Executive Summary The ongoing armed conflict in the Amhara region between the Ethiopian government forces and the Amhara Fano forces has caused significant disruptions in the lives of the local population in East and West Gojjam, and Awi Zones. This research seeks to explore the multifaceted impacts of the conflict on education, the economy, psychosocial well-being, and political stability in these regions. With the conflict lasting for nine months, children have been deprived of education, communities are suffering from psychosocial distress, and both the economy and political environment are severely affected. The study aims to achieve two key objectives: first, to provide a detailed understanding of the situation through evidence-based findings, which will be disseminated at local, national, and international levels; and second, to gather data that can help develop interventions to address the ongoing impacts of the conflict, preventing long-term damage to the affected populations. To meet these objectives, the research will use a mixed-methods approach, employing both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques. A cross-sectional descriptive survey design and a phenomenological research design will be applied. Data will be gathered through questionnaires, interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and document analysis. The research will focus on a purposive sample of individuals directly affected by or involved in the conflict, selected from towns and Woredas using a simple random sampling method. Collected data analyzed using percentage and frequency distributions for quantitative data, and thematic content analysis for qualitative data. Ethical considerations, such as ensuring participant confidentiality and voluntary participation strictly followed. The outcomes of this study will raise awareness of the conflict‘s impacts, inform intervention strategies, and provide evidence to guide recovery efforts. Ultimately, the research will contribute to developing targeted policies and actions to support education, economic recovery, psychosocial well-being, and political stability in the affected regions.

Background Inadequate glycemic management in type 2 diabetes Mellitus patients is a serious public healthissue and a key risk factor for progression as well as diabetes-related complications. The main therapeutic goal ofpreventing organ damage and other problems caused by diabetes is glycemic control. Knowing when to modifyglycemic control in type 2 diabetes Mellitus is crucial for avoiding complications and early drug intensifications.Methods An institutional based retrospective follow-up study was undertaken among 514 eligible adult diabetespatients in Amhara region Comprehensive Specialized Hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia, from January 2017 to January2022. Simple random sampling technique was used to select study participants. The Kaplan Meier curve was usedto assess the survival status of categorical variables, and the log-rank test was used to compare them. The coxproportional hazard model was fitted to identify the predictors of time to first optimal glycemic control. Variables witha p-value < 0.05 were considered to be statistically significance at 95% confidence interval.Results A total of 514 patient records (227 males and 287 females) were reviewed in this study. The median time tofirst optimal glycemic control among the study population was 8.4 months IQR (7.6–9.7). The predictors that affect thetime to first optimal glycemic control were age group ((AHR = 0.63, 95% CI = 0.463, 0.859 for 50–59 years), (AHR = 0.638,95% CI = 0.471, 0.865 for 60–69 years), and (AHR = 0.480, 95% CI = 0.298, 0.774 for > = 70 years)), diabetes neuropathy(AHR = 0.629, 95% CI = 0.441,0.900), hypertension (AHR = 0.667, 95% CI = 0.524, 0.848), dyslipidemia (AHR = 0.561, 95%CI = 0.410, 0.768), and cardiovascular disease (AHR = 0.681, 95% CI = 0.494, 0.938).Conclusion The median time to initial optimal glycemic control in type 2 diabetes Mellitus patients in this study wasshort. Age between 50 and 59 years and 60–69, diabetes neuropathy, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular
disease were predictor’s of time to first glycemic control. Therefore, health care providers should pay extra attentionfor patients who are aged and who have complications or co-morbidities.Keywords: Adults, First optimal glycemic control, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Ethiopia

AbstractThis study investigated the factors influencing growers in the selection of seed suppliers in theAmhara region of Ethiopia. A total of 385 grower were selected using simple random sam-pling method. A mixed logit regression model was used to the analysis data that have 1284observation. The result reveal that high seed purity was negatively related to the selectionof alternative supplier. As the rating of seed purity increased, the probability of selectingvery high-quality seed suppliers also increased. The availability of tree seeds during the desiredtime period had a significant influence. Higher perceived availability, categorized as high orvery high, decreased the likelihood of promptly obtaining seeds from suppliers comparedto when the seeds were not available. The evaluation rating of germination increases the prob-ability of choosing suppliers with high or very high germination rates in the respective cat-egory. Growers with more experience are more likely to choose private enterprise suppliers.The implementation of appropriate quarantine measures has a positive influence on supplierselection for the groups AFE and EFD-CEC. Training in tree seed collection reduces the like-lihood of choosing enterprise and AFE suppliers. Moreover, the successful production of agreater number of tree species in the nursery positively influences the probability of sourcingfrom enterprise suppliers. This analysis highlights the significance of seed purity, germination,quarantine measures, and the number of species produced, as factors that influence the like-lihood of selecting alternative seed suppliers.
Keywords: growers; mixed logit regression; tree seed suppliers; tree seed

Background: Edible oil manufacturing is a labor-intensive sector with significanttechnological demands, where employees face various occupational hazards.The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) is not only a legal obligationbut also a key measure for safeguarding workers against job-related injuriesand health risks. Despite these challenges, this industry often remainsunder-researched and overlooked.Objective: To assess utilization of personal protective equipment and its keyfactors among workers in the WA edible oil factory in Debre Markos town,Ethiopia, in 2024.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among employees of theWA Edible Oil Factory in Debre Markos. Using a simple random samplingmethod, 387 workers were selected to participate. Data were collectedthrough an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire, focusing on theuse of protective equipment, as well as socio-demographic, work-related,environmental, and organizational characteristics. The data were analyzed usingSPSS version 26. Logistic regression analysis was employed to identify factorsinfluencing the use of protective equipment, with the strength of associationsexpressed as odds ratios at a 95% confidence level.Results: Out of the total workforce, 214 individuals (55.3%) reportedusing personal protective equipment while on duty. The study identifiedseveral significant factors influencing personal protective equipment utilization,including receiving safety training, having access to protective equipment,regular occupational health and safety inspections, the presence of workplacesafety protocols, having three or more years of work experience, and abstainingfrom alcohol consumption and smoking.Conclusion: The utilization level of personal protective equipment amongworkers at the WA edible oil factory was found to be moderate when comparedto findings from other developing countries. Key factors influencing personalprotective equipment usage included access to safety training, availability ofprotective gear, workplace supervision, the presence of safety protocols, workexperience, and lifestyle behaviors such as alcohol and tobacco use. To improvepersonal protective equipment utilization, it is recommended to strengthenworkplace supervision, offer comprehensive safety training, and ensure theconsistent availability of safety guidelines.KEYWORDSutilization, personal protective equipment, edible oil factory, factory worker, Ethiopia

Improving maternal and perinatal outcomes can be achieved by identifying factors affecting successful vaginal delivery following induction of labor, particularly in developing countries with low rates of induction. Besides this, evidence regarding the magnitude of successful vaginal delivery following induction and associated factors is limited in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude of vaginal delivery following induction and associated factors among laboring women at South Wollo Zone Public Hospitals of Ethiopia, 2023. An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 385 from April 1 to June 15, 2023. A systematic random sampling method was used to select each participant. A pretested structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and checklist were used to collect data. Epi-Data version 4.6 and SPSS version 26 software were used for data entry and analysis, respectively. Multivariable binary logistic regression was used to identify associated factors and an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used to identify significant variables. Model fitness was checked using the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness of fit test. The study reported that 75.6% of participants gave vaginal delivery following induction with a 95% CI (71.00-79.80). Mid-upper arm circumstance 23-28 cm (AOR = 2.55, 95% CI: 1.19-5.47), multiparty (AOR = 3.01, 95% CI: 1.430-6.33), favorable bishop (AOR = 3.79, 95% CI: 1.74-8.26), oxytocin with cervical ripening method (AOR = 3.74, 95% CI: 1.99-7.04), and birth weight less than 4000gram (AOR = 5.40, 95% CI: 1.54-18.91) were factors significantly associated with successful vaginal delivery following induction. Therefore, obstetric caregivers should consider pre-induction assessments such as bishop score of the cervix and fetal weight estimation and improving the nutritional status of pregnant women.

Keywords: Associated factors; Ethiopia; Induction of labor; Vaginal delivery.

Abstract The general objective of the study was to assess voting behaviour in Ethiopia, challenges and prospects, Amhara Regional State. The data for this study was obtained through mixed approach with sequential exploratory research design. Thematic approach has followed to analyze the data collected using key informant interview and focus groups discussions for qualitative data and descriptive analysis for quantitative date by using SPSS. The study explored the status of voting behaviour in the study area. Accordingly, the major challenges which affected voting behaviour of citizens are undemocratic legacy, oppressed government systems, weak democratic institutions, constraints of awareness about political participation and lack of trust on electoral election process and result. Finally, if all stakeholders have striving in collaboration, we could build strong democratic government and electoral process. Hence, researchers recommended that, each section of the society attained adult suffrage should be responsible for democratization process, free and fair election and to positively encourage the behaviour of citizens towards voting. Key words: Voting, voting behavior, unfair electoral system

Weather information (WI) related reliability problems and constraints are commonly reported factors forfarmers’ adaptation decisions to climate-induced impacts in Ethiopia. However, the level of reliability of theWI, kinds of the WI constraints, and how these constraints impede farmers’ adaptation decisions have notsystematically been studied. The present study investigated the reliability and constraints of WI from farmers’perspective in East Gojjam Zone. Three hundred fifty-eight farm households were selected from three woredasthrough random sampling. Interview surveys, focus group discussions, and key informant interviews wereapplied to generate quantitative and qualitative datasets. Frequency, mean score, and correlation wereemployed to analyze the quantitative dataset, while descriptive-interpretative method was used to analyzethe qualitative ones. The findings disclosed that farmers in the study area have diverse WI sources thoughonly farmers’ own experiences and development agents were perceived to be reliable sources for them.The correlation coefficient results confirmed that the number of WI sources had significant positive relationswith family size, and farmland size, while it had a non-significant negative correlation with the farm experiencesof the household heads. The study also identified a range of socioeconomic, demographic and institutional factors, and programming mechanisms and information contents of which the four top that negatively affect farmers’ adaptation decisions were spatial ambiguity, lack of trust, lack of information about the seasonal onset, itsend, and its distribution within the season. To guide farmers’ effective adaptation decisions, these constraints inthe information contents of the WI have to be resolved.KeywordsWeather information, reliability, constraints, East Gojjam, Ethiopia