Data on gender-equitable healthcare accessibility in Northern Nigeria.

Gender equity, particularly in healthcare, has been gaining increasing attention in recent years. The goal is to ensure that everyone has equal access to quality healthcare services irrespective of age, gender, or socio-economic status. However, most countries in sub-Saharan Africa struggle to meet this goal, due to several challenges, including poverty, poor infrastructure, and gender-bias. Using Nigeria as a case-study, it is common knowledge that gender inequality and discrimination is predominant in the northern region of the country. This work sought to gather data to assess the level of healthcare accessibility from a gender-based perspective in northern Nigeria. Data were sourced anonymously from residents in about 500 locations across the northern region of Nigeria, using WhatsApp-based questionnaires, in two phases and two languages - English and Hausa. About 4700 participants took part in the survey and each had to answer 43 questions, split into demographic, socio-economic, wellness check, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in health care services obtained.

Mobile authentication service in Nigeria: An assessment of community pharmacists' acceptance and providers' views of successes and challenges of deployment.

BACKGROUND: Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) is a mobile health technology deployed to hinder the retailing of falsified medicines to consumers in Nigeria. But, some community pharmacists reported that points of failures of MAS have negatively impacted their practices. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the acceptance of MAS by community pharmacists; (2) to explore the views of MAS providers on the challenges and successes of MAS deployment in Nigeria. METHODS: A quantitative cross sectional survey was used to investigate community pharmacists' acceptance of MAS. A validated structured questionnaire, based on Technology Acceptance Model, was distributed to 326 community pharmacists. In addition, a structured interview guide was employed to explore MAS providers' views of challenges and successes of MAS deployment in Nigeria. RESULTS: Just about half (53%) of responding community pharmacists were keen on using MAS. In addition, 51% of them would recommend the service to other practitioners and 54% would encourage their clients to use it. The results of the study indicated that both awareness and perceived reliability played important role in the behavioural intention to use the MAS. The findings from the exploration of MAS providers' views showed that the problems encountered with MAS (no response and wrong response) were mainly due to contextual challenges in the Nigerian setting. These contextual challenges like the Global System Mobile downtime, incessant power outages and limited ability of consumers to use the Short Message Service, all contributed to the limited success of MAS in Nigeria. CONCLUSIONS: Acceptance of mobile authentication service by community pharmacists is moderate. Perceived reliability and awareness are important factors that affect behavioural intention to use MAS. The limited success of MAS deployment appeared to be as a result of its interaction with the local context, where it has been deployed.

Mobile authentication service in Nigeria: An assessment of community pharmacists' acceptance and providers' views of successes and challenges of deployment

Background: Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) is a mobile health technology deployed to hinder the retailing of falsified medicines to consumers in Nigeria. But, some community pharmacists reported that points of failures of MAS have negatively impacted their practices. Objectives: The objectives of this study were (1) to assess the acceptance of MAS by community pharmacists; (2) to explore the views of MAS providers on the challenges and successes of MAS deployment in Nigeria. Methods: A quantitative cross sectional survey was used to investigate community pharmacists' acceptance of MAS. A validated structured questionnaire, based on Technology Acceptance Model, was distributed to 326 community pharmacists. In addition, a structured interview guide was employed to explore MAS providers' views of challenges and successes of MAS deployment in Nigeria. Results: Just about half (53%) of responding community pharmacists were keen on using MAS. In addition, 51% of them would recommend the service to other practitioners and 54% would encourage their clients to use it. The results of the study indicated that both awareness and perceived reliability played important role in the behavioural intention to use the MAS. The findings from the exploration of MAS providers' views showed that the problems encountered with MAS (no response and wrong response) were mainly due to contextual challenges in the Nigerian setting. These contextual challenges like the Global System Mobile downtime, incessant power outages and limited ability of consumers to use the Short Message Service, all contributed to the limited success of MAS in Nigeria. Conclusions: Acceptance of mobile authentication service by community pharmacists is moderate. Perceived reliability and awareness are important factors that affect behavioural intention to use MAS. The limited success of MAS deployment appeared to be as a result of its interaction with the local context, where it has been deployed

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Domiciliary Cockroaches as Carriers of Human Intestinal Parasites in Lagos Metropolis, Southwest Nigeria: Implications for Public Health.

BACKGROUND: Domiciliary cockroaches are obnoxious pests of significant medical importance. We investigated the prevalence of human intestinal parasites in cockroaches and its attendant public health importance. METHODS: Overall, 749 cockroaches (Periplaneta americana, 509, Blattella germanica, 240) caught by trapping from 120 households comprising 3 different housing types in Somolu, Lagos metropolis, southwest Nigeria, in 2015 were screened for human intestinal parasites using standard parasitological techniques. RESULTS: The prevalence of human intestinal parasites in cockroaches was 96.4%. There was no statistically significant difference (P> 0.05) in parasite prevalences between P. americana (95.7%) and B. germanica (97.9%). Parasite species identified and their prevalence were as follows: Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (44.1%), E. coli (37.8%), Giardia lamblia (18.7%), Cryptosporidium sp. (13.8%), Ascaris lumbricoides (61.3%), Trichuris trichiura (55.8%), hookworms (11.6%), Strongyloides stercoralis (11.7%), Taenia/Echinococcus spp. (10.5%), Enterobius vermicularis (17.2%) and Hymenolepis nana (11.6%). Parasite prevalence and burdens varied with housing type; the prevalence was significantly higher statistically (P< 0.05) in cockroaches from low-cost bungalow, LCB (100%) and low-cost, 2-storey, LC2-S (100%) houses than in medium-cost flats, MCF (81.3%). Parasite burdens were also significantly higher statistically (P< 0.05) in cockroaches from LCB or LC2-S than in cockroaches from MCF. Parasite prevalences between cockroach gut and body surfaces were not statistically significant (P> 0.05) but mean parasite burdens in gut were significantly higher statistically (P< 0.05) than on body surfaces. CONCLUSION: Cockroaches types carry transmissive stages of human intestinal parasites and may act as reservoirs and potential mechanical vectors for disease transmission.