The Relationship between Adolescents' Family Background, Perceived Self-Concept and Health Seeking Behaviour in an Urban City of South-Western Nigeria.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The understanding of adolescents about themselves affects their choices and actions when their health is concerned. This study assessed the relationship between family background, perceived self-concept and health seeking behaviour of adolescents. METHODS: This was a prospective cross-sectional study involving three secondary schools in Ekiti State, South-western Nigeria. A total of 352 students were recruited through multistage random sampling technique. The Personal Self-Concept Questionnaire (PSC) was used to assess the adolescents' personal self-concept while the health seeking behaviour was adapted from the Botsha Bophelo Adolescent Health Study (BBAHS) adapted questionnaire. The family background was sought from the respondents. Demographic variables were described as means and standard deviations. Categorical variables were reported as frequency distribution and proportions with the Pearson correlation test used to assess the relationship of relevant variables with self-concept. RESULTS: There was negative correlation between the adolescents' family social class and their autonomy self-concept (r = -0.117; p<0.029). Out of the 42% who had any form of ill-health, 29.6% had sought for medical attention, 8.5% were sexually exposed, 4% and 4.8% were screened for HIV and the use of contraception respectively. Having been hospitalized in the past six months related with their general self-concept (r = -0.124; p<0.02) and sense of fulfillment (r = -0.118; p<0.027). Use of cannabis negatively correlated with general self-concept (r = -0.132; p<0.013) and honesty self-concept (r = -0.127; p<0.017). Sexual exposure correlated negatively with emotional self-concept (r = -0.116; p<0.03). CONCLUSION: From this study, the socioeconomic class of the family of the adolescents affected their individuality. In addition, adolescents with high self-concept will not easily seek for appropriate medical attention.

CONTEXTE ET OBJECTIFS: La compréhension que les adolescents ont d'eux-mêmes affecte leurs choix et leurs actions lorsqu'il s'agit de leur santé. Cette étude vise à évaluer la relation entre le milieu familial, la perception de soi et le comportement des adolescents en matière de santé. MÉTHODES: Il s'agit d'une étude prospective transversale portant sur trois écoles secondaires de l'État d'Ekiti, au sud-ouest du Nigeria. Un total de 352 étudiants a été recruté par une technique d'échantillonnage aléatoire à plusieurs degrés dans les écoles sélectionnées. Le Personal Self-Concept Questionnaire (PSC) a été utilisé pour évaluer le concept de soi des adolescents, tandis que le comportement en matière de santé a été adapté à partir du questionnaire adapté de la Botsha Bophelo Adolescent Health Study (BBAHS). Le contexte familial a été demandé aux répondants. Les variables démographiques ont été décrites sous forme de moyennes et d'écarts types. Les variables catégorielles ont été rapportées sous forme de distribution de fréquence et de proportions. Le test de corrélation de Pearson a été utilisé pour évaluer la relation entre les variables pertinentes et le concept de soi. RÉSULTATS: Il existe une corrélation négative entre la classe sociale familiale des adolescents et leur concept d'autonomie (r = -0.117 ; p<0.029). Sur les 42% qui présentaient une forme quelconque de mauvaise santé, 29,6% avaient consulté un médecin, 8,5% étaient sexuellement exposés, 4% et 4,8% étaient respectivement dépistés pour le VIH et l'utilisation de la contraception. Le fait d'avoir été hospitalisé au cours des six derniers mois était lié à l'image générale de soi (r = -0,124 ; p<0,02) et au sentiment d'accomplissement (r = -0,118 ; p<0,027). La consommation de cannabis est corrélée négativement avec le concept général de soi (r = -0,132 ; p<0,013) et le concept d'honnêteté (r = -0,127 ; p<0,017). L'exposition sexuelle est corrélée négativement avec le concept de soi émotionnel (r = - 0,116 ; p<0,03). CONCLUSION: D'après cette étude, la classe socio-économique de la famille des adolescents a affecté leur individualité. De plus, les adolescents ayant un concept de soi élevé ne chercheront pas facilement à obtenir des soins médicaux appropriés. Mots clés: Adolescents, concept personnel de soi, contexte familial, comportement de recherche de santé.

A Study of Pain Threshold, Interleukins and NLR in Diabetic Polyneuropathy in a Selected Nigerian Population.

Pain serves a protective function and is often lost in chronic conditions such as painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN).This has been reported to be associated with ongoing inflammation. This study aims to investigate an association betweenbody immune responses, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and pain perception in DPN patients. Sixty volunteers wererecruited for the study. 30 control and 30 diagnosed DPN patients (used Biothesiometer). All subjects were trained andinformed consents were obtained. The pain threshold was significantly (p<0.05) lower in DPN (23.48±1.19 sec) comparedto control group (30.38±1.9 sec), there was significant lower NLR in DPN (1.27±0.09) compared to control group (1.93±0.1)and the serum level of IL6 (15.31±0.85 pg/ml) in DPN was significantly higher compared to control group (11.9±0.15 pg/ml),likewise the serum level of IL10 (13.26±2.78 pg/ml) in DPN is significantly higher compared to control group (6.59±1.07pg/ml). This study showed that hyperalgesia seen in patients with DPN was independent of increased NLR, and increasedIL6 & IL10 seen in this group of patients indicates need to further explore the role of immunological response in thepathogenesis and progression of DPN.