risks. This study was, therefore, designed to assess community knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) related to COVID-19 prevention and its associated factors in urban settings.

Ideal family size decision and its associated factors among women of reproductive age: community survey in southern Ethiopia.

Background: Understanding fertility preferences is important for population studies and planning programs. The ideal family size, which is the number of children wanted in one's lifetime, is one of variables used to measure fertility preferences. However, there was limited information on ideal family size decision in Southern Ethiopia.

Factors associated with positive attitude towards hypertension control in Hawassa city administration: Community based cross-sectional study.

Background And Aims: In low-income countries where there is shortage of appropriate medical care to manage hypertension (HTN), understanding dynamics of communities' knowledge and attitude to prevent through lifestyle is crucial. Despite this fact, there was limited information on levels of awareness and attitude towards HTN and its prevention in the study setting. So, this study was conducted to assess level and factors associated with positive attitude in Hawassa city, Southern Ethiopia.

Quality of medical records in public health facilities: A case of Southern Ethiopia, resource limited setting.

Facility based retrospective study was conducted in three regions in southern Ethiopia to assess quality of medical records. A total of 2,145 medical records were reviewed from 73 public health facilities. Minimum standards of medical records were considered to assess completeness and legibility of records.

Prevalence of hypertension and its associated factors in Hawassa city administration, Southern Ethiopia: Community based cross-sectional study.

Background: In association with the epidemiological, nutritional and demographic transition, many research findings showed that the number of risk factors that leads to increased prevalence of hypertension in low and middle income countries like Ethiopia is increasing. Several urban specific studies conducted in Ethiopia showed varying prevalence of hypertension. The aim of this study was to determine prevalence of hypertension and to identify factors associated with hypertension in Hawassa city administration, Southern Ethiopia.

Moving from community-based to health centre-based management: impact on urban community health worker performance in Ethiopia.

Community health worker (CHW) performance is influenced by the way in which management arrangements are configured vis-a-vis the community and health services. While low-/middle-income contexts are changing, the literature provides few examples of country efforts to strategically modify management arrangements to support evolving CHW roles (e.g.

Knowledge and attitude towards COVID-19 and its prevention in selected ten towns of SNNP Region, Ethiopia: Cross-sectional survey.

Background: COVID-19 is highly infectious viral disease that can lead to main clinical symptoms like fever, dry cough, fatigue, myalgia, and dyspnea. Since there is no drug to cure the disease, focusing on improving community awareness related to prevention methods is crucial. But there was no regional level study addressing the reach of information, community knowledge and attitude related to COVID-19 and its prevention, and this study was done to inform and assist communication related to the disease responses during early introduction of the disease to the setting.

Challenges in Implementing Community-Based Healthcare Teams in a Low-Income Country Context: Lessons From Ethiopia's Family Health Teams.

Background: Addressing chronic diseases and intra-urban health disparities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) requires new health service models. Team-based healthcare models can improve management of chronic diseases/complex conditions. There is interest in integrating community health workers (CHWs) into these teams, given their effectiveness in reaching underserved populations.

COVID-19 prevention practices in urban setting during early introduction of the disease: results from community survey in SNNP Region, Ethiopia.

Objective: To assess community practices related to COVID-19 prevention and its associated factors during the early introduction of the disease to the study area.

Setting And Participants: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region, Ethiopia. Ten zonal towns with high population density and mobility and 1239 participants were included in the study.

Decentralizing evidence-based decision-making in resource limited setting: A case of SNNP region, Ethiopia.

Background: Access to and the use of accurate, valid, reliable, timely, relevant, legible and complete information is vital for safe and reliable healthcare. Though the study area has been implementing standardized Health Management Information System (HMIS), there was a need for information on how well structures were utilizing information and this study was designed to assess HMIS data utilization.

Methods: Facility based retrospective study was conducted in Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR) in April, 2017.

Gender-related factors affecting health seeking for neglected tropical diseases: findings from a qualitative study in Ethiopia.

Background: Despite known gender-specific differences in terms of prevalence, transmission and exposure to neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), there is limited discussion of the influence of gender in NTD programmes and interventions. There is a paucity of research on how gender interacts with NTD service provision and uptake. This study, part of broader implementation research in Ethiopia, applied a gender lens to health seeking for five NTDs: lymphatic filariasis, podoconiosis, schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminth infection and trachoma.

Understanding performance data: health management information system data accuracy in Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region, Ethiopia.

Background: Health management information system (HMIS) is a system whereby health data are recorded, stored, retrieved and processed to improve decision-making. HMIS data quality should be monitored routinely as production of high quality statistics depends on assessment of data quality and actions taken to improve it. Thus, this study assessed accuracy of the routine HMIS data.

Missed opportunities in family planning: process evaluation of family planning program in Omo Nada district, Oromia region, Ethiopia.

Background: Family planning (FP) program is a key program to avert unbalanced human population growth, maternal mortality, unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, sexually transmitted diseases and malnutrition. To address these aims, all services that clients receive must be of consistently high quality. So, services that clients receive should be monitored and evaluated.

Burden of NCDs in SNNP region, Ethiopia: a retrospective study.

Background: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are medical conditions or diseases that are non-transmissible. As NCDs are becoming one of major public health problem, providing local description of diseases and injuries is key to health decision- making and planning processes. So, this study aimed to describe caseload of NCDs in Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region, Ethiopia.

Chronic mass psychogenic illness among women in Derashe Woreda, Segen Area People Zone, southern Ethiopia: a community based cross-sectional study.

Background: Outbreaks of mass psychogenic illness (MPI), which are a constellation of physical signs and symptoms suggestive of organic illness with no identifiable causes. MPI has been documented in numerous cultural, ethnic, and religious groups throughout the world. The aims of this study were to document the nature and impacts of the illness, to assess interventions, and to come up with recommendations and management formulations for dealing with such kinds of outbreaks in the future.

Where we should focus? Myths and misconceptions of long acting contraceptives in southern nations, nationalities and People's region, Ethiopia: qualitative study.

Background: Despite its wider benefits and access made at community level, contraceptive methods are one of underutilized services in study area and it is believed to be influenced by misconceptions and socio cultural values. This study was designed to explore women's perceptions, myths and misconception to inform program implementers.

Methods: Study was conducted in Southern Nations, Nationalities and People's Region, Ethiopia in 2015.

Poor quality data challenges conclusion and decision making: timely analysis of measles confirmed and suspected cases line list in Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region, Ethiopia.

Background: Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available. Timely analysis of measles surveillance data is crucial for epidemic control and can show disease control program status. Therefore, this study aimed to show vaccination status and delay in seeking health care using surveillance data.

Contraceptive utilization and associated factors among women of reproductive age group in Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia: cross-sectional survey, mixed-methods.

Background: Though contraceptive utilization has comprehensive benefit for women, it was one of underutilized public intervention in Ethiopia and in the study area. Thus, assessing status and factors affecting contraceptive utilization among women of reproductive age group was found key step for program improvement.

Methods: Community based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April, 2015 in Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples' Region, Ethiopia.

Prevalence of and Risk Factors for Trachoma in Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia: Results of 40 Population-Based Prevalence Surveys Carried Out with the Global Trachoma Mapping Project.

Purpose: We sought to estimate the prevalence of trachoma at sufficiently fine resolution to allow elimination interventions to begin, where required, in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region (SNNPR) of Ethiopia.

Methods: We carried out cross-sectional population-based surveys in 14 rural zones. A 2-stage cluster randomized sampling technique was used.

Who takes the medicine? Adherence to antiretroviral therapy in Southern Ethiopia.

Background: Treatment adherence is critical for the success of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for people living with HIV. There is limited representative information on ART drug adherence and its associated factors from Southern Ethiopia. We aimed at estimating the level of adherence to ART among people living with HIV and factors associated with it in 20 randomly selected ART clinics of Southern Ethiopia.