Helping babies survive: Thermal and umbilical cord care practices for neonates in Ado-Ekiti, Southern Nigeria.

Newborn care practices immediately after delivery can decrease newborns' risk of diseases and death in early neonatal life. This study assessed thermal and umbilical cord care practices among mothers in randomly selected health care facilities in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State. Descriptive quantitative research design was used and 211 mothers were selected through convenience sampling techniques. Semi-structured questionnaire, adapted from a previous study was utilized to collect data which was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The majority of the respondents were Yoruba aged 20-29 years; 70% of the respondents were aware of the standard cord care practice; 90% agreed that heat should be applied to the newborn's umbilical cord. 70.5% of mothers used methylated spirit to clean the umbilical cord; 39.5% claimed that they used menthol ointment; while 20.5% used the standard prescribed chlorhexidine. On thermal care practices, 10% dried their babies, 39.5% bathed their babies immediately, while 50% of mothers wrapped their newborns in heavy clothing. Factors influencing common thermal and umbilical cord care include religion and cultural preferences. Efforts should be devoted towards providing tailored health education approaches on proper thermal and umbilical cord care practices to mothers and the community at large.

Knowledge of the effects of regular pelvic floor exercises on maternal health among women in a comprehensive health centre in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

Regular pelvic floor exercise is essential for maternal health among women because it is a proven conservative treatment and prevention for pelvic organ prolapse. This study aimed at investigating the knowledge of women on the effects of regular pelvic floor exercise on the maternal health among women attending a primary health centre in Ado - Ekiti. It also assessed the women's attitude towards and the practice of pelvic floor exercises. The study was predicated on reasoned action theory, while a descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted using total enumerative sampling technique. Data was collected from 248 respondents using researcher-administered questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings from the study showed that the majority (72.20%) of the respondents had a low level of awareness of pelvic floor exercises, 74.2% perceived pelvic floor exercises as very necessary to maternal health, 75.4% showed a negative attitude to pelvic floor exercises, less than half (48.7) claimed to be practicing pelvic floor exercises. No significant association was found between women's attitude and the practice of pelvic floor exercises (P > 0.05). More education should be given to women seeking primary health care on the benefits of pelvic floor exercises.

Lived experiences of prostate cancer patients in an urban metropolis in North Central, Nigeria.

Prostate cancer (PCa) is currently the second most prevalent cancer in the world and the most common type of cancer among Nigerian men. This study explored the lived experiences of patients with PCa at the General Hospital in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. A mixed-method design was adopted. Purposive and consecutive sampling techniques were employed to recruit 50 and 10 participants for the quantitative and qualitative aspects respectively. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic content analysis while quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. All participants were above the age of 50 years, 72% earned about $100 monthly while 68% were diagnosed in less than five years. Majority of the participants utilized adaptive coping styles and also found the strategies moderately helpful while living with the effects of radical prostatectomy. Participants also found the high cost of treatment severely challenging. Government and other stakeholders may need to subsidize the cost of PCa management thereby encouraging early accessibility to care, improved adherence to treatment and also reduce the economic burden of the disease on patients and their families.

Perceptions, attitude, and practice of undergraduates towards pre-conceptional care in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

Periconceptional care (PCC) addresses the care before pregnancy occurs. The objectives of this study were to assess the knowledge, attitude of undergraduates towards and the practice of pre-conception care among the undergraduates. Quantitative approach with a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was adopted using semi structured researcher- administered questionnaire with close - ended and restricted- choice questions. 273 female students were selected using a multistage and proportional sampling techniques from various departments in the University. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods with the aid of SPSS (version 23). Results showed that 75.2% had high knowledge of pre-conception care, 76.8% had positive attitude towards pre-conception., 66.1% had never sought pre-conception care as the majority were not married, but desired to complete schooling before considering such practices. The knowledge of preconception care among the women was high, their attitude towards preconception care was good but their practice of preconception care was poor. Age, marital status and course of study were significant predictors of the respondents' adoption of PC. There is a need for health workers to lay more emphasis on the importance of PCC thus encouraging youths to adopt and utilize preconception care.

Type of pots used in cooking may influence the iron content of commonly consumed vegetables in Nigeria: A laboratory based comparative study.

Iron deficiency anemia is a major public health problem, especially in resource-poor countries. Cooking pots may contribute some appreciable amount of trace metals into food by way of leaching. The effects of iron and aluminum cooking pots on iron content of two commonly consumed vegetables were investigated. The pH content was determined using pH meter while the moisture was determined using a moisture content analyzer. The iron content was determined using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The mean difference in the pH of African spinach (VA) 7.2±0.0 and Lagos spinach (VL) 7.2±0.0 was not significant (p>0.05). The mean moisture content of African spinach and Lagos spinach were 8.7±0.0 g/100g and 18.2±0.1 g/100g respectively. The difference in the moisture content was however statistically significant (p <0.05). The iron content of African spinach boiled in aluminum pot [VA (Al)] (5.9±0.0 mg/100g) was statistically different from the fresh sample of African spinach, VA (12.7±0.2 mg/100g) (p <0.05) but the amount of iron lost as a result of boiling in aluminum pot was 6.8mg / 100g. The iron content of African spinach boiled in iron pot [VA (Fe)] (15.9±0.0 mg/100g) was also statistically different from the fresh sample of African spinach (p <0.05). However, the amount of iron added (leached) as a result of boiling was 3.2 mg/100g. The same trend was observed in the Lagos spinach boiled in aluminum and iron pots. However, the iron lost as a result of boiling in aluminum pot (0.2 mg/100g) was not significant (p>0.05) while a greater amount of iron (5.5 mg/100g) was added (leached) when Lagos spinach was boiled in iron pot. Cooking in iron pots will conserve iron during boiling and improve iron intake from the vegetables.