Child health services and armed conflict in Tigray, North Ethiopia: a community-based study

Conflict and Health

Research

Mezgebe Gebregeorgis¹  Marta Abrha²  Kiros Weldegerima²  Gelawdiwos Gebre³  Mulubrhan Hagos³  Birikti Abrha³  Akeza Awealom Asgedom⁴  Asefa Ayalew⁴  Tigist Hagos⁴  Mache Tsadik⁴  Aregawi Gebreyesus⁴  Afework Mulugeta⁴  Hailay Abrha Gesesew⁵  Hailay Gebretnsae⁶  Rie Esayas⁷ 

[1] Institute of population studies, Mekelle University, 231, Tigray, Ethiopia;School of Medicine, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, 231, Tigray, Ethiopia;School of Midwifery, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, 231, Tigray, Ethiopia;School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, 231, Tigray, Ethiopia;School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, 231, Tigray, Ethiopia;Research Centre for Public Health, Equity and Human Flourishing, Torrens University Australia, 5000, Adelaide, SA, Australia;Tigray Health Research Institute, 07, Tigray, Ethiopia;Tigray Regional Health Bureau, 07, Tigray, Ethiopia;

关键词: Child health;    Armed-conflict;    Vaccines;    Immunization;    Childhood illness;    Tigray;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13031-023-00545-6

 received in 2022-09-27, accepted in 2023-09-26,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAccess to basic health services, notably child health services, is severely hampered by the armed conflict in Tigray, North Ethiopia. Little is known regarding the impacts of the armed conflict during the war in Tigray on access to child health services. The current study investigates the impact of the armed conflict on the utilization of child health services in Tigray.Methods4,381 caregivers from randomly recruited households (HHs) with at least one child younger than 1 year old participated in a community-based cross-sectional survey. We collected data on childhood immunizations and illness-related treatment seeking from August 4 to 20, 2021. We describe data using frequency and percentage and carry out an internal comparison among the study participants using chi-square tests.Results4,381 children under the age of one included in the study. In total, 39% of infants received no basic vaccines, 61.3% of the children under the age of one received at least one vaccine, and 20% received all the vaccinations recommended for their age. About 61% of children were affected by at least one childhood ailments where majority of them were from rural areas. Mothers who did not seek postnatal care (PNC) were responsible for more than 75% of reported childhood illnesses.ConclusionsA sizable portion of children were unvaccinated and had at least one childhood sickness while the war was in progress. Particularly, people who live in rural areas reported a higher percentage of children’s illnesses but a lower use of child health services. To lower childhood morbidity and mortality in the besieged area, such as Tigray, local to global actors need to get coordinated and warrying parties should stop weaponization of vaccination healthcare services.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

【 图 表 】

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