Wealth index is significantly associated with the early phase of fracture healing among fractured patients at the University of Gondar Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia

Introduction Bone fracture is a cause of 5 million annual injuries globally. It contributes to profound physical impairment, a reduction in quality of life, long hospitalization time, and reduced institutional care. The socioeconomical impact of bone fracture will be high in the next 50 years in developing countries, including Ethiopia. This study aimed to assess the factors associated with the early phase of fracture healing among fractured adult patients at the University of Gondar Specialized hospital, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods A secondary data analysis was done from the previous institution-based prospective follow-up study from March to June 2015. An interviewer-administered pretested and structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. Early ossification of fractured bone was defined when the bone was ossified/calcified within 1 month of the fracture using X-ray findings. Data were entered into EpiInfo version 3.5.3 software and exported to SPSS version 20 for Windows for further analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was employed to find factors associated with early ossification of a fractured bone. In the multivariable model, variables that had a p-value of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Also, a 95% CI for odds ratios was calculated to see the degree of association. Results In total, 118 participants with a bone fracture participated in this study. Of all, 36.4% of them had ossified bone during the early phase of bone healing. Dietary diversity score (DDS) [AOR = 18.6, 95% CI (4.10-84.34)], the type of fractured bone [AOR: = 0.13, 95% CI (0.03-0.50)], and household wealth index [AOR = 8.6, 95% CI (1.51-49.05)] were independently associated with the early phase of fractured bone healing/ossification. Conclusion Bone ossification during the first month of fracture was low. Dietary diversity score, type of fractured bone, and household wealth index were the factors associated with the early phase of bone ossification. So, improving dietary practice after the incident is essential. Also, health care providers will have to consider the fractured bone type and household assets during the clinical intervention for fractured bone.