Sensory wellbeing workshops for inpatient and day-care patients with anorexia nervosa.

BACKGROUND: The wellbeing of patients with eating disorders is one of the priorities in the "bigger picture" of treatment for eating disorders. Sensory soothing strategies for sensory sensitivities are supportive tools which could be useful in day-care and inpatient clinical programmes. METHODS: Evaluation of multiple separate sensory wellbeing workshops consisting of psychoeducation and experiential components delivered in inpatient and intensive day-care services was performed. Participants' self-report questionnaires were evaluated pre- and post-workshop. Additionally, patients' comments and qualitative feedback was collected after completion of the workshop. RESULTS: There was strong evidence that self-reported awareness of sensory wellbeing, awareness of strategies to enhance sensory wellbeing, and confidence in managing sensory wellbeing increased after the workshops with positive qualitative feedback from participants. The feedback questionnaires highlighted that patients found the sessions useful and were able to use some of the skills and strategies they learned in the workshop. CONCLUSION: This pilot work on sensory wellbeing workshops with a protocol-based format was feasible and beneficial for the patient group. Preliminary evidence suggests that delivery of similar workshops could be sensible in addition to treatment as usual in inpatient and day-care programmes.

Knowledge of Breast Cancer and Practice of Breast Cancer Screening among Female Teachers in an Urban Local Government Area in Lagos State, Southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a global health concern and a leading cause of death among women in the world. Enhancing breast cancer screening in developing countries is pivotal in improving women's health. Aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of breast cancer and practices of breast cancer screening. METHODS: Study design was a descriptive cross sectional study among 348 public senior secondary school female teachers in Surulere LGA. Data was collected using a pretested, structured, open-ended and close-ended self-administered questionnaire. Questions on knowledge of breast cancer and practice of breast cancer screening were scored and graded as good (>50%) and poor (< 50%). The Univariate and bivariate analyses were carried out. Pvalue <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 332 out of the 348 administered questionnaires were retrieved and analyzed giving a response rate of 95.40%. Respondents' ages ranged from 24-58 years with a mean of 42.61±5.53 years. Overall knowledge of breast cancer was good among 308(92.77%) of the respondents. Majority 264(79.52%) of the respondents performed breast self-examination (BSE), 240(72.29%) have had clinical breast examination (CBE) performed for them by a health personnel and 216(65.06%) of the respondents reported they have had a mammogram. CONCLUSION: Majority of the respondents had good knowledge of breast cancer. Most common practice of breast cancer screening was BSE, followed by CBE and lastly mammogram. Health education/awareness campaigns are therefore recommended to improve and sustain the existing knowledge and breast cancer screening practices.

Evaluating the health risk of metals (Zn, Cr, Cd, Ni, Pb) in staple foods from Lagos and Ogun States, Southwestern Nigeria.

The study evaluated the health risk of metals in commonly consumed staple foods from Lagos and Ogun states, southwestern Nigeria. One hundred and thirty-three food samples were collected and analyzed for Zn, Cr, Cd, Ni, and Pb using atomic absorption spectrophotometric method. Data collected were analyzed for simple descriptive and inferential statistics using SPSS for Windows. The health risk of metals in staple foods was assessed for average daily dose (ADD), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI), and cancer risk (CR). Results showed the highest concentrations of Zn (18.99 ± 13.62 mg kg-1) and Ni (0.21 ± 0.10 mg kg-1) in beans, while the highest amount of Cr (2.04 ± 1.44 mg kg-1) was obtained in rice. Cd concentrations in staple foodstuffs ranged from < 0.01 to 0.30 mg kg-1, while Pb was below the detection limit. The average levels of Zn in beans and maize were higher than the recommended dietary allowance (9.5 mg kg-1) of the Institute of Medicine. The mean concentrations of Cr and Cd (except for rice) in staple food samples were also higher than the permissible standards. The health risk data revealed HQ value greater than 1.0 for Cr in the food samples, indicating non-carcinogenic adverse health effects. The HI value greater than 1.0 in staple foods established cumulative adverse effects of metals. The carcinogenic evaluation of Cr (in all the food samples) and Ni (in beans) showed CR values greater than the acceptable limit of 1.0 × 10-4, thereby demonstrating possible development of cancer through consumption of the staple foodstuffs.