ABSTRACT
Background:Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that affects millions of people globally. In view of this, the study aims at determining the financial burden of sickle cell disease among caregivers of children with sickle cell disease in Nigeria.Methods:It was a descriptive cross sectionalstudy and systematic sampling method was used in selecting 162 caregivers amongst the patients in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. Semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect data and analysed using SPSS version 22 software and Microsoft Excel 2007. Results were presented in frequency tables, chi-square to test association between categorical variables and the statistical significance level was set at p<0.05.Results:The mean age of the caregivers was 34.3 years with an increase in frequency of hospitalization 39% amongst respondents and a cost of hospital bill was over thirty thousand naira (US$76.82).The reason given mostly by 77% of the respondents for non-usage of health insurance was that the enrolment’s premium was high and 53% of the caregivers took loan to treat their wards. Catastrophic healthcare expenditure was found among a quarter 21% of the respondents due to non-usage of health insurance. There was a statistical significance association between level of education and Catastrophic healthcare expenditure at p value <0.05.Conclusions:Due to high level of financial burden on caregivers and family members, it will be an important step for the government to strengthen the health insurance scheme, intensify campaigns and subsidize costs of healthcare for these patients.
ABSTRACT
Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are of public health importance as over 1 million STIs are acquired daily worldwide. One-third of the new cases of curable STIs affect younger persons aged less than 25 years. Sexually transmitted infections can lead to severe complications beyond the immediate impact of infections as such. Aim: This study assessed knowledge of, attitude towards and preventive practices of STI among young unmarried persons in Surulere local government area (LGA) of Lagos State, Nigeria. Setting: The study was conducted among young unmarried persons in Surulere LGA, Lagos State, Nigeria, between June and November 2018. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 450 young unmarried persons selected using a multistage sampling technique. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data. Analysis was carried out with Epi-Info 7.2.2.2 software. Chi-square was used to test for associations. Level of significance was at p ⤠0.05. Results: The mean age was 19.9 + 2.5 years. Majority of the respondents (84.7%) had heard of STIs. About two-third (65.6%) had good knowledge, while majority (98.6%) had good attitude towards the prevention of STIs, but less than half (34.0%) had good preventive practices. Knowledge of STI was statistically significantly associated with age, level of education, attitude and preventive practices of the respondents. Conclusion: Most of the respondents were aware and had good attitude towards prevention of STI, but gaps exist in knowledge and preventive practices. Hence, targeted education to improve the knowledge and preventive practices against STI among young unmarried persons is recommended