Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in Ilorin: screening with the conner's teachers' rating scale

Background: The prevalence of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or its risk in North Central Nigeria has not been adequately reported. The consequences of missing the disorder and its co-morbidities are usually costly to the society. Method: Using a multi-stage sampling technique, nine primary schools from where a total of 1,480 pupils were selected across the three local government areas within Ilorin metropolis (two public and one private school from each LGA) we selected. An ADHD assessment tool - the short version of Conner's Teacher Rating Scale was administered on the pupils through their respective class teachers after training the teachers on how to administer the tool. They were classified into Inattention ADHD and Hyperactive/impulsive ADHD. Results: Of the 1480 (741 males and 739 female) pupils recruited, public schools contributed 1033 (69.8%) pupils while 447(30.2%) were from the private schools. A prevalence of 15.8% was found for ADHD risk. Statistically significant differences were present in the male to the female distribution of the Inattention ADHD, Hyperactivity ADHD (each with p< 0.05) but not in the overall ADHD index(p> 0.05). The ADHD Index was higher in the public schools. Conclusion: Prevalence of primary pupils aged 6-12 years in Ilorin at risk of ADHD is 15.8%, no significant gender variation was found. It is hereby recommended that Pre-primary school entry screening for ADHD should be instituted considered to enhance early recognition and prompt intervention so as to save the country from bad childhood that develops into bad adulthood with its myriads of anti-social and behavioural consequences

Perception and practice of contraception among male soldiers in Sobi barracks, Ilorin, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: There is a popular belief among the general population that Nigerian soldiers tend to have large families but this has not been substantiated with evidence-based research. The Nigerian military health authority implements female-targetted contraception strategies, with less focus on their husbands; who are the dominant fertility determinants. OBJECTIVE: To determine the perception and practice of contraception among male soldiers of Sobi Cantonment, Ilorin, Nigeria, with a view to instituting male-targeted contraceptive/family planning strategies. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional survey of 334 male soldiers using multistage sampling technique and pre-tested interviewer administered questionnaires. RESULTS: The respondents' approval of contraception (73.6%) and willingness to discuss it with their spouses/partners (71.6%) were high. Fear of wives/partner's sexual promiscuity (55.7%), cultural and religious beliefs (43.2%), fear of the side effects of contraceptives (29.5%) and the desire for more children (21.6%) were reported reasons for the non-approval of contraception. The prevalence of contraceptive use among the respondents was low (12.3%). There was a significant relationship between the respondents' educational level and contraceptive use (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: The study revealed a high approval and willingness to discuss contraception with their spouses/partners but low contraceptive use.

Health workers sensitization: effects on perceived quality of immunization services among mothers of under five children in Ilorin, North Central Nigeria.

Clients' satisfaction with services received is an important dimension of evaluation that is examined only rarely in developing countries. Health care professionals have always acknowledged that satisfying the consumers at some level is essential to providing services of high quality. This is a quasi-experimental study. The study group included 150 mothers bringing their children for immunization at Alanamu Health Centre, Ilorin. The control group included 150 mothers bringing their children for immunization at Okelele Health Centre. Total population of mothers bringing their children for vaccines against tuberculosis/poliomyelitis/hepatitis B (BCG/ OPV/HBV) and against diphterite-pertussis-tetanus (DPT)/OPV/ HBV were recruited sequentially until sample size was attained. Mean waiting time at pre-intervention was 82.7 +/- 32.5 and 90.4 +/- 41.7 minutes for the study and control groups respectively. Post intervention, there was a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in the estimated waiting time in the study group (mean = 48.0 +/- 24.4 minutes) while there was no observed difference in the control p > 0.05 (mean = 88.4 +/- 40.6 minutes). Perceived adequacy of information on services being provided by the health facility was low (58%) in the study group while it was relatively higher in the control group (80%) but there was a significant increase in proportion of those that felt information was adequate only in the study group (p < 0.05) at post intervention. Waiting time in health facilities by clients should be reduced as this may give clients a positive perception of the service they have come to access. Information dissemination to clients should be encouraged among health workers as this would affect clients' knowledge and also quality of health care delivery.

Prevalence and risk factors of cervical cancer among women in an urban community of Kwara State, north central Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy in women worldwide with a high incidence in under-developed countries and Nigeria is one of these countries. This study aimed at screening for cervical cancer using Papanicolaou smear and to identify risk factors for cervical cancer among women in Olufadi community, Kwara State, North-central Nigeria. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study involving the screening of women aged 25-64 years for cervical cancer using Papanicolaou smear. Respondents were selected through systematic random sampling of households. Interviewer- administered questionnaire and clinical report form were also used to collect data. In addition, Pap smear samples were taken. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 15. RESULTS: Only 10 (5.0%) respondents had positive cytology result, while the rest were normal. Of the 10 positive cytology results, 1 (10.0%) was high grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HGSIL) while the remaining 9 (90.0%) were low grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LGSIL) which corresponds to 0.5% and 4.5% of the total respondents respectively. Risk factors for cervical cancer identified included coitarche, tobacco smoking, number of sexual partners and family history of cervical cancer. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study attest to the increasing burden of cervical cancer. The high number of positive results obtained from the study coupled with the presence of risk factors was an indication of how useful regular screening will be in the early detection of cervical cancer.

Awareness and perception toward referral in health care: a study of adult residents in Ilorin, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The Nigeria Health System operates three levels of health care, which correspond to the tiers of government and interacts through a referral system. The national health policy recommends the Primary Health Care (PHC) as the entry point to health care system. However, these facilities are poorly managed leading to underutilization. Therefore, people usually attend any facility that will meet their needs, not considering the appropriateness of the level of care. This study is to determine the awareness and perception of adult residents in Ilorin toward referral in health care. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 366 adult residents in Ilorin, selected by multi-stage sampling technique. Data were obtained using a semi-structured questionnaire, appropriately scored and analyzed with Epi-Info 2005 computer software. RESULTS: Only 22 (6.0%) respondents knew that PHC is supposed to be the fi rst point of call when ill and 25 (6.8%) were aware that referral hospitals have the right to reject patients without referral. More than two third, 256 (69.9%) of the respondents felt it will be unreasonable for any hospital to reject patients on the basis of not being referred. The level of education was significantly associated with the knowledge and perception of referral in the health care. CONCLUSION: There is low awareness and poor perception of referral protocol in the health care system among the people of Ilorin. The higher the level of education, the more knowledge the respondents have about referral in the health system and the more likely they have correct perception of referral in health care. The Nigeria health care system policy on referral and appropriate hospital utilization could be more effective if public awareness is created about it via the media while making effort to improve the credibility of the PHC.

Completeness of suspected measles reporting in a southern district of Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the completeness of reporting of suspected measles cases to a local health authority in southern Nigeria. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective. METHODS: Suspected measles cases were identified in all 23 health facilities in Aniocha South Local Government Area (LGA) of Delta State, Southern Nigeria by retrospective review of the health facilities' registers and the LGA surveillance records between 1 January 2007 and 30 June 2008. A capture-recapture method was used to obtain an estimate of the total number of measles cases expected for the study area within the study period. The completeness of reporting was calculated as a ratio of the number of measles cases reported to the LGA by hospitals to the number of cases estimated by the capture-recapture method. RESULTS: An estimate of 87 measles cases was obtained with the capture-recapture method. The overall completeness of reporting was 11.5% (95% confidence interval 8.1-19.6%). CONCLUSION: The number of suspected measles cases seems to have been grossly under-reported in this area.

Medical examination findings among army recruits in Ilorin.

This paper illustrates the need for proper medical examination of subjects or candidates registering or entering into new vocations particularly in the armed and paramilitary forces. Sixty army recruits who presented for medical examination at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital were studied. The study showed that nineteen (31.6%) of the subjects had positive pathological findings. These include: High blood pressure (20%) Visual refractive errors (5%) Remarkable chest X-ray changes (5%) Inguinal hernia (1.6%). It was concluded that candidates and subjects who wish to embark on new vocations would benefit from proper pre-employment medical assessment and recommendations were made in that line.