Magnitude of Podoconiosis and Its Associated Factors among an Adult Population in Waghmra Zone, Ethiopia: A Cross‐Sectional Study

Background. Podoconiosis is one of the neglected tropical diseases, and it is a nonfilarial elephantiasis caused by prolonged barefoot exposure to irritant soil. This is manifested by slowly progressive swelling of the foot and lower leg which may lead to an irreversible disability among affected people. Podoconiosis is an entirely noncommunicable preventable disease with a low‐cost preventive mechanism. This study is aimed at assessing the magnitude and factor affecting Podoconiosis in Waghmra zone, Amhara region, Ethiopia, 2019. Methods. A community‐based cross‐sectional study was conducted among 808 household members. A multistage sampling method was used to select study participants. A pretested semistructured questionnaire, observation, and clinical screening were used to collect data. The data were entered using EpiData version 4.2 and analyzed using SPSS version 24.0. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with Podoconiosis. Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval was computed to determine the level of significance; in multivariable analysis, variables with a P value less than 0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Result. According this study’s results, 4.3% of study participants were affected by Podoconiosis. A family number of four and above [AOR = 3.29, 95% CI (1.013‐10.661)], family income of less than 500 ETB [AOR = 3.69, 95% CI (1.271‐10.727)], distance from a health facility greater than 3 km [AOR = 6.69, 95% CI (1.610‐27.863)], no shoe wearing habits [AOR = 5.02, 95% CI (1.969‐12.778)], age at first wearing of shoes at 10 and above [AOR = 4.46, 95% CI (1.792‐11.102)], and no feet washing habits [AOR = 3.87, 95% CI (1.516‐9.883)] are significant factors of Podoconiosis. Conclusion. Creating awareness about the importance of shoe wearing, feet hygiene, and building infrastructure such as a road, health facility, and water supply were essential preventive strategies. Training about early diagnosis and effective management of lymphedema, giving emphasis on hygiene education and sanitation program, and reporting any suspected Podoconiosis case as early as possible are some of the recommendations forwarded.