Children and COVID-19 Research Library

Globally, national immunization programs are at risk of disruption due to severe health system constraints caused by the ongoing Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on the availability of supplies of routine childhood immunization in the Oromia Regional State in Ethiopia. A health facility-based mixed-methods of study design was conducted. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using pre-tested questionnaires and key informant interview question guides, respectively. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, means, and standard deviations were performed. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the associations between the COVID-19 pandemic and the availability of vaccine-related supplies at health facilities in study area. The qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic content analysis approach.

This study aimed to assess COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019)-related attitude and risk perception among pregnant women attending antenatal care, and the associated factors, at public health facilities of the East Gojjam Zone, Ethiopia. A multi-center cross-sectional study was conducted, from December 1–30, 2020. A total of 847 pregnant women were included in the study using a simple random sampling technique. To collect the data, we used an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Bi-variable and multi-variable logistic regression analyses were used to identify factors associated with pregnancy-related anxiety. A p-value of < 0.05 with a 95% confidence level was used to declare statistical significance.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, the most pretentious sector besides the economy is the education system. Ethiopia is not equipped with the infrastructure and facilities to provide online classes for students at all levels. Hence, all institutions were re-opened with mandatory infection prevention and control (IPC) protocols such as the use of face masks, physical distancing, shifts in classes, and routine hand washing practices with soap and water to restrict the spread of the virus. Nevertheless, there has been no monitoring and follow- up and there is no data on IPC compliance among school children in the country. The purpose of this study was to examine the COVID-19 preventive practices and their associated factors among high and preparatory school students in Dessie City, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional study was carried out by using a pre-tested face-to-face applied structured questionnaire and direct observations from March 8 to March 20, 2021, in five high and preparatory schools in Dessie City. The sample size was proportionally allocated in each school based on the students' total number registered in the first academic semester, then stratified by grade level, and proportionally allocated to each grade and section. Finally, a simple random sampling method was used to select study participants. Variables with p-values < 0.25 in the bivariate logistic regression analysis were entered into the multivariate logistic regression model.

Human immune deficiency virus was a worldwide pandemic, yet there is no proven medicine and vaccine to cure or prevent it. Prevention is only the mainstay to control the spread of the virus. Thus, continuously assessing factors affecting prevention practice towards HIV among young populations is relevant. This cross sectional study design was conducted from December 01/2020 To January 01/2021. The multistage sampling technique was used and a total of 615 participants were enrolled. Epi-Data version 4.4.3.1 for data entry and SPSS Version 25 for analysis was used in this study. Descriptive statistics; frequency, percent and inferential statistics were needed. Statically significance cut point settled at p < 0.05 with 95% confidence intervals.

Youth who have migrated from rural to urban areas in Ethiopia are often precariously employed, lack access to sexual and reproductive health services, and are at heightened risk of sexual violence. However, little is known about the sexual and reproductive health consequences of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, and associated lockdowns and service disruptions for urban-dwelling socially disadvantaged youth. This paper draws on qualitative virtual research with 154 urban youths aged 15–24 years who were past and present beneficiaries of United Nations Population Fund-funded programs, and 19 key informants from the city bureaus and non-governmental organisations in June 2020. Semistructured interviews by phone explored the impact of COVID-19 on young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.

This article explores the social policy implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for adolescents and young people with disabilities in Ethiopia and Jordan. The article draws on qualitative research interviews carried out in person between November and December 2019 and by phone between April and June 2020 with 65 young people with hearing, visual and physical impairments in urban settings in both countries, complemented by interviews with key informants in government and civil society organisations working with young people. Whilst in Jordan social policy on disability is more developed, and in Ethiopia, systems are still embryonic, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the marginalisation of adolescents and young people with disabilities in both contexts as health, education and social protection systems have been slow to mobilise targeted support and address social exclusion. This article identifies social policy gaps in Ethiopia and Jordan that must be addressed in order to support young people with disabilities during crises.

The COVID-19 pandemic and response have the potential to disrupt access and use of reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (RMNH) services. Numerous initiatives aim to gauge the indirect impact of COVID-19 on RMNH. This study assessed the impact of COVID-19 on RMNH coverage in the early stages of the pandemic using panel survey data from PMA-Ethiopia. Enrolled pregnant women were surveyed 6-weeks post-birth. It compared the odds of service receipt, coverage of RMNCH service indicators, and health outcomes within the cohort of women who gave birth prior to the pandemic and the COVID-19 affected cohort. We calculated impacts nationally and by urbanicity.

Women’s ability to get sleep can be affected by pregnancy-related hormonal changes or other external stressful situations like the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of this study was to assess the proportion of poor sleep quality during the COVID-19 pandemic and its determinants among pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) services. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 423 women attending ANC services at the health facilities in Debre Berhan Town, Ethiopia, from May to June 2020. A systematic random sampling technique was used to select the required samples. The tool consisted of questions that assessed (1) socio-demographic characteristics, obstetric and health care service-related characteristics; and media exposure to get information regarding COVID-19 infection; (2) To assess sleep quality; the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was applied. And a global score of >5 indicates poor sleep quality, and a global score of ≤5 indicates good sleep quality.

Ethiopia has made remarkable progress over the last two decades. The poverty rate has halved (from 46% to 24%), the primary completion rate has more than doubled (from 18% to 50%) and the odds of marriage for girls under the age of 15 have fallen to less than 1 in 10. However, alongside the covid-19 pandemic, the last two years have seen increasing ethnic and religious tension and violence, as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has struggled to deliver on promised political transformations. In Ethiopia GAGE has collected baseline and midline data with approximately 8,000 rural and urban adolescents in Afar, Amhara and Oromia regions as well as Dire Dawa City Administration; fielded two rounds of covid-19 phone surveys; and is running ongoing participatory research groups with older girls and boys (15–19 years). Nested within the Ethiopian study, GAGE is also carrying out an impact evaluation of the adolescent empowerment programme ‘Act With Her’ (AWH). This brief highlights headline emerging findings from this unique dataset, as well as providing links to more comprehensive publications and an annex with key quantitative indicators.

In many settings, health care service provision has been modified to managing COVID-19 cases, and this has been affecting the provision of maternal and child health services. The aim of this study was to assess trends in selected maternal and child health services performance in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional data review was conducted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from April to May 2021. Routine health management information system database was reviewed from Addis Ababa Health Bureau for the period from July 2019 to March 2021 across all quarters. Proportion and mean with standard deviation were computed. T-test was used to assess statistically significant differences in services mean performance.