Variations in preference for family care support among the elderly in Southwestern Nigeria.

Preference for family care support among the elderly has become a prominent issue in Nigeria. Hence, the study explored variations in preference for family care support among the elderly in South-western Nigeria (Lagos and Oyo states). Data were extracted from a 2012 elderly survey dataset, and analyzed using quantitative techniques (univariate and bivariate). The results showed that study locations, marriage-type, educational attainment, employment status, religious affiliation, means of livelihood and usual place of residence have little and apparent variations in preferences for family care support in Southwestern Nigeria. We recommend that in order to keep on sustaining high-preferences for family care support, elderly people should be given all-round communal supports by family caregivers in the Nigerian extended family system.

Influence of socio-economic factors on prevalence of teenage pregnancy in Nigeria.

The study utilized the theory of fertility as initiated by Davis and Blakes (1956) and developed by Bongaarts in 1978 to underscore why teenage fertility has remained high in Nigeria. This study investigates women socio-economic factors influencing pregnancy in Nigeria. A total sample of 8448 female teenagers with pregnancy experiences were extracted from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS). The study revealed that 19% of young girls with 15-19 years have experienced teenage pregnancy in Nigeria. More importantly, the socio-economic factors with significant influence on teenage pregnancy are: respondents with age 18-19 years (33.2 percent), rural (27.2 percent), Islamic religion (25.2 percent), North-west (28.5 percent), poorest (32 percent), no educational (43.7 percent), married/living with partners (73.9 percent), employed (21.5 percent), visited any health facility in the last 12 months (42 percent) and those who were informed about family planning at a health facility (84.3 per cent) . There is need for sound education for females in Nigeria that will equip girls and women with adequate knowledge needed to make informed decisions on matters relating to sexual and reproductive health, hence resulting in the actualization of the SDG 5.

Nigeria and Italy Divergences in Coronavirus Experience: Impact of Population Density.

BACKGROUND: The reports and information on coronavirus are not conspicuously emphasising the possible impact of population density on the explanation of difference in rapid spread and fatality due to the disease and not much has been done on bicountry comparisons. OBJECTIVE: The study examined the impact of population density on the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in two sociodemographic divergent countries. METHODS: The study conducted a scoping review of published and unpublished articles including blogs on incidences and fatalities of COVID-19. The analysis followed qualitative description and quantitative presentation of the findings using only frequency distribution, percentages, and graphs. RESULTS: The two countries shared similar experience of "importation" of COVID-19, but while different states ordered partial lockdown in Nigeria, it was an immediate total lockdown in Italy. The physician/patient ratio is high in Italy (1 : 328) but low in Nigeria (1 : 2500), while population density is 221 in Nigeria and 206 in Italy. Daily change in incidence rate reduced to below 20% after 51 and 30 days of COVID-19 first incidence in Italy and Nigeria, respectively. Fatality rate has plummeted to below 10% after the 66th day in Italy but has not been stabilised in Nigeria. CONCLUSION: The authors upheld both governments' recommending measures that tilted towards personal hand-hygienic practices and social distancing. Authors suggested that if Italy with its high physician/patient ratio and lower population density compared to Nigeria could suffer high fatality from COVID-19 pandemic under four weeks, then Nigeria with its low physician/patient ratio and higher population density should prepare to face harder time if the pandemic persists.

Factors influencing maternal mortality among rural communities in southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality and morbidity reflect the status of population health and quality of life across nations. Poor understanding of the interplay of many antecedent factors, including sociocultural, economic and logistic factors, combined with an overwhelming poor health services delivery, is a basic challenge in several countries, particularly in rural settings where functional health care services are relatively scarce. There are still uncertainties as to the extent of this burden, owing to current challenges with information and data collation. This study aimed at identifying nonmedical factors associated with maternal mortality in rural and semiurban communities of southwestern Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: The study was carried out in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State. A multistage sampling technique and an informant survey approach were used in the study. A total sample of 360 eligible respondents were selected randomly from 11 out of 16 political wards in the study area and interviewed through the administration of questionnaires. The data were processed using descriptive statistics and regression analyses. RESULTS: Place of consultation (P=0.000), who pays the treatment costs (P=0.000), awareness of pregnancy complications (P=0.002) and knowledge of the place of antenatal care treatment (P=0.000) significantly influenced maternal mortality (proxy by place of delivery of last birth). The F-statistic (15.100) confirmed the hypothesis that nonmedical factors influence maternal mortality. The correlation of predictor variables was significant at both the 0.01 level and the 0.05 level (2-tailed). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that in a rural community setting with a depleted health care system, health education tailored toward community culture, subsidized maternal health care services by the government and operators of private clinics, as well as empowering and improving the status of women may reduce maternal mortality and prompt better utilization and survival chances of women in the study area as well as in all of Nigeria.

The burden of road traffic crashes, injuries and deaths in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the burden of road traffic injuries and deaths for all road users and among different road user groups in Africa. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, Google Scholar, websites of African road safety agencies and organizations for registry- and population-based studies and reports on road traffic injury and death estimates in Africa, published between 1980 and 2015. Available data for all road users and by road user group were extracted and analysed. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis and estimated pooled rates of road traffic injuries and deaths. FINDINGS: We identified 39 studies from 15 African countries. The estimated pooled rate for road traffic injury was 65.2 per 100 000 population (95% confidence interval, CI: 60.8-69.5) and the death rate was 16.6 per 100 000 population (95% CI: 15.2-18.0). Road traffic injury rates increased from 40.7 per 100 000 population in the 1990s to 92.9 per 100 000 population between 2010 and 2015, while death rates decreased from 19.9 per 100 000 population in the 1990s to 9.3 per 100 000 population between 2010 and 2015. The highest road traffic death rate was among motorized four-wheeler occupants at 5.9 per 100 000 population (95% CI: 4.4-7.4), closely followed by pedestrians at 3.4 per 100 000 population (95% CI: 2.5-4.2). CONCLUSION: The burden of road traffic injury and death is high in Africa. Since registry-based reports underestimate the burden, a systematic collation of road traffic injury and death data is needed to determine the true burden.