Knowledge and practice of vaccination logistics management among primary health care workers in Nigeria.

Vaccines are highly thermo-sensitive materials whose potency requires a functional cold chain system which is dependent on the ability of health care workers to effectively manage the system toward eliminating vaccine-preventable diseases.This study assessed knowledge and practice of vaccination logistic management systems among primary health care workers in Osun state Nigeria.It was a descriptive cross-sectional study among 180 randomly selected health care workers who took part in a larger study on the design and pretesting of vaccine cold chain (VACOC) coolers. Research instruments were self-administered semi-structured pretested questionnaire that was analyzed using the SPSS version 23.0.The mean age was 36.7 ± 8.9 years, 87 (48.3%) could correctly explain the vaccination logistic management system, 132 (73.3%) had been trained on the system, 129 (71.7%) could assemble the ice packs used in the vaccine career box, 135 (75.0%) could assemble the vaccines, while 145 (80.6%) could assemble the diluents and thermometer. One hundred and fifty-one (83.9%) and 146 (81.1%) were found to have good knowledge and attitude to the management systems, respectively. Spending more than 5 years in profession, being a male, being a Community Health Officer were significant predictors of having a good practice of immunization logistic management system.Some gaps in knowledge, attitude, and practice of vaccination cold chain logistic system still exist among studied respondents, and these should be addressed by stakeholders in immunization programs.

Birth preparedness and complication readiness among pregnant women in Osogbo Metropolis, Southwest Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: High maternal mortality is a major problem in Nigeria. Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness will ensure that women can have professional delivery thus reducing obstetric complications. This study assessed the birth preparedness and complication readiness among pregnant women in Osogbo metropolis, a south western community in Nigeria. METHODS: A community based descriptive cross sectional survey was used. A total of 180 women were selected using multistage sampling technique. Pretested semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaires were used to elicit information about previous obstetric history, knowledge of the danger signs of pregnancy and level of birth preparedness. Composite score and mean were computed. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17. P-value was set at < 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age was 26.11 ± 3.63 years. A total of 51.1% were carrying their 2nd or 3rdpregnancies. A total of 70.8% were aware of danger signs in pregnancy and the commonest danger sign mentioned was bleeding per vagina. In all, 82.1% were well prepared for birth. Being in the younger age group (p = 0.026), being more educated (p < 0.0001) and being aware of danger signs in pregnancy (p < 0.0001) was more significantly associated with being well prepared. CONCLUSION: The respondents were well prepared for birth with the younger women, educated ones and those knowledgeable of danger signs being better prepared. Continuous education about the Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness should be sustained in order to maintain and improve women's preparedness.

Pubertal Timing and Demographic Predictors of Adolescents in Southwest Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Changes in the timing of puberty have been an area of research interest in developed countries because of its associated health and psychosocial problems. Adolescents in Africa are no exception as they are reaching adulthood today much earlier than before. This changing trend may have a major influence on adolescents' sexual behaviour. AIM: This study determined the timing of puberty and demographic predictors among the adolescents in southwest Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional study. Using Modified Sexual Maturity Scale (MSMS) of pubertal assessment, data were collected from 1000 respondents from rural and urban areas of Osun state, Nigeria. Data were collected using pre-tested Assisted Self Completion Questionnaires (ASCQ). The rate of pubertal development was based on age group and current pubertal stage. Data were analysed using SPSS version 16. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were done to identify significant demographic predictors. Statistical significance was at 5% level. RESULTS: The overall mean age of the respondents was 14.22±2.47 years. The mean age for males was 14.19±2.38 years and 14.25±2.57 years for females. A total of 52.9% of the respondents were males and 47.1% were females. Higher proportions of the females, 41.6% were already in late puberty stages compared to their male counterparts where 21.9% were at this stage. With regards to this rate of pubertal development, more males, 14.2% significantly had late rate of pubertal development than the females 5.1%. The significant demographic predictors was socio-economic class in females only. CONCLUSION: From this study, the timing of puberty was early for females and socio-economic class is an important demographic predictor for pubertal development. This study was however limited because intrinsic factors such as genetic makeup and nutritional status which could affect the finding were not be excluded.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Peer Education in Improving HIV Knowledge, Attitude, and Sexual Behaviours among In-School Adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria.

Introduction. Young people are at the centre of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic. This study therefore aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of peer education in improving HIV knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices among in-school adolescents in Osun State, Nigeria. Methods. This was an intervention study that was carried out among in-school adolescents attending mixed secondary schools in Osun State, Nigeria. The study was in three stages: before intervention, intervention, and after intervention. The impact of peer education was evaluated twelve weeks after intervention. Data were collected using pretested semistructured questionnaires and data analysis was done with SPSS version 16. Results. At the preintervention stage, the study and control groups were similar in their sociodemographic characteristics, HIV knowledge, attitude, and preventive practices, including high risk behaviours for HIV/AIDS transmission. After the peer education intervention, those with good knowledge and positive attitudes towards HIV/AIDS increased significantly from 50.0% to 86.7% and from 49.0% to 85.6%, respectively (P < 0.05). Conclusion. The study showed that peer education is effective in improving knowledge, attitude, and some preventive practices towards HIV/AIDS among in-school adolescents. Educational programmes about HIV/AIDS should therefore be designed to target this age group putting into consideration their unique characteristics.