Perceived accessibility, and adequacy of COVID-19 related information in Nigeria

Information on COVID-19 has evolved and blended with fake news, which the public, unfortunately, has to make an individual decision on how to use. As a result, access to authentic and adequate health information on COVID-19 is crucial for curbing the ongoing pandemic. The study was aimed at identifying sources of information on COVID-19 commonly used by adult Nigerian residents; determine the adequacy of information received; determine the accessibility of information on COVID-19 among Nigerians, and explore the relationship between location and access to information. An adapted version of the World Health Organization's (WHO) COVID-19 behavioral insight questionnaire was used to collect data from 1,039 adult residents in Nigeria across the geopolitical zones through an online survey. Analysis was done using SPSS version 24. Logistic regression was used to examine if location predicts access to information. Social media was identified as the major source of information among Nigerians. The top three accessible sources included social media 807(77.7%), television 546 (52.6%), and WHO websites 340 (32.7%). It was also found that they perceived information received on COVID-19 as adequate. The logistic regression model of the location did not predict access to COVID-19 information (p<0.05; 95% CI). Health authorities like the WHO, the ministry of health, CDC should optimize social media for better health information coverage.

Effect of Health Education on Food Hygiene Practices and Personal Hygiene Practices of Food Vendors in Public Secondary Schools at Oshimili South Local Government Area

Background: Food is a vital substance that helps in the nutritional support and development of the human system and so the issue of food is important for every human being. Food is usually of plant and animal origin and contains nutrients needed by the body and could also be a source of ill health to humans if it is contaminated by microbes through poor hygienic practices. Objectives: The specific objectives are to identify cooked food storage hygiene practices among food vendors in public secondary schools in Oshimili south L.G.A and to determine personal hygiene practices of the food vendors in public secondary schools in Oshimili south L.G.A. Methods: Quasi-experimental design was used for the study. This involves two-phase work using Pre-test and Post-test. The representative sample size of 54 food vendors used for the study was gotten from the school food vending registers of the various schools. Data were entered using Microsoft Excel Windows 7 and exported to IBM SPSS version 15.0 software for analysis. Results: From the finding, more of the vendors (62% and 30%) transport their foods/snacks in closed containers and warmers after the health education intervention. Also, more vendors (Always 46%) started keeping their fingernails clean after the intervention. Similarly, more vendors practiced hand washing after the health education intervention. 41% of the food vendor never practiced hand wash but this was reduced to 26% in the Post-test. Likewise, the number of vendors that never covered food against dust and flies during sales reduced from 10% in Pre-test to 6% in Post-test study. The finding also showed that the vendors clean and sweep their vending environment before and after-sales. From the hypothesis testing, it was established that the health education intervention had a significant influence on the food vendors’ hygiene practices (p<0.05). Conclusion: The food vendors’ hygiene practices were still poor despite some notable improvement after the health education intervention. The school management seems not to be concerned about the hygienic practice of the food vendors and nobody monitors their activities during sales rather they are more concerned about collecting dues from the food vendors monthly. It is therefore recommended that School management should ensure that the food vendors are regularly trained on proper food handling and teachers are also delegated to monitor the food vendors during sales at break time. The government should post health officers to schools in order to monitor food vendors’ hygiene practices on a regular basis.

Attitude and Perceived Barriers to Uptake of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine among Female Students in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been described as an ‘equal opportunity’ pathogen affecting both sexes and the leading cause of cervical cancer. Vaccination against oncogenic HPV types is a significant step towards decreasing the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality associated with cervical cancer. Objectives: To investigate attitude and perceived barriers to uptake of HPV vaccine among female students in a Nigerian Tertiary Institution. Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study that was conducted in the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus from March 01 to April 01, 2017. The representative sample size of 320 female undergraduates was selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data were entered using Microsoft Excel Windows 7 and exported to IBM SPSS version 20.0 software for analysis. Results: Total 38 (13.0%) participants had received HPV vaccine. Majority of the participants had a positive attitude towards HPV vaccination (2.5 ± 6.4). The major perceived barriers to uptake of vaccination were: exorbitant cost of the vaccine (94.1%) and lack of time due to lectures (53.0%). Age of the participants had no influence on the uptake of HPV vaccine whereas department, ethnic group, and marital status had a strong influence on vaccination uptake (p<0.05). Conclusion: A low proportion of the participants had received the HPV vaccine. Majority of the participants had a positive attitude towards HPV vaccination. The major perceived barrier to vaccination was the exorbitant cost of the vaccine. The university in collaboration with the Ministry of Health should design strategies to enlighten the university community on HPV infection through seminars and workshops.