Expectations and experiences of urban and rural in-school adolescents of adolescent reproductive health services in oyo state, Nigeria.

Reproductive health information and services are fundamental to health, well-being and opportunities for women and young people, yet throughout the world, women and youths do not have access to quality reproductive health care thereby exposing them to unplanned pregnancy, teen birth, induced abortion as well as increased exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, HIV inclusive. This study is meant to explore the expectation of adolescents of an adolescent reproductive health services as well as to assess the experiences of those who had visited an ARHS at the centers. It was a descriptive cross-sectional prospective study, analytic in design using a multistage sampling technique where 452 secondary school pupils in both rural and urban communities were interviewed using a pretested validated questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. Chi square was used to test for association between both rural and urban adolescents in issues relating to their expectation and experiences, with P-value of #x003C;0.05. More of the respondents in the urban communities (73,32.4%) have the expectation that Adolescent Reproductive Health Services (ARHS) should be provided in an existing health service with special attention to adolescents while a larger percentage of those who preferred a special adolescent health institution were from the rural communities (122, 54.2%) which was statistically significant with a P-value of 0.001. More of respondents from the rural communities also expect that contraception services should be provided in an ARHS center while life skill services are expected by more of the respondents from the urban communities (122, 55.6%). More of the rural community respondents (57,25.3%) expect that fee at the ARHS centers should be provided at a subsidized rate while more of the urban dwellers have the expectation that services provided should be free of charge. For respondents who had been to an ARHS center, more of the urban respondents were attended to by a Medical doctor and a large percentage (34, 94.4%) of those who had visited ARHS center before professed to be satisfied with the services rendered there. Expectations from adolescents from ARHS are very high. However, most of them prefer a free of charge service as well as a service area nearer to residential area. Confidentiality and having a young health professional at the service centers cannot be overemphasized in the provision of quality ARHS.

Expectations and experiences of urban and rural in-school adolescents of adolescent reproductive health services in Oyo State.

Reproductive health information and services are fundamental to health, well-being and opportunities for women and young people, yet throughout the world, women and youths do not have access to quality reproductive health care thereby exposing them to unplanned pregnancy, teen birth, induced abortion as well as increased exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, HIV inclusive. This study is meant to explore the expectation of adolescents of an adolescent reproductive health services as well as to assess the experiences of those who had visited an ARHS at the centers. It was a descriptive cross-sectional prospective study, analytic in design using a multistage sampling technique where 452 secondary school pupils in both rural and urban communities were interviewed using a pretested validated questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21. Chi square was used to test for association between both rural and urban adolescents in issues relating to their expectation and experiences, with P-value of <0.05. More of the respondents in the urban communities (73,32.4%) have the expectation that Adolescent Reproductive Health Services (ARHS) should be provided in an existing health service with special attention to adolescents while a larger percentage of those who preferred a special adolescent health institution were from the rural communities (122, 54.2%) which was statistically significant with a P-value of 0.001. More of respondents from the rural communities also expect that contraception services should be provided in an ARHS center while life skill services are expected by more of the respondents from the urban communities (122, 55.6%). More of the rural community respondents (57,25.3%) expect that fee at the ARHS centers should be provided at a subsidized rate while more of the urban dwellers have the expectation that services provided should be free of charge. For respondents who had been to an ARHS center, more of the urban respondents were attended to by a Medical doctor and a large percentage (34, 94.4%) of those who had visited ARHS center before professed to be satisfied with the services rendered there. Expectations from adolescents from ARHS are very high. However, most of them prefer a free of charge service as well as a service area nearer to residential area. Confidentiality and having a young health professional at the service centers cannot be overemphasized in the provision of quality ARHS.

10-year risk for cardiovascular diseases using WHO prediction chart: findings from the civil servants in South-western Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Globally, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have continued to ravage the human existence through the premature deaths of its workforce. Despite this burden, many studies in Nigeria have focused on determining the prevalence of risk factors which alone are insufficient to assess the risk of future cardiovascular events. Therefore, we determined the pattern and predictors of 10-year risk for CVDs in South-western Nigeria. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among workers at the local government areas (LGAs) of Oyo State. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, we recruited 260 respondents from the LGA secretariats. A pre-tested, interviewer-administered questionnaire was administered to obtain information on the socio-demographics and behavioural attributes. Lipid analysis, anthropometric, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose measurements were done using standard protocols. The respondents' CVD risk was assessed using WHO prediction chart. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25; bivariate analysis was done using Chi-square and binary logistic regression was used to identify the predictors of 10-year risk for CVDs at 5% level of significance. RESULTS: The mean age of respondents was 46.0 + 6.7 years. The proportion of respondents with good knowledge of risk factors was 57.7%. The prevalence of CVD risk factors were as follows: systolic hypertension (29.6%), visceral obesity (35.8%), diabetes mellitus (18.8%), smoking (5.8%), elevated total cholesterol (55.4%) and physical inactivity (84.6%). The proportion of respondents with low, moderate and high risk of developing CVDs within 10 years was 76.9, 8.5 and 14.6% respectively. Respondents with age ≥ 40 years (aOR = 2.6, 95% CI = 1.3-8.5), management cadre (aOR = 3.8, 95% CI = 1.6-9.6), obesity (aOR = 4.8, 95% CI = 1.2-120), abnormal waist circumference (aOR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.3-5.2) and physical inactivity (aOR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.2-4.7) were associated with the higher likelihood of developing CVDs. CONCLUSION: About one-sixth of the respondents had high risk of developing CVDs within the next 10 years and it is likely that it will reduce the productivity of the State. Lifestyle modification and early detection of risk factors through regular screening programmes for those with high CVD risk is therefore recommended.

Pattern of arthralgia in an urban community in Southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Arthritis is a common presentation among Nigerians, most especially in the elderly population. Easy access to over-the-counter drugs, paucity of data, and non-orthodox medical practice have underscored the need to examine the magnitude of the problem toward morbidity reduction risk factors. The objective of the study was to determine the pattern of arthralgia in Osogbo community in Southwestern Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted between September 2010 and August 2011. Respondents were serially recruited as they presented to the randomly selected healthcare facilities. Interviewer administered questionnaires, and modified checklist were used for collecting clients information, physical examination, X-ray, and laboratory results. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software. RESULTS: A total of 90 cases were screened, with a male to female ratio of 1:1.5 and age range of 50-59 years. Females were more affected among the studied respondents, and this was statistically significant (p < 0.05). About half (48.9%) used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) for the pain, while about 17.8% used traditional herbs. Osteoarthritis of the knee was the most common radiological finding, constituting about 86.7% of the 30 respondents that had X-ray done. Only one case tested positive to rheumatoid factor in high-dilution titer. Notable complication of arthralgia in this study was loss of time off work in 46.6% of the respondents. CONCLUSION: Arthralgia of the knee joint was most common in the studied area, followed by that of hip and the ankle. Weight reduction strategies and prompt diagnosis and treatment were advocated. Since about half of the respondents used NSAID, the use of enteric-coated NSAID tablets would go a long way to minimize the unwanted side effects of NSAID, notably peptic ulceration and erosion.

A Comparative study of awareness and attitude to nosocomial infections among levels of health care workers in Southwestern Nigeria

Introduction: Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) continue to be a threat to hospital admissions and workers thus contributing to mortalities and morbidities. Complexity and type of services rendered by health facilities may determine health worker's attitude towards combating these infections. The objective of this study is to compare knowledge; attitude and practice of HAIs among health workers at the three levels of health care in Southwestern Nigeria. Methods: - This descriptive; comparative cross sectional study was carried out among 273 health workers in Osogbo in Southwestern Nigeria; using multistage sampling method. Pre-coded semi structured self administered and pre-tested questionnaires were administered on sampled health workers. Data was analyzed using the SPSS software 13.0 Results: - All health care workers at the three levels have good awareness that patients could be a source of HAIs. Awareness of common HAIs; awareness of hospital staffs and equipments and the environment as sources of transmission of HAIs were good for health care workers in both tertiary and secondary level care; but poor among primary health care workers. There was poor awareness of presence of hospital policy on HAI and presence of hospital committee on infection control among health care workers at the three levels of health care; but this is worst among primary health care providers. More health care workers in tertiary care has reported themselves to staff clinics when sick; more always washed their hands before and after touching clients and equipments while more has also ever notified HAIs before; when compared to secondary and primary. Attitude towards willingness to report HAIs was better in both secondary and tertiary health care workers. There is a good attitude towards readiness to wear protective devices; towards washing of hand s before and after touching patients and self reporting to staff clinic when sick among health care workers at the three levels of care Conclusion: Good knowledge and attitude; but poor practice characterizes nosocomial infections among tertiary and secondary level health care workers in Osogbo. These indices are worst and ranges from fair to poor among health workers at the primary health care level. Routine seminars on factors associated with occurrence of nosocomial infections could help to improve awareness and reduce its prevalence in our hospital settings

Pattern of hand injuries among sawmill workers in Osogbo, Southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: About one-third of all work-related injuries happen to the hands, with enormous consequences ranging from deformities to mortalities. Characterizing injuries and their trends will allow safety managers to concentrate their resources on areas of safety that will be most effective in the sawmill workplace. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to assess pattern of hand injuries among sawmill workers in Osogbo, Osun state in Southwestern Nigeria. METHODS: Descriptive cross sectional study of hand injuries among 168 sawmills workers in Osogbo in Southwestern, Nigeria, using multistage sampling method. Pre-coded semi-structured pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaires were used on sampled respondents. Data was analyzed using the SPSS software version 13.0. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty one (78.0%) of respondents had hand injuries at one time or the other in the recent past. Cuts accounted for 65 (38.6%) of injuries followed by pain and swelling at site of injury. A total of 107 (63.7%) of the respondents and 81.6% of those who had sustained injuries) has ever operated a cutting machine. Circular machine accounted for 88 (52.4%) of cuts, while 31(18.4%) was by plank or wood log. Only 38 (22.6%) of respondents had formal training before commencement of operations. Sixty-one (36.3%) of respondents have used protective devices at one time or the other, while 145 (86.3%) of respondents are willing to use protective devices at the next operation. Perceived factors leading to injuries among respondents included poor concentration (39.3%), carelessness (15.5%) and poor skills of workers (22.0%). There was a significant association between having ever sustained hand injuries and age less than 20 years, education less than secondary level, operating cutting machines or rolling woods and non use of protective devices (p < or = 0.05). CONCLUSION: Hand injuries are common among sawmills workers. This might have been as a result of poor skills of workers and the non regular usage of protective devices.

Sexual behavior and risk of HIV/AIDS among adolescents in public secondary schools in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.

UNLABELLED: Young people are particularly vulnerable to unplanned sexual activities. This study sought to identify the sexual behaviors and risk of HIV among public secondary schools students in Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey of 521 students in eight randomly selected public secondary schools. Respondents were selected by a multistage sampling technique from amongst the study population. Using a self-administered, semi-structured, pre-tested questionnaire, data were obtained concerning their sexual behaviors and influencing factors. RESULTS: Most respondents (n = 387, 74.3%) were in late adolescence. Many knew the consequences of premarital sex as unplanned pregnancy, STI/HIV/AIDS, incomplete schooling, and guilt feelings. About 40% of the respondents had been involved in sexual activities with partners who were classmates, neighbors, 'sugar daddies', teachers, or strangers (party-mates or prostitutes). Heterosexual, oral, and anal forms of sex were practiced respectively by 78.1%, 13.3%, and 12.4% of those who were sexually active. Sexual debut was 15.2 +/- 1.62 years. About 36% of those sexually active had more than one partner, and about 14.8% were aware that their partners had other partners. Only 8.6% used a condom on a consistent basis, whereas 41.9% had never used a condom at all. More than half the sexual activities were not pre-planned. The reasons given for engaging in such practices were peer influence, financial reward, drug influence, fun, or experimentation. CONCLUSIONS: Despite their 'above average' level of knowledge of the consequences, the students were still involved in risky sexual behaviors. Behavioral change communications should be intensified among these adolescents.

Knowledge, attitude and use of alternative medical therapy amongst urban residents of Osun State, southwestern Nigeria.

Alternate medicine which has a long history has been relegated to the background by the evolution of modern medicine. In recent times, however, alternative medical therapy has been growing in popularity and getting increasing attention and interest. This study assessed the knowledge, attitude and use by urban dwellers of alternative medical therapies. This was a cross-sectional descriptive study which used a semi-structured questionnaire to gather information from 812 randomly selected urban respondents. Majority 734 (90.4%) of the respondents were aware of an alternative way of getting treatment for their ailments apart from the orthodox medicine. The forms of alternative medical therapy (AMT) respondents were aware of include: concoction (herbal preparations) 683 (94.2%); herbalists/traditionalists 616 (85.0%); traditional bone setters therapy 434 (59.9%); among others. The main source of information was through radio 439 (70.9%). About half 403 (54.9%) of the respondents were aware of side effects from AMT and these include diarrhea, abdominal pain and vomiting which accounts for 69.7%; 42.2% and 40.2% respectively. About 347 (47.3%) think AMT could be injurious to health. About a third 262 (35.7%) of the respondents who were aware of AMT prefers it to orthodox medicine. Reasons given for the preference were that: AMT is cheap 56 (21.4%); accessible 43 (16.4%) and acceptable 35 (13.4%) to them. About half 367 (50.0%) also believed AMT alone could cure their illness without resort to orthodox medical therapy (OMT). Over half 401 (54.6%) of the 734 respondents that were aware of AMT had patronized or taken one form of alternative medical therapy or the other in the last 12 months prior to the study. Of these number, 323 (80.5%) had taken concoction (herbal preparations). However, there was no relationship between respondents' age, sex, educational level or religion and the patronage of AMT as all test of associations were not statistically significant p>0.05. This study has revealed that the use of alternative medical therapies is quite popular among the studied population and a high proportion of the respondents use AMT notwithstanding that they live in the urban communities where they have better access to orthodox medical care and medical practitioners. Regulations should be made concerning the advertisement of alternative medicine and practices as orthodox medicine and practices are usually not advertised.