Currently,vehicle-related particulate matter is the main determinant air pollution in the urban environment.This study was designed to investigate the level of fine(PM_(2.5))and coarse particle(PM_(10))concentration o...Currently,vehicle-related particulate matter is the main determinant air pollution in the urban environment.This study was designed to investigate the level of fine(PM_(2.5))and coarse particle(PM_(10))concentration of roadside vehicles in Addis Ababa,the capital city of Ethiopia using artificial neural network model.To train,test and validate the model,the traffic volume,weather data and particulate matter concentrations were collected from 15 different sites in the city.The experimental results showed that the city average 24-hr PM_(2.5)concentration is 13%-144%and 58%-241%higher than air quality index(AQI)and world health organization(WHO)standards,respectively.The PM_(10)results also exceeded the AQI(54%-65%)and WHO(8%-395%)standards.The model runs using the Levenberg-Marquardt(Trainlm)and the Scaled Conjugate Gradient(Trainscg)and comparison were performed,to identify the minimum fractional error between the observed and the predicted value.The two models were determined using the correlation coefficient and other statistical parameters.The Trainscg model,the average concentration of PM_(2.5)and PM_(10)exhaust emission correlation coefficient were predicted to be(R^(2)=0.775)and(R^(2)=0.92),respectively.The Trainlm model has also well predicted the exhaust emission of PM_(2.5)(R~2=0.943)and PM_(10)(R^(2)=0.959).The overall results showed that a better correlation coefficient obtained in the Trainlm model,could be considered as optional methods to predict transport-related particulate matter concentration emission using traffic volume and weather data for Ethiopia cities and other countries that have similar geographical and development settings.展开更多
Back Ground: Risky sexual behavior among orphans and vulnerable children and its associated physical, psychological and social consequences is becoming a major public health concern globally. Objectives: To assess the...Back Ground: Risky sexual behavior among orphans and vulnerable children and its associated physical, psychological and social consequences is becoming a major public health concern globally. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of risky sexual behavior and its determinants among orphan and vulnerable children in Addis Ababa. Methodology: A community based cross sectional study was conducted on three support and care giving organizations for orphans and vulnerable children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from March to June 2014. A total of 422 orphan and vulnerable children were selected using systematic sampling. Data were collected using pre tested self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data. Result: A total of 407 (96.4%) respondents participated in this study. Among them 112 (27.5%) had sexual intercourse in their life time, of these 50 (44.6%) started sex before the age of 15, 94 (83.9%) had forced sex, 84 (75.0%) had multiple sexual partners, only 16 (14.3%) used condom the first time they had sex and 96 (85.7%) participated in transactional sex. Females were about 3.25 (2.67 - 7.3) times more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than male respondents, double orphans had 4.32 (2.45 - 9.54) odds of risky sexual behavior compared to their counterparts. Those respondents who had knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention were less likely to be involved in risky sexual behavior 0.58 (0.41 - 0.93). Conclusion: Orphan and vulnerable children are at a higher likelihood of risky sexual behavior. Intervention targeted at multilevel such as orphan survival training, assertive communication skills, sexuality education and education about HIV risk perception, physical, psychological and human right protection, social support, and economic access for basic needs need to be given consideration.展开更多
Today Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is used as a tool to create a livable urban environment by improving the integration between land-use and transportation systems.The capital city of Ethiopia,Addis Ababa,aims t...Today Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is used as a tool to create a livable urban environment by improving the integration between land-use and transportation systems.The capital city of Ethiopia,Addis Ababa,aims to promote a sustainable transportation system by launching its first Light Rail Transit (LRT) network.Mitigate the need for mass transport,congestion,make transit a better choice,and encourage local economic development.Hence,a method was introduced to analyze the spatial and statistical conditions of accessibility on the existing transit stations of Addis Ababa.The methodology proposed measured the impact of accessibility around the existing TOD by defining a criterion that establishes the accessibility level[5-6].These criteria included proximity,urban densities,land-use diversity,and design of the urban spaces.The urban form of a place depends on accessibility.Mobility changes the character of a place.If the place changes,accessibility is likely to change.Therefore,TOD features that directly correlated with accessibility along the rail-based train stations will be explored.展开更多
The aim of transit-oriented development(TOD)is to create a livable urban environment by improving the integration between land-use and transportation systems.The capital city of Ethiopia,Addis Ababa,aims to promote a ...The aim of transit-oriented development(TOD)is to create a livable urban environment by improving the integration between land-use and transportation systems.The capital city of Ethiopia,Addis Ababa,aims to promote a sustainable transportation system by launching its first light rail transit(LRT)network to control the current pattern of increased congestion and the need for mass transport.Planning for TOD around existing transit stations helps achieve improved transit choice and encourages local economic development.Therefore,this article proposes a methodology to quantitatively measure the existing TOD in terms of a TOD index within the walkable distance of transit nodes by measuring the criteria that define TOD levels.The TOD index is calculated for areas of 22 stations on the East-West LRT line of Addis Ababa.Depending on the value of the TOD index,certain stations are identified to have a potential TOD but poor transit accessibility.With these results,the recommendation to improve TOD planning can become accurate for each station,depending on its relevant factors.Such results also help identify each station’s potential for TOD planning and its improvements toward future local developments.展开更多
Background:One way of addressing malnutrition among HIV/AIDS patients is through the Food by Prescription program(FBP)and many studies have explained the treatment outcomes after therapeutic food supplementation,thoug...Background:One way of addressing malnutrition among HIV/AIDS patients is through the Food by Prescription program(FBP)and many studies have explained the treatment outcomes after therapeutic food supplementation,though available evidences on adherence levels and factors associated with these sorts of programs are limited.The findings of this study would therefore contribute to the existing knowledge on adherence to Ready-to-Use Therapeutic/Supplementary Food(RUF)in Ethiopia.Methods:A facility-based,cross-sectional study supplemented with qualitative methods was conducted among 630 adult HIV+patients.Their level of adherence to RUF was measured using the Morisky 8-item Medication Adherence Scale(MMAS-8).The total score on the MMAS-8 ranges from 0 to 8,with scores of<6,6 to<8,and 8 reflecting low,medium,and high adherence,respectively.Patients who had a low or a moderate rate of adherence were considered non-adherent.Results:The level of adherence was found to be 36.3%with a 95.0%response rate.With the exception of the educational status,other socio-demographic variables had no significant effect on adherence.Those who knew the benefits of the FBP program were 1.78 times more likely to adhere to the therapy than the referent groups.On the other hand,patients who were not informed on the duration of the treatment,those prescribed with more than 2 sachets/day and had been taking RUF for more than 4 month were less likely to adhere.The main reasons for non-adherence were not liking the way the food tasted and missing follow-up appointments.Stigma and sharing and selling food were the other reasons,as deduced from the focus group discussion(FGD)findings.Conclusion:The observed level of adherence to the FBP program among respondents enrolled in the intervention program was low.The major factors identified with a low adherence were a low level of education,poor knowledge on the benefits of RUF,the longer duration of the program,consuming more than two prescribed sachets of RUF per day,and not being informed about the duration of the treatment.Therefore,counseling patients on the program’s benefits,including the treatment plans,would likely contribute to improved adherence.展开更多
In the heart of Addis Ababa,where tradition meets modern ambition,a gleaming structure of steel and glass is quietly reshaping Africa’s future.The new Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention(Africa CDC)Head...In the heart of Addis Ababa,where tradition meets modern ambition,a gleaming structure of steel and glass is quietly reshaping Africa’s future.The new Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention(Africa CDC)Headquarters is more than just a building-it’s a bold statement of partnership,progress,and a shared commitment to advancing public health across the continent.展开更多
This research is aimed at investigating Corporate Environmental Responsibility in Manufacturing Enterprises in the Akaki River basin on protecting the urban environment with particular emphasis on twenty selected indu...This research is aimed at investigating Corporate Environmental Responsibility in Manufacturing Enterprises in the Akaki River basin on protecting the urban environment with particular emphasis on twenty selected industries.To attain its objective,the study employed a mixed methods research approach.Data were collected by employing tools such as questionnaire,key informant interview,group discussions and observation.The findings of the research show that corporate environmental responsibility is very low.The majority of Large Scale Industries encompassed in the survey did not show considerable effort on protecting the environment responsibly.The reasons identified by this research are among others the absence of corporate environmental responsibility,low pressure from the enforcing institutions,and lack of financial and human resources.As a result,the Akaki River is highly polluted mainly through toxic industrial effluents released with little or no prior treatment.The consequences are countless.The populations living across the river are facing health deteriorations and economic damages.Based on the findings of this study,setting up strong institutions which are capable of developing new laws and implementing the existing environmental legal framework is commended.展开更多
Water is the essential resource of the 21st century where innovative water management strategies are needed to improve water security.This paper examines three case studies that exemplify the global water crisis,situa...Water is the essential resource of the 21st century where innovative water management strategies are needed to improve water security.This paper examines three case studies that exemplify the global water crisis,situated in rapidly urbanizing watersheds:Nairobi River Basin,Kenya;Citarum River Basin,Indonesia;and Addis Ababa River Basin,Ethiopia.Each of these watersheds are implementing large-scale water management strategies inclusive of local communities and regional governments to address water quality and waste management issues.The hydrosocial cycle(Linton,2010)provides a framework to investigate the social,technical and physical aspects of water flows.Using the hydrosocial cycle as an organizing framework,these watersheds are examined to highlight how water security underpins water justice.The issues of gender and inequity are often overlooked in larger policy,development,and infrastructure discussions where technical requirements,restoration management,and engineering solutions obscure power inequities.Projects are compared to assess the implementation of the hydrosocial cycle through a discussion of social power and structure,technology and infrastructure,and the materiality of water in each location.This comparison reveals a dependence on large-scale technical projects with limited community engagement,and a need for science-based river restoration management.Recommendations are provided to improve and address holistic water management.展开更多
文摘Currently,vehicle-related particulate matter is the main determinant air pollution in the urban environment.This study was designed to investigate the level of fine(PM_(2.5))and coarse particle(PM_(10))concentration of roadside vehicles in Addis Ababa,the capital city of Ethiopia using artificial neural network model.To train,test and validate the model,the traffic volume,weather data and particulate matter concentrations were collected from 15 different sites in the city.The experimental results showed that the city average 24-hr PM_(2.5)concentration is 13%-144%and 58%-241%higher than air quality index(AQI)and world health organization(WHO)standards,respectively.The PM_(10)results also exceeded the AQI(54%-65%)and WHO(8%-395%)standards.The model runs using the Levenberg-Marquardt(Trainlm)and the Scaled Conjugate Gradient(Trainscg)and comparison were performed,to identify the minimum fractional error between the observed and the predicted value.The two models were determined using the correlation coefficient and other statistical parameters.The Trainscg model,the average concentration of PM_(2.5)and PM_(10)exhaust emission correlation coefficient were predicted to be(R^(2)=0.775)and(R^(2)=0.92),respectively.The Trainlm model has also well predicted the exhaust emission of PM_(2.5)(R~2=0.943)and PM_(10)(R^(2)=0.959).The overall results showed that a better correlation coefficient obtained in the Trainlm model,could be considered as optional methods to predict transport-related particulate matter concentration emission using traffic volume and weather data for Ethiopia cities and other countries that have similar geographical and development settings.
文摘Back Ground: Risky sexual behavior among orphans and vulnerable children and its associated physical, psychological and social consequences is becoming a major public health concern globally. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of risky sexual behavior and its determinants among orphan and vulnerable children in Addis Ababa. Methodology: A community based cross sectional study was conducted on three support and care giving organizations for orphans and vulnerable children in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from March to June 2014. A total of 422 orphan and vulnerable children were selected using systematic sampling. Data were collected using pre tested self-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to analyze the data. Result: A total of 407 (96.4%) respondents participated in this study. Among them 112 (27.5%) had sexual intercourse in their life time, of these 50 (44.6%) started sex before the age of 15, 94 (83.9%) had forced sex, 84 (75.0%) had multiple sexual partners, only 16 (14.3%) used condom the first time they had sex and 96 (85.7%) participated in transactional sex. Females were about 3.25 (2.67 - 7.3) times more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior than male respondents, double orphans had 4.32 (2.45 - 9.54) odds of risky sexual behavior compared to their counterparts. Those respondents who had knowledge of HIV transmission and prevention were less likely to be involved in risky sexual behavior 0.58 (0.41 - 0.93). Conclusion: Orphan and vulnerable children are at a higher likelihood of risky sexual behavior. Intervention targeted at multilevel such as orphan survival training, assertive communication skills, sexuality education and education about HIV risk perception, physical, psychological and human right protection, social support, and economic access for basic needs need to be given consideration.
文摘Today Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is used as a tool to create a livable urban environment by improving the integration between land-use and transportation systems.The capital city of Ethiopia,Addis Ababa,aims to promote a sustainable transportation system by launching its first Light Rail Transit (LRT) network.Mitigate the need for mass transport,congestion,make transit a better choice,and encourage local economic development.Hence,a method was introduced to analyze the spatial and statistical conditions of accessibility on the existing transit stations of Addis Ababa.The methodology proposed measured the impact of accessibility around the existing TOD by defining a criterion that establishes the accessibility level[5-6].These criteria included proximity,urban densities,land-use diversity,and design of the urban spaces.The urban form of a place depends on accessibility.Mobility changes the character of a place.If the place changes,accessibility is likely to change.Therefore,TOD features that directly correlated with accessibility along the rail-based train stations will be explored.
文摘The aim of transit-oriented development(TOD)is to create a livable urban environment by improving the integration between land-use and transportation systems.The capital city of Ethiopia,Addis Ababa,aims to promote a sustainable transportation system by launching its first light rail transit(LRT)network to control the current pattern of increased congestion and the need for mass transport.Planning for TOD around existing transit stations helps achieve improved transit choice and encourages local economic development.Therefore,this article proposes a methodology to quantitatively measure the existing TOD in terms of a TOD index within the walkable distance of transit nodes by measuring the criteria that define TOD levels.The TOD index is calculated for areas of 22 stations on the East-West LRT line of Addis Ababa.Depending on the value of the TOD index,certain stations are identified to have a potential TOD but poor transit accessibility.With these results,the recommendation to improve TOD planning can become accurate for each station,depending on its relevant factors.Such results also help identify each station’s potential for TOD planning and its improvements toward future local developments.
文摘Background:One way of addressing malnutrition among HIV/AIDS patients is through the Food by Prescription program(FBP)and many studies have explained the treatment outcomes after therapeutic food supplementation,though available evidences on adherence levels and factors associated with these sorts of programs are limited.The findings of this study would therefore contribute to the existing knowledge on adherence to Ready-to-Use Therapeutic/Supplementary Food(RUF)in Ethiopia.Methods:A facility-based,cross-sectional study supplemented with qualitative methods was conducted among 630 adult HIV+patients.Their level of adherence to RUF was measured using the Morisky 8-item Medication Adherence Scale(MMAS-8).The total score on the MMAS-8 ranges from 0 to 8,with scores of<6,6 to<8,and 8 reflecting low,medium,and high adherence,respectively.Patients who had a low or a moderate rate of adherence were considered non-adherent.Results:The level of adherence was found to be 36.3%with a 95.0%response rate.With the exception of the educational status,other socio-demographic variables had no significant effect on adherence.Those who knew the benefits of the FBP program were 1.78 times more likely to adhere to the therapy than the referent groups.On the other hand,patients who were not informed on the duration of the treatment,those prescribed with more than 2 sachets/day and had been taking RUF for more than 4 month were less likely to adhere.The main reasons for non-adherence were not liking the way the food tasted and missing follow-up appointments.Stigma and sharing and selling food were the other reasons,as deduced from the focus group discussion(FGD)findings.Conclusion:The observed level of adherence to the FBP program among respondents enrolled in the intervention program was low.The major factors identified with a low adherence were a low level of education,poor knowledge on the benefits of RUF,the longer duration of the program,consuming more than two prescribed sachets of RUF per day,and not being informed about the duration of the treatment.Therefore,counseling patients on the program’s benefits,including the treatment plans,would likely contribute to improved adherence.
文摘In the heart of Addis Ababa,where tradition meets modern ambition,a gleaming structure of steel and glass is quietly reshaping Africa’s future.The new Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention(Africa CDC)Headquarters is more than just a building-it’s a bold statement of partnership,progress,and a shared commitment to advancing public health across the continent.
文摘This research is aimed at investigating Corporate Environmental Responsibility in Manufacturing Enterprises in the Akaki River basin on protecting the urban environment with particular emphasis on twenty selected industries.To attain its objective,the study employed a mixed methods research approach.Data were collected by employing tools such as questionnaire,key informant interview,group discussions and observation.The findings of the research show that corporate environmental responsibility is very low.The majority of Large Scale Industries encompassed in the survey did not show considerable effort on protecting the environment responsibly.The reasons identified by this research are among others the absence of corporate environmental responsibility,low pressure from the enforcing institutions,and lack of financial and human resources.As a result,the Akaki River is highly polluted mainly through toxic industrial effluents released with little or no prior treatment.The consequences are countless.The populations living across the river are facing health deteriorations and economic damages.Based on the findings of this study,setting up strong institutions which are capable of developing new laws and implementing the existing environmental legal framework is commended.
基金This research was made possible by the US Global Water Partnership.
文摘Water is the essential resource of the 21st century where innovative water management strategies are needed to improve water security.This paper examines three case studies that exemplify the global water crisis,situated in rapidly urbanizing watersheds:Nairobi River Basin,Kenya;Citarum River Basin,Indonesia;and Addis Ababa River Basin,Ethiopia.Each of these watersheds are implementing large-scale water management strategies inclusive of local communities and regional governments to address water quality and waste management issues.The hydrosocial cycle(Linton,2010)provides a framework to investigate the social,technical and physical aspects of water flows.Using the hydrosocial cycle as an organizing framework,these watersheds are examined to highlight how water security underpins water justice.The issues of gender and inequity are often overlooked in larger policy,development,and infrastructure discussions where technical requirements,restoration management,and engineering solutions obscure power inequities.Projects are compared to assess the implementation of the hydrosocial cycle through a discussion of social power and structure,technology and infrastructure,and the materiality of water in each location.This comparison reveals a dependence on large-scale technical projects with limited community engagement,and a need for science-based river restoration management.Recommendations are provided to improve and address holistic water management.
