Determinants for male involvement in family planning and contraception in Nakawa Division, Kampala, Uganda; An urban slum qualitative study.

Current evidence shows that male involvement in family planning (FP) is crucial to women's contraceptive use decisions. This study explored the reasons for male involvement in FP and contraception in slum areas in Nakawa Division, Kampala, Uganda. A qualitative study was conducted among sexually active males in a slum area in Nakawa Division, Kampala. A purposive sampling technique was utilised to recruit 40 men for a Focus Group Discussion (FGDs), and 2 key informants (KI) for critical perspective interviews. A semi-structured FGDs and interview guides were used to collect the data. The FGDs were conducted in both English and the local language, Luganda. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts for both FGDs and KI interviews were imported into the NVivo Qualitative Data Analysis Software version 10 application, and thematic data analysis was conducted. The findings show that males' involvement in FP and its decisions were minimal. The findings also show that several factors emerged as contributing to male's participation in FP and utilisation of contraceptives. Inadequate understanding of FP and contraceptives, lack of clarity on males' role in FP, unfriendly healthcare environment and community members' perceptions of male involvement in FP were reported as reasons contributing to male participation in FP and contraction. There is limited involvement of males in FP. There is a need for renewed efforts that will positively alter the factors that impact male involvement favourably. Promotion and education about FP for males will significantly address issues of limited understanding and clarity of males' role in FP services.

Neonatal Jaundice Management: Improving Clinical Knowledge of Jaundice for Improved Attitudes and Practices to Enhance Neonatal Care.

Neonatal jaundice is a common medical condition that affects neonates in the early days of life. Nurses and midwives play important role in the identification and management of neonatal jaundice and the promotion of good neonatal health and education. Their clinical knowledge of neonatal jaundice may influence their attitude and practices toward the identification and management of neonatal jaundice. The study results showed that the level of good knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward neonatal jaundice management was 69.30% (140/202), 64.90% (131/202), and 62.90% (127/202), respectively. The inferential statistics showed a positive association between good knowledge and attitudes toward neonatal jaundice and good practices of neonatal jaundice management. Suggestively, nurses and midwives who have and demonstrate better clinical knowledge and exhibit positive attitudes are more likely to implement appropriate practices for the management of neonatal jaundice. Healthcare providers should therefore invest in life-long learning activities for staff, especially in the study setting.

Prioritizing Workplace Health Promotion Policy to Address High Blood Pressure and Obesity in a Public University in the Northern Region of Ghana.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) recommends the engagement of the world of work in providing comprehensive and effective prevention strategy for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Workers are at risk of developing 1 or more cases of NCDs due to their exposure to risk factors at work. The ILO suggests that the work-related risk factors can be prevented by improving working conditions and integration of workplace health promotion programs. Workplace health promotion policies promote workers general health, improve working environment, work practices, and reduces the risks of common NCDs including hypertension (high blood pressure) and obesity among employees. A number of studies have described the increasing trends of hypertension and obesity among civil servants but are limited in assessing the availability and effectiveness of workplace health promotion policies to address them. We assessed the availability and effectiveness of workplace health promotion policy to address the prevalence of high blood pressure in a public university in the Northern Region of Ghana. Using a mixed method study design, 191 administrative staff were recruited and in-depth qualitative interviews conducted among 5 key informants. The study found significant number of participants with elevated and high blood pressure and overweight and obesity with no functional workplace health promotion at the time of the study. We therefore recommend the prioritization and development of a workplace health policy to reduce the prevalence of high blood pressure and obesity among staff of the university using the integrative workplace health promotion model.

Neonatal Jaundice Management: Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Among Nurses and Midwives in the Northern Region, Ghana.

Background: Nurses and midwives play important role in managing neonatal jaundice and provide nursing health education to mothers on preventive and remedial measures to neonatal jaundice. However, the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of nurses and midwives towards neonatal jaundice is not well understood in the Northern Region of Ghana. Aim of the study: The study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of nurses and midwives towards the management of neonatal jaundice. Design and Method: This is a hospital-based descriptive cross-sectional study, conducted between the periods of January 2021 to August 2021 in the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Northern Region, Ghana. Descriptive analysis such as mean, standard deviation, frequencies, and percentages were performed to give general description of the variables. Simple Pearson Chi-square test and logistic regression models were performed to test the level of associations between the outcome and independent variables and predictors for neonatal jaundice. A p-value of <.05 was considered statistically significant for the test of association. Results: Among the 202 nurses and midwives, the mean age was 30.6 ± 3.8 years and majority were females (71.3%). The overall good knowledge, attitudes, and practices score towards neonatal jaundice was 69.30%, 64.90%, and 62.90%, respectively. After adjusting for other variables, good knowledge (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 22.41(10.21-49.18) p < .001) and good attitude (AOR = 25(11.86-55.07) p < .001) were positively associated with practices towards neonatal jaundice. Conclusion/Interpretation: The participants demonstrated substantial knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards neonatal jaundice. However, there still exist some gaps in their knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards neonatal jaundice that need to be addressed to improve neonatal health outcomes in the study setting.

Adverse events reported after first dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in the Northern Region of Ghana.

AIM: The study examined the associated adverse events following SARS-CoV-2 vaccination among healthcare workers during the first dose of the vaccine in the Northern Region of Ghana. DESIGN: The study was a cross-sectional survey involving 463 healthcare workers. METHOD: The data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The data were analysed descriptively, and binary logistics was performed using SPSS version 25. RESULTS: The mean age was 33.4 ± 9.7 years, the majority (43.6%) being ≤30 years and males (57.2%). The self-reported prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine adverse events was 75.5%. Common systemic adverse events comprised headache (47.5%), dizziness (18.4%) and local adverse events included generalized body pains (44.0%) and abscess around the injection sites (11.2%). The study found a high prevalence of self-reported SARS-CoV-2 vaccine adverse events involving both systemic and local adverse events. Our study gives useful information that can be used for public health-targeted interventions to boost public confidence in SARS-CoV-2 vaccines.