Cervical cancer screening and vaccination: knowledge, awareness, and attitude of female staff in a Nigerian University.

BACKGROUND: Poor knowledge and awareness of cervical cancer screening and vaccination are significant barriers to effective cervical cancer prevention in developing countries. Knowledge of cervical cancer and vaccination against cervical cancer remains low in Nigeria. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, awareness, and attitude of female staff of Afe Babalola University towards cervical cancer screening and vaccinations. METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional study conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire among female staff of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria. The workers' knowledge and awareness were assessed using yes and no questions while the attitude was assessed using Likert scale questions. The workers' knowledge was ranked as good (≥ 50%) and poor (< 50%) while attitude was ranked as positive (≥ 50%) and negative (< 50%). The relationship between demographics, attitude and knowledge of cervical cancer screening and vaccination was carried out using the Chi-square test. Analyses were conducted using SPSS software version 20. RESULTS: A total of 200 staff consented to participate in the study out of which 64% were married with mean age 32.81 ± 8.164 years. Majority (60.5%) of the participants knew the causes of cervical cancer while 7.5% strongly agreed that they do not see the need for cervical screening. Majority (63.5%) of the participants showed good knowledge while 46% had a positive attitude towards cervical cancer screening and vaccination. CONCLUSIONS: The study participants showed good knowledge and awareness but poor attitude towards cervical cancer screening and vaccinations. Interventions and continuous education are needed to improve the population's attitude and eliminate misconceptions.

Factors affecting the utilization of mental health services among undergraduate students in a Nigerian University.

Under-utilization of mental health services among university students is a major public health concern. This study assessed the factors affecting the utilization of mental health services among undergraduate students. This research was a cross-sectional survey carried out among students of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. A semi-structured self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection and multi-stage sampling technique was used in sampling the participants. Utilization, attitude, and health seeking behavior were categorized into good (≥50% score), and poor (<50% score), while social support was categorized into poor (8-18), moderate (19-25), and strong (26-32). Chi-square test and Logistic regression were used to assess the relationship between the categorical variables. 450 students enrolled in this study of which 52.4% were females and mean age of 19.40 ± 1.65 years. Most students showed a good attitude (87.5%), health seeking behavior (67.8%), and poor social support (69.4%) towards mental health services. There was an association between source of information (p = 0.005), health seeking behavior (p = 0.001) and utilization of mental health services. There was also a higher likelihood for students of female gender (OR: 1.621 (1.072-2.452)) and being aged above 20 years (OR: 1.331 (0.822-2.153)) to have good utilization of mental health services. Majority of the students showed good attitude and health seeking behavior towards mental health services but there was poor utilization as well as poor to moderate social support towards mental health services. Gender, age, attitude, source of information as well as health seeking behavior are important factors that can affect the utilization of mental health services among undergraduate students. Interventions targeted towards these factors should be done to ultimately improve utilization of mental health services among undergraduate students.

COVID-19 pandemic and unmet need for family planning in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: the unmet need for family planning is a global health burden. The lockdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic has reduced access to contraceptives, especially in the developing countries. This study examined the predictors of the unmet need for family planning during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in Nigeria. METHODS: the study adopted a cross-sectional analytical survey design. A self-designed questionnaire was administered to 1,404 adult respondents aged 18 years and above. The data was generated through the use of online Google survey and analyzed with SPSS version 25. The results were presented using descriptive and logistic regression at p≤0.05. RESULTS: fourty-seven percent of the respondents were females and 58.8% were married. The four major reasons for non-access to contraceptive methods during the lockdown were: fear of visiting health facility (77.9%), locked drug/chemist stores (51.2%), the restriction of movement (47.6%) and a lack of access to health care providers (42.9%). Predictors of unmet need for family planning were: aged 26-33 (OR = 1.912, 95% CI: 1.02-3.55), married/cohabiters (OR = 3.693, 95% CI: 2.44-5.58), tertiary education (OR = 0.272, 95% CI: 0.13-0.54), Yoruba ethnicity (OR=1.642, 95% CI: 1.02-2.62), rural residence (OR = 0.554, 95% CI: 0.36-0.85) and 2-4 children born (OR = 3.873, 95% CI: 2.32-6.45). CONCLUSION: a significant proportion of Nigerians experienced an unmet need for family planning during the COVID-19 lockdown. Prioritizing the access to contraceptives during the pandemic would not only allow women and men to correctly plan childbirth, it also reduces maternal risks, poverty and undesirable fertility rates.

COVID-19 Health Knowledge and Practices among Nigerian Residents during the Second Wave of the Pandemic: A quick online cross-sectional survey

The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined life as a whole. The lack of knowledge about the safe practices needed to manage the spread of the global pandemic could be detrimental to public health. This dearth of knowledge and inappropriate practices could increase the spread of the coronavirus and lead to high mortality rates in a country like Nigeria where access to healthcare services is limited. The study's objective was to assess the health knowledge and practices of Nigerian residents in the face of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study adopted a cross-sectional online survey which was conducted from January 2 to February 1, 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the socio-demographics characteristics of respondents, the knowledge of COVID-19 and health management practices related to the virus. The reliability of the instrument yielded 0.72 internal consistency and the data were analyzed using descriptive and logistic regression at p<0.05. RESULTS A total of 1,988 respondents participated in the study; 49.3% of this number were urban residents, 63.0% were males, 58.1% were married, and 67.4% had tertiary education. Overall, the mean score was 9.44±1.8 (72.6%) for knowledge and 6.72±3.1 (56%) for appropriate practices. Rural residence (OR = 0.552, 95% CI 0.351­0.868), female gender (OR = 4.494, 95% CI 3.264­6.187), aged 50 years and above (OR = 0.137, 95% CI 0.071-0.261), married status (OR = 5.004, 95% CI 3.242­7.724), tertiary education (OR = 7.049, 95% CI 4.362­ 11.391), Yoruba ethnicity (OR = 2.828, 95% CI 1.292­6.187), and good knowledge of COVID-19 (OR = 1.905, 95% CI 1.376­2.637) significantly predict appropriate practices. CONCLUSION A substantial number of our respondents had good knowledge but lacked appropriate practices towards COVID-19. The beliefs of the people influenced inappropriate practices just as adequate practice was associated with good African Journal of Health Sciences Volume 34, Issue No.4, July- August 2021 483 knowledge. There is a need for adequate sensitization programmes which might require the use of local languages/dialects and Nigerian Pidgin English to reduce the misinformation surrounding the virus.

COVID-19 health knowledge and practices among nigerian residents during the second wave of the pandemic: A quick online cross-sectional survey

BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic has redefined life as a whole. The lack of :knowledge about the safe practices needed to manage the spread of the global pandemic could be detrimental to public health. This dearth of knowledge and inappropriate practices could increase the spread of the coronavirus and lead to high mortality rates in a country like Nigeria where access to healthcare services is limited. The study's objective was to assess the health knowledge and practices of Nigerian residents in the face of the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study adopted a cross-sectional online survey which was conducted from January 2 to February 1, 2021. A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the socio-demographics characteristics of respondents, the knowledge of COVID-19 and health management practices related to the virus. The reliability of the instrument yielded 0.72 internal consistency and the data were analyzed using descriptive and logistic regression at p<0.05. RESULTS:A total of 1,988 respondents participated in the study; 49.3% of this number were urban residents, 63.0% were males, 58.1% were married, and 67.4% had tertiary education. Overall, the mean score was 9.44±1.8 (72.6%) for knowledge and 6.72±3.1 (56%) for appropriate practices. Rural residence (OR = 0.552, 95% CI 0.351­0.868), female gender (OR = 4.494, 95% CI 3.264­6.187), aged 50 years and above (OR = 0.137, 95% CI 0.071-0.261), married status (OR = 5.004, 95% CI 3.242­7.724), tertiary education (OR = 7.049, 95% CI 4.362­1.391), Yoruba ethnicity (OR = 2.828, 95% CI 1.292­6.187), and good knowledge of COVID-19 (OR = 1.905, 95% CI 1.376­2.637) significantly predict appropriate practices. CONCLUSION :A substantial number of our respondents had good knowledge but lacked appropriate practices towards COVID-19. The beliefs of the people influenced inappropriate practices just as adequate practice was associated with good knowledge. There is a need for adequate sensitization programmes which might require the use of local languages/dialects and Nigerian Pidgin English to reduce the misinformation surrounding the virus.