Legalisation of abortion in a poor-resource setting: nigerian undergraduates' perspectives.

Background: Abortion is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality amongst Nigerian women in a country with restrictive abortion laws. Despite being illegal, abortions are still performed, and about 50% of abortions are performed by untrained persons in unhygienic conditions. This study assessed the determinants of attitude of undergraduates to legalisation of safe abortion in Nigeria. Methods: It is a descriptive cross-sectional study. We used a three-stage sampling technique to select 423 undergraduates using a pre-tested questionnaire. The predictors of attitude towards abortion and its legalisation were identified during multivariate analysis. Results: Good knowledge of abortion and its sequelae was found in about two-thirds (62.2%) of the participants, while over half (56.3%) had a negative perspective to abortion legalisation in Nigeria. Older participants were more likely to have positive perspectives to legalisation of abortion compared to their younger counterparts (odds ratio [OR] = 4.72, confidence interval [CI]: 2.61-8.55). Furthermore, respondents from upper social class and those with good knowledge were more likely to have positive perspectives to legalisation of abortion compared to their counterparts (OR = 5.63, CI: 3.12-10.16 and OR = 4.50, CI: 2.89-7.01). Conclusion: The study showed that respondents' knowledge of abortion was relatively low amongst the study population, and more than half of the respondents did not want abortion to be legalised. Increasing awareness on the importance of abortion and its complications in Nigeria will curb the menace of death due to abortion now and in the future.

Chronic Kidney Disease and Its Clinical Correlates in a Rural Community in Southwestern Nigeria.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a burgeoning problem globally, and more than a billion adults were affected as of 2016, with 1.2 million people dying from renal failure in 2017. To arrest the seemingly relentless progression of CKD to renal failure, there is a need to detect CKD early in the community. A community-based study was carried out to look at the prevalence and risk factors of CKD. Anthropometric and other clinical variables were measured. Blood samples were taken for determining creatinine, uric acid, urea, and lipids. CKD was defined as an estimated glomerular filtration rate of ≤60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Electrocardiograms and renal ultrasound scans were performed. In total, 201 people were recruited. Those with CKD had a male:female ratio of 1:3.9 and were older. The prevalence of autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease and CKD was 531.9 persons/100,000 population and 46.3%, respectively. Systolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), uric acid, QTc interval, and electrocardiographic left ventricular hypertrophy were higher in those with CKD. Age, female sex, and HDL were independently associated with CKD. There was a steep rise in CKD at the community level. Increased awareness of CKD and prompt interventions are therefore imperative.

Acceptance of COVID-19 vaccine among adults in two Urban local government areas of Kwara State, North Central Nigeria

Background Covid-19 has unquantifiable negative impacts on the world's socio-economic parameters. The rapid discovery of vaccines to fight this pandemic is a monumental scientific breakthrough. Study objective The study assessed willingness of adult Nigerians to accept Covid-19 vaccine and elucidated on factors influencing such decisions. Methodology Cross-sectional design was employed among 400 respondents recruited using multi-stage random sampling technique in Ilorin, Kwara-State, Nigeria. Pretested interviewer-administered, semi-structured questionnaire was used for data collection. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were carried out. Results Mean age ±SD of respondents was 40.85±13.75 and 215 (53.7%) of them were males. Those who possessed good knowledge of Covid-19 were 321 (80.3%), but few respondents had misconceptions regarding its causation. Attitude to Covid-19 vaccination was positive in 360 (90%) of the respondents, 278 (69.5%) were willing to accept the vaccine. Respondents' Covid-19 knowledge and attitude to its vaccination were the main determinants of willingness to receive the vaccine. Conclusion The Nigerian government urgently needs to leverage on the positive attitude of the people to fully implement its covid-19 vaccination policies which can ensure effective coverage and equitable access to the revolutionary Covid-19 vaccines. Awareness campaign on practice of other preventive measures should be sustained to produce a synergistic control effort