RESUMO
BACKGROUND: International Health Regulations (IHR) were developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to curb the trans-border spread of epidemics. To our knowledge, no airport-based studies have assessed travelers' health practices against a combination of diseases subject to IHR 2005. Therefore, we aimed to generate and describe the baseline travelers' pre-travel health practices towards Cholera, Yellow Fever (YF), and Plague at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was employed to collect data from 486 international travelers using a multistage sampling technique. Pre-travel health practices (a combination of pre-travel consultation, pre-travel vaccination, and preventive measures against insect bites) were assessed using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to estimates the association between selected variables and pre-travel health practices. Statistical significance level was set at 5%. RESULTS: A total of 479 complete questionnaires were analyzed. The median age of respondents was 34.0 years Interquartile range (IQR) = 28.0, 44.0). Of the total respondents, 311 (64.3%) were aware of pre-travel health consultation and sources of information, amongst others, including friends/relatives in 180 (37.6%) travelers, social media/internet in 155 (32.4%) travelers, and health professionals in 102 (21.3%) travelers. Two hundred and seventy-one (56.6%) had pre-travel consultation, 156 (32.6%) had YF vaccination, and 226 (47.2%) were prepared to use preventive measures against insect bites. Only 10.6% had good pre-travel practices against the diseases subject to 2 International Health Regulations (IHR). Travelers with bachelor/college degrees, when compared to those with secondary/high education, had 2.91 times higher odds of having good practices when adjusting for other factors (95% C.I: 1.10, 7.70; p < 0.03). Also, those traveling to destinations endemic for YF infection, when compared to those who are not traveling to endemic countries/areas, had 48% lower odds of having good practices after adjusting for other factors (95% C.I: 1.41, 7.77; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our study revealed a low prevalence of good pre-travel health practices among participants. Educational level and endemicity of YF at the destination were predictors of pre-travel health practices. Introducing topics on travelers' health into schools' curriculums may have a ripple positive effect on health practices among international travelers. Also, there is a need for public enlightenment programs on pre-travel health practices using social media platforms.
RESUMO
Group health talks were conducted in Ekiadolor, Southern Nigeria, to improve male attitudes and practices regarding their involvement in prenatal care and family planning. Intervention planners highlight the importance of embedding local cultural norms along with co-opting gendered beliefs for purposes of planning and implementing the group talks. The authors facilitated 9 groups of adult males mostly from the traditional hierarchy of the community. Using gender theory as an analytical lens along with the application of local cultural beliefs and norms, a useful communication intervention was developed that increased the possibility of positive male engagement in maternal health in 1 Nigerian community.
