Profile and determinants of intention to migrate by early career doctors in Nigeria: A report from CHARTING study.

INTRODUCTION: Recently, there has been an upsurge in the migration of medical personnel, especially early career doctors (ECDs) from low- and middle-income countries, Nigeria inclusive, to high-income countries with wide-ranging consequences on the social and economic systems of the donor countries. This study assessed the profile and determinants of intention to emigrate by ECDs in Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study conducted among Nigerian ECDs from nine tertiary hospitals. Socio-demographic characteristics, intention & reasons to emigrate and willingness to return were collected using a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. RESULTS: A total number of 763 ECDs participated in the study. The majority (88.2%) were less than 40 years of age and the male to female ratio was 2:1. Majority of the participants (69.4%) received monthly income ≤833 US Dollar. About two-thirds of ECDs had plans to emigrate and most to developed countries. Common reasons for intention to migrate were better quality of postgraduate training, improved quality of life and better remuneration. CONCLUSION: High proportion of Nigerian ECDs has intention to emigrate out with potential adverse effect on the fragile health system in the country.

ThE profile of anthRopometRy and psyChosocial issuEs on campus (TERRACE) study: A study protocol and preliminary results.

Background: Obesity among the youth is a major public health problem. Globally, the burden of obesity has been on the increase, particularly among young persons, with associated psychosocial issues. This study aimed to present the rationale and design of ThE profile of anthRopometRy And psyChosocial issuEs on campus (TERRACE) Study and as well report some preliminary findings obtained on the anthropometric and psychosocial profile of young persons in some tertiary institutions in Oyo State, Nigeria. Methods: This study first described the methodology of the main study (TERRACE Study) and also provided a report of the preliminary data. The TERRACE study adopted a cross-sectional design of eligible and consenting adults between 16-35 years of age. A three-stage multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit the participants. Questionnaire, weighing scales, and other tools were used to collect data on socio-demographic, cardiovascular profile, sleep, anthropometric, and psychological variables. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for data analysis, using SPSS version 23 software. Result: The preliminary data were obtained from 225 participants recruited from three tertiary institutions in Ibadan metropolis, with mean age of 21.5 ±â€¯3.8 years. The majority were females (77.3%) and self-employed, with an average income less than 10,000 naira monthly (less than $25/month at an exchange rate of 400 naira/dollar). The males had higher systolic blood pressure compared to females and constituted a higher proportion of current smokers compared to females (was significant (p < 0.0001 and 0.011 respectively). A fifth (20.4%) of the population were underweight, while overweight and obese people accounted for 12%. They were mostly depressed, (183(87.9%) were moderate to severe depression), more of the females compared to males were anxious. Conclusion: The preliminary results revealed a high burden of underweight, obesity and psychosocial issues among the young people in Ibadan, Nigeria. Further findings to be obtained from the TERRACE Study would enhance the development of an effective public intervention in addressing anthropometric- and psychosocial-related health problems as well as provide baseline data for further studies among this population.