ABSTRACT
Mental disorders constitute an important portion of the world sickness ratio. In developing countries, in the absence of data on morbidity, hospital statistics are worthy of interest. Our study was carried out on a population of patients under care in the department of psychiatry of the Ouagadougou Hospital between January 1st 1990 and December 31st 2000, a period of 11 years. For each patient, we noted the sociodemographical features and the clinical diagnosis referring to the ICD-10 of the WHO. Within the scope of the study, 7 313 patients (60% men and 40% women) were analysed. The average age of the patients was 31.06 +/- 13.07 years. Among these patients, 80.60% had been exclusively under ambulatory care and 19.40% had been hospitalized at least once. The main categories of the available diagnoses were listed according to recurrence: acute psychotic disorders (20.68%), schizophrenia (17.25%) and depression (15.13%). In the men, the main diagnosis was acute psychotic disorders, whereas depression came top of the list for women. In the present state of socio-economic and cultural development in Burkina Faso, we note that only very serious mental disorders and/or those who cannot obtain favourable response with the traditional care system, come to medical centers. Therefore, there is a need to investigate the population as a whole, and to assess their need for medical care in this domain.
Subject(s)
Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Mental Disorders/therapy , Mental Health Services/organization & administration , Adolescent , Adult , Burkina Faso/epidemiology , Catchment Area, Health , Child , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
HIV infection has modified social relationships not only within various population subgroups but also at the family level. Patient management has been seriously affected. In 2001 we undertook a descriptive study among a population of PLHIV treated in an ambulatory center in order to 1(o)) describe the socio-demographical characteristics of PLHIV admitted to the center and 2(o)) identify the strategies adopted by PLHIV and their families to control the risk of HIV transmission in the entourage. Patients were systematically included over a period of two weeks. Each patient was asked to indicate the name of a family member that could be interviewed by the research team. A total of 188 PLHIV (122 women) ranging in age from 19 to 55 years were questioned. Interviews were conducted in 66 families. Most PLHIV had received some formal education ranging from primary school to university. Over one third (36.4%) had known that they were seropositive for at least one year. Almost three-fourths (73.4%) were aware that HIV was transmissible to other people. The most frequently mentioned transmission hazards were handling contaminated articles (51.5%), unprotected sexual intercourse (46.4%), contact with blood (34.8%), and sharing personal toilet articles (11.6%). The most commonly mentioned preventive measures were abstinence from sex (27.1%), use condoms (28.7%), and protection from pointed or cutting objects (19.1%). According to responding family members, the most common protective measures against HIV transmission were observing hygiene measures (36.5%), discarding any fluids from the ill person in the toilet (26.5%), wearing gloves (25%), and protecting against handling contaminated objects (5.8%). These data suggest that programs aimed at educating PLHIV and their families on the risk of HIV transmission and preventive measure has had a positive impact on the quality of life.
Subject(s)
Activities of Daily Living , HIV Infections/psychology , HIV Infections/transmission , Hygiene , Interpersonal Relations , Adult , Burkina Faso , Family Health , Female , Gloves, Protective , Health Surveys , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Education as Topic , Quality of Life , Risk Factors , Sexual BehaviorABSTRACT
HIV infection creates diverse representations among sick people, their families, the community and healthcare workers, representations that modify social relationships. To analyze the interpersonal relationships in families of people living with HIV, we began a cross-sectional descriptive study in 2001 of a population of HIV patients treated at an outpatient center in Ouagadougou. Our objectives were to: 1 degree) describe the changes in the social relationships between the subjects and members of their families; 2 degrees) itemize the difficulties they met within their families and identify the different types of discrimination they may suffer there. The systematic inclusion of HIV patients at the treatment center made it possible to question 188 subjects, including 122 women and 66 men aged 19 to 55 years. With the subjects' consent, 66 family members were also interviewed. According to these patients, the principal significant events experienced after disclosing their HIV status were absence of sexual intercourse with the partner (16.0%), rejection by their family (9.6%), taunting, criticism and contempt (6.4%). This conduct came from siblings (25%), other family members (20.8%), neighbours (20.8%), in-laws (16.7%), and the spouse (4.2%). Among our subjects, 74.5% informed their families that they were HIV-positive. Of the family members questioned, 82.1% considered the subject to be a victim and 17.9% considered him or her guilty. After receiving this information 21.5% of the families modified their relationships with the subjects. Despite information and awareness campaigns, HIV infection is laden with emotion and prejudice and subjects its victims to discriminatory behavior. Further public education is necessary to improve acceptance of people with this disease by their family and friends.
Subject(s)
HIV Infections/psychology , Interpersonal Relations , Adult , Burkina Faso , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
This study was carried out among teachers of 10 secondary schools in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, in order to contribute to the development and implementation of a tobacco control programme in the school setting. The study had the following objectives: 1) to determine the extent of teachers' smoking addiction in the secondary schools in the city of Ouagadougou, 2) to describe the perceptions, attitudes and behaviour of teachers in the secondary school setting when confronted with smoking in the city's schools, 3) to determine the teachers' level of knowledge with respect to the harmful effects of smoking. The study was carried out from May 25 to June 30, 2001, and it included 300 teachers, 218 of which were men and 82 women. The study demonstrated that it is important to inform and sensitise teachers based upon their attitudes and perceptions with respect to tobacco.
Subject(s)
Smoking/epidemiology , Teaching , Adult , Burkina Faso , Female , Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice , Humans , Male , SchoolsABSTRACT
Smoking is a worldwide phenomenon and many studies have demonstrated that tobacco use is a risk factor for morbidity and mortality. We investigated aspects of the supply of, and demand for, tobacco in Burkina Faso, with a view to helping the public authorities design strategies to combat this phenomenon. We used data on the importation of tobacco and the making of cigarettes in Burkina Faso and carried out a survey of adolescents and young adults (n = 289) with a mean age of 20.9 years. In 1997, Burkina Faso imported 1,905, 214 metric tons of tobacco of all kinds, with a CAF value of 5,808, 905,269 CFA francs. In the survey, 30.7% of those interviewed said that they smoked. These individuals gave various reasons for their use of tobacco including imitating friends (38.6%) and personal liberty (14.1%). These young people were generally aware of the risks of tobacco use, but this did not deter them from smoking. In countries like Burkina Faso, which is faced with many challenges, controlling tobacco advertising and providing ways and means to help young people to stop smoking or to deter them from starting to smoke are of major importance for future public health.
Subject(s)
Smoking/epidemiology , Adolescent , Adult , Advertising , Age Factors , Burkina Faso/epidemiology , Commerce , Cross-Over Studies , Female , Humans , Male , Plants, Toxic , Sex Factors , Smoking/psychology , Smoking Cessation , Smoking Prevention , NicotianaABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Enuresis is a frequent manifestation with important psychological and social consequences in Africa. In order to help the public authorities to plan monitoring actions and better targeted health interventions, we carried out this prospective study in one district of Ouagadougou. The aim of this study was to describe and analyze enuretic children and teenagers' profile from 5- to 16-years old, and their parents' attitude toward the disorder. POPULATION AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,575 children and teenagers of this age group. Those children and teenagers were chosen from a random sample of 645 households. Sociodemographic and medical data were obtained from respondents by using a written questionnaire. RESULTS: The rate of young people affected was 12.95%. Among them, 78.9% had primary enuresis; 50.5% of them were not treated. Those with secondary enuresis were more easily treated than those with primary stage. 87.3% were traditionally treated and 3.4% of enuretic children were essentially submitted to fluid restrictions. In about 27% of the cases, children were punished by their parents. CONCLUSION: Sociodemographic characteristics of our sample were similar to those in the literature. However, the parents in our study rarely used modern treatment and had inappropriate attitudes toward the disorder. We recommend that the most important factors to be taken into account in the secondary prevention of enuresis are the parents' ignorance and/or their scepticism toward the modern therapeutic possibilities.
