Perceptions, attitude, and practice of undergraduates towards pre-conceptional care in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

Periconceptional care (PCC) addresses the care before pregnancy occurs. The objectives of this study were to assess the knowledge, attitude of undergraduates towards and the practice of pre-conception care among the undergraduates. Quantitative approach with a descriptive, cross-sectional survey design was adopted using semi structured researcher- administered questionnaire with close - ended and restricted- choice questions. 273 female students were selected using a multistage and proportional sampling techniques from various departments in the University. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods with the aid of SPSS (version 23). Results showed that 75.2% had high knowledge of pre-conception care, 76.8% had positive attitude towards pre-conception., 66.1% had never sought pre-conception care as the majority were not married, but desired to complete schooling before considering such practices. The knowledge of preconception care among the women was high, their attitude towards preconception care was good but their practice of preconception care was poor. Age, marital status and course of study were significant predictors of the respondents' adoption of PC. There is a need for health workers to lay more emphasis on the importance of PCC thus encouraging youths to adopt and utilize preconception care.

Health status of families: A comparative study of one-parent and two-parent families in Ondo State, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND:  The family plays a central role in the provision and maintenance of health status of its members and all factors that contribute to achieving optimal health. Aim: To compare the health status of one-parent and two-parent families using the McMaster model of family functioning. Setting: Ondo State, Southwest Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design, using multi-stage simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using an adopted self-administered questionnaire from 250 purposely selected families from each sample group. The data entering was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 17.0. Results: Findings showed that one-parent fathers scored higher (mean = 74.4 ± 10.30) than two-parent fathers (70.5 ± 13.05), while one-parent mothers scored higher (mean = 69.7 ± 15.10) than two-parent mothers (mean 67.7 ± 14.78). This means that one-parent fathers have a better self-reported health status than two-parent fathers, while one-parent mothers have a better self-reported health status than two-parent mothers. One-parent fathers have the best self-reported health status. No significant (p > 0.05) difference in the health status of children from both families. Conclusion: Fathers are healthier than mothers, while one-parent fathers are healthier than two-parent fathers. Comparing the two groups of families, parents from one-parent families reported better health status than parents from two-parent families, whereas within each family group, fathers reported better health status than mothers. This places responsibility on health care professionals to explore family contexts during clinic visits so as to render a more comprehensive health care service to families.