HIV/AIDS-Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Uptake of HIV Testing Services:A Comparative Study of Male and Female Secondary School Students in Lagos, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of HIV/AIDS and use of HIV Testing Services in Nigeria is still far from optimal. Good HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes are important in prevention. The aim of this study was to assess and compare HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes and the uptake of HIV Testing Services between male and female senior secondary school students in Lagos, Nigeria. METHODS: Using multistage sampling, 543 (50.3% male, 49.7 % female) participants were selected in a comparative cross-sectional study carried out in six senior secondary schools in Alimosho LGA, Lagos. Data was collected using a pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS- 20, p<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Participants' level of knowledge of HIV/AIDS was good (86.4% male, 86.3% female), the difference was not statistically significant. The main source of HIV/AIDS information was their teachers (male - 53.6%, female - 49.3%). Attitudes were positive (99.3% males, 98.1% females). However, the uptake of HIV testing was low (27.8% male, 24.1% female). Only 41.8% of males and 34.1% of females knew where HIV Testing Services were offered. The uptake of HIV testing showed a significant association, for the males, with family structure (p=0.034), confiding in their fathers (p=0.039) and religion (p=0.044), and for the females, mothers' level of education (p=0.036), number of siblings (p=0.044) and alcohol use (p=0.006). CONCLUSION: In both groups, knowledge and attitude were optimal, however. the uptake of HIV testing was low due to poor access. Teaching about HIV/AIDS in schools should be sustained, but to improve the use of HIV Testing Services, stronger families are encouraged, though providing more HIV testing centers, especially Youth Friendly Centers should be considered.

Self-reported physical activity among health care professionals in South-West Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity (PA) is a key requirement for maintaining good health. There is growing evidence of declining PA worldwide. Physical inactivity is linked with the global obesity pandemic and increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in developing countries. A barrier to PA counseling by health care providers (HCPs) is personal PA habits. Information regarding PA among HCPs in Nigeria is limited. We aimed to determine the adequacy and predictors of PA among HCPs of a tertiary health care facility in Lagos, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Using the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline, PA was categorized as adequate or inadequate. Predictors of PA were explored with multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 300 HCPs were recruited, comprising 47.7% doctors and dentists, 43.3% nurses and 9.0% other HCPs. Mean age was 39.9 (9.0 years), 79.2%, 9.7% and 11.1% of the HCPs had low, moderate or high PA levels respectively. Thus, only 20.8% had adequate PA. 71.3% had body mass index (BMI) above the recommended value. BMI of ≥25 kg/m2 was associated with inadequate PA (Adjusted Odds Ratio-2.1,P=0.018). CONCLUSION: Majority of the HCPs had inadequate PA levels according to WHO guidelines. BMI≥25 kg/m2 was associated with inadequate physical inactivity. The low level of PA implies that these HCPs are at risk for NCDs. This will have a negative impact on availability of human resource for health. There is an urgent need to establish programs to increase PA among HCPs.

Use of HIV Screening Services and Sexual Behavior of In-School Adolescents in Surulere LGA, Lagos State.

BACKGROUND: The health and development.of populations irrespective of where they live is dependent on their behaviour. Adolescents constitute a huge chunk of the global population. A high proportion of the burden of diseases therefore occur in this age group as well. The maturation process occurs throughout this period and behaviours adopted often last for life and are determinants of healthy adult life. High prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections including Human Immunodeficiency Virus has been documented in adolescents. OBJECTIVE: This study was carried out to assess the use of HIV screening services and sexual behaviour of in-school adolescents in Surulere an urban community in Lagos State, Nigeria. METHODS: Cross sectional descriptive study design was used. Simple random sampling was used to select 9 public senior secondary schools in Surulere Local Government Area. All the enrolled and willing students in SSS3 who were available during the period of data collection were included in the study (1,029). Information was collected with a self-adrministered questionnaire. Data analysis was done with Epi info version 3.5.4. Frequency tables were generated and analysis was explored using chi square at. p<0.05. RESULTS: The mean age was 16 years. Majority of the students were in the 15-19 years age bracket, females, Christians and lived in monogamous homes. All the three arms namely commercial class, arts class and science class were included. Less than one tenth of the students 90 (8.9%) had been screened for HIV infection. Among this group., more than half had tested once and 37.8% tested because they had participated in risky behavior. Fifteen percent were sexually active, among this group 20% engaged in transactional sex. Only 36.8% used condom at first sex which increased to 57.2% at last sex, however consistent condom use was practiced by 22.4%. Students who are sexually experienced (p<0.001) were more likely to have been screened while those in science class (p=0.012) were more willing to screen for HIV. Male students were more likely to have had sex (p<0.001).Compared to Science and Commercial students, those in Arts class were more likely to have had sex (p=0.004), use condoms (p=0.017) and use it consistently (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Even though the adolescents in this study. engage in risky sexual behaviour, use of HCT services and other STI prevention strategies was poor. It is essential that young people have access to and utilize all HIV prevention tools at their disposal.

Orthodox versus unorthodox care: A qualitative study on where rural women seek healthcare during pregnancy and childbirth in Southwest, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Utilization of orthodox health facilities for maternal health services is determined by factors operating at the individual, household, community and state level. The prevalence of small family norm is one of the identified variables operating within the community which influences the decision of where to access care (orthodox/traditional). The objective of the study was to determine the use of orthodox versus unorthodox maternity healthcare and determinants among rural women in southwest Nigeria. METHODS: A qualitative study was done and involved three focus group discussions. A semi-structured interview guide was used to collect information from women of reproductive age group within a rural Local Government Area in Lagos state. RESULTS: Most of the women access some form of healthcare during pregnancy, orthodox, unorthodox or both. Those who patronize both services concurrently do so to benefit from the two as each has some unique features such as herbal concoctions for traditional, ultrasound and immunization of babies for orthodox. Traditional belief exerts a strong influence on decision of where to access maternal healthcare services. Actual place of delivery is determined by individual and household factors including financial resources. CONCLUSION: Rural women utilize one or both orthodox and unorthodox maternal health services for different reasons. Ward Development Committees should be strengthened so as to reach the communities, educate and convince women to dispel myths which limit their use of orthodox care. Training and monitoring of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) are vital to eliminate harmful practices. We also recommend improved financial access to orthodox healthcare.

Blood donation practices and willingness to donate among residents of an urban slum in Lagos Nigeria.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to assess the blood donation practices and willingness to donate among residents of an urban slum. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Cross sectional descriptive study design with a qualitative and quantitative component. Multistage sampling was used to select 400 respondents for the questionnaire interview while three FGD sessions were conducted guide among three groups of participants namely youths, men and women. The information collected was analyzed manually (FGD) and with Epi info version 3.5.3. RESULTS: Majority of the questionnaire respondents were female, married, traders, had at least secondary school education, with mean age of 37.6 years. Only 12.0% had donated in the past, the main reason given by non donors was that they had never been asked to donate; this was also a key finding in the FGD. Willingness to donate was positively associated with being a male, single and Christian, age was a significant predictor of previous donation while more of the previous donors were still willing to donate, more for family/friends (p=0.036) than voluntarily (p=0.001) this view was supported by the participants at the FGD. CONCLUSION: Members of this urban slum had poor practice of blood donation,had positive attitude and were willing to donate, there is need to mobilise and organise outreach blood donation programs to convert attitude into actual practice.

Alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking pattern among brothel-based female sex workers in two local government areas in Lagos state, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol and tobacco use are known risk factors for non communicable diseases especially among women. Brothel based female sex workers may be at increased risk of exposure to these two substances. OBJECTIVE: To assess the pattern of alcohol and tobacco use among female sex workers in two selected local government areas in Lagos state, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 323 brothel-based female sex workers in 39 consenting brothels. Data was collected by trained interviewers using a pretested structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Majority (67.8%) were current drinkers with 89.5% of these having their most recent drink less than a week ago. Most of them (89%) consumed more than the reference limits for alcohol use among women. Up to 20.7% were current smokers with (92.5%) having their most recent cigarette less than a week ago. More than a third (37.4%) were heavy smokers while 19% were dual users. Current drinking was associated with current smoking. Smokers consumed significantly more units of alcohol than non-smokers. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of harmful alcohol use and cigarette smoking are very high among this group of female sex workers. Programs that address the use of these substances should be made available for these women.