Prevalence and Determinants of the use of Enema in under-five children in Akwa Ibom State

Background: Use of enema in children across clinical and community settings are associated with risks. This study seeks to determine the prevalence of enema practice in under-five children, substances used as enema and the reasons for enema practice by mothers. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cross sectional study among 252 consecutively recruited mothers of under-five children attending immunization/well babies clinics in 2 health centres in Akwa Ibom state using a semi-structured self and interviewer administered questionnaire for data collection. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 at a level of significance of P<0.05. Results: One hundred and sixty-nine (67.1%) respondents had ever given enema to their children. Mothers (69.2%) administered enema to their children which most often (72.8%) was recommended to them by others. Herbal enema was preferred to chemical and plain water enema. Common reasons for enema administration were in preparation for administration of antimalarial to ensure its effectiveness (60.4%), to relief constipation (49.7%) and abdominal pains (46.7%) and treatment of fevers (41.4%). Predictors of enema practice were age of the child (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.212-0.765, p=0.005) and ethnic origin of the mothers (OR 9.4,95% CI 4.024-22.104, p<0.001). Conclusion: The practice of enema is common in the study area. Health practitioners should be aware of this practice in the communities, seek for this history during clinical consultation and make concerted effort in educating the mothers and other caregivers against this practice.

Prevalence and risk factors associated with non-traffic related injury in the older population in Ghana: Wave 2 of the WHO Study on Global AGEing and adult health (SAGE).

Injuries are a significant cause of hospitalization in the older population, leading to a decline in physical activity and greater dependence on others. Compared to traffic related injury, relatively fewer studies have been conducted on non-traffic related injury in the older population in Ghana. This analysis provides a nationwide baseline prevalence and associated factors of non-traffic related injuries among older adults in Ghana. Data from the 2014-2015 nationally representative World Health Organization Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Ghana Wave 2 was used. A final sample of 3461 older adults living in 2827 households was used in the statistical modelling. Predictors of injury were examined using both single-level and multilevel binary logistic regression models. The prevalence of non-traffic related injury found in this study was 3.74%. The odds of being injured decreased among females (OR = 0.66, 95% CI: 0.46, 0.95) compared to their male counterparts and those who rated their heath state as moderate (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.38, 0.94). Depression was the only risk factor identified in the multivariable model (OR = 2.55, 95%CI: 1.38, 4.71). The study did not observe significant residual household-level variation in injury status. The role of depression as a risk factor suggests that interventions that aim to reduce non-traffic related injury in older adults should consider improving mental health.