Self-Care Practices and the Associated Socio-Demographic Variables of Persons With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2dm) in Southeast, Nigeria.

Objective: The study was aimed at assessing the self-care practices and the associated socio-demographic variables of persons with T2DM in South East, Nigeria. Methodology: A cross-sectional study involving 382 persons with T2DM proportionately selected from 4 tertiary health institutions in South Eastern, Nigeria. Data was collected using the Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities (SDSCA) and a researcher-developed questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered to persons with T2DM who attended a diabetic outpatient clinic. Data collected was analyzed in frequency percentage. Responses on SDSCA were ranked and rated as poor, moderate, and good self-care behavior. The level of significance was placed at P < .05. Result: The majority of the participants were within the age groups of 40 to 59 (46.9%) and 60 and above (46.9%); the majority (74.6%) were married while a good proportion were traders (59.7%). Also, the majority of participants (81.2%) were on oral hypoglycemic agents. Findings further showed that a good proportion (51.3% and 89.8%) of study participants had good self-care behavior in diet and medication domains respectively. Whereas the proportion of participants with poor self-care behavior was very high in foot care (75.1%) and fairly high in both self-blood sugar testing (37.7%) and exercise (37.2%) domains. Only 7.9% practiced 3-monthly laboratory blood glucose testing while 16.5% went for eye checks every 6 months. Conclusion: Individuals with diabetes mellitus have poor self-management behavior in most domains of the self-management practice. Age, gender, marital status, educational level, and occupation significantly influenced self-management practices. Hence nurses and health educators should take diabetes self-management education very seriously to help diabetes sufferers improve their self-management behavior.

Effects of Otago Exercise Program on Physical and Psychosocial Functions Among Community-Dwelling and Institutionalized Older Adults: A Scoping Review.

To review the effects of Otago exercise program (performed individually or in group) on several physical and psychosocial outcomes for community-dwelling and institutionalized older adults. Fourteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Three electronic databases and reference lists of identified studies were searched. Eligibility criteria included clinical trials of the Otago exercise program conducted among older adults. Two studies were conducted in institutions, 2 in groups. None of the studies reviewed reported the post-intervention result of the Otago exercise program on depression or any other psychological construct. Otago exercise program was effective in reducing falls, improving balance, strength, mobility, and health-related quality of life within the community and in institutions. Available evidence suggests group performance may be better than individual programs. The Otago exercise program is an important and effective exercise strategy which can be administered in groups or individualized to both community-dwelling and institution-resident older adults. Future reviews, especially, systematic reviews with meta-analysis should be performed.

Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15) into Igbo language: a validation study.

BACKGROUND: Late-life experiences such as protracted and indisposing medical disorders can negatively impact older adults' psychological and mental health, making them vulnerable to depression. Majority of the assessment tools for depression were developed for use in western countries. There is therefore the need for availability of culture- and environment-specific tools for assessment of depression in low-and-middle-income countries. This study was designed to cross-culturally adapt and validate the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15) into Igbo language and culture. METHODS: The English version of the GDS-15 was translated into Igbo language; synthesized, back-translated, and underwent expert panel review, pretesting and cognitive debriefing interview, according to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons' guidelines. The Igbo version of the GDS-15 was tested for concurrent and structural validities, and internal consistency among consecutively recruited 140 consenting older adults (62.9% females) in Enugu North Senatorial District at 0.05 level of significance. RESULTS: The English version of the GDS-15 was successfully cross-culturally adapted to Igbo with all the 15 items still retained on the Igbo version of the GDS-15. The Igbo version of the GDS-15 exhibited the same structure as the English version, and displayed a Cronbach's alpha value of 0.53 with no significant ceiling (0%) and floor (0%) effects. The correlation between the participants' total scores on the Igbo and the English versions of the GDS-15 (ρ = 0.86) was adequate. There was no significant difference between corresponding scores in the English and Igbo versions of the GDS-15 (p = 0.89). CONCLUSIONS: The Igbo version of the GDS-15 is a valid and culturally specific instrument, and can be used for assessing depression among Igbo older adults in Nigeria.

Review of core stability exercise versus conventional exercise in the management of chronic low back pain.

Exercise has been proven to be effective in the management of chronic low back pain. Over the years, core stability exercise (CSE) has gained popularity however there is lack of consensus on the best exercise treatment. Aims: To review the effectiveness of core stability exercises or conventional exercises in the management of chronic low back pain (CLBP). Methods: This study is a systematic review of randomized clinical trials which examined studies regarding core stability and conventional exercise by using Google scholar, Medline, PEDro and Cochrane from 2010 to 2021. The Methodological quality was evaluated using the PEDro scale. The included studies randomized participants into two different exercise groups. Results: From the 58 potentially relevant trials, a total of 14 trials were included in the current analysis. The data indicated that core stability exercise was better than conventional exercise for short term pain relief. Ten studies included self reported back specific functional status, and compared to conventional exercise, core stability exercise resulted in significant improvement in function. Conclusion: Compared to conventional exercise, core stability exercise is more effective in pain reduction and improved physical function in individuals with CLBP in the short term however, only two trials carried out follow-up assessments post intervention.

Body image, physical activity, quality of life, and community reintegration of individuals with acquired mobility disability in a Nigerian population.

PURPOSE: To assess the quality of life (QOL), physical activity (PA), community reintegration (CR), and body image (BI) among adults with acquired mobility disabilities. Relationships between the constructs were also assessed in order to ascertain how a change in one construct could influence the other. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional survey involved 157 adults (mean age = 47.51 ± 21.08 years) consecutively recruited from conveniently selected centers in South-east Nigeria. The Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey, the Multidimensional Body Self Relations, the Reintegration to Normal Living Index, and the Short-Form 7-Day International Physical Activity questionnaires were used to assess participants' QOL, BI, CR, and PA respectively. Participants' scores and socio-demographic information were summarised using descriptive statistics while the Spearman test analysed the relationships between constructs. RESULTS: Participants' mean QOL (43.23 ± 13.07), CR (48.09 ± 22.84), and BI (2.91 ± 0.51) scores were poor while their mean PA score (4.39 ± 4.56 × 103 MET-min/week) was high. PA had significant positive relationships with CR (rho = 0.25; p < 0.01) and QOL (rho = 0.33; p < 0.01). BI had a significant positive relationship with CR (rho = 0.28; p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: PA was high for this sample of individuals with mobility disability receiving physiotherapy but QOL, CR, and BI were poor. Based on observed correlations, rehabilitation interventions for enhancing PA may help improve QOL and CR.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONMobility disabilities are very common and burdensome in Nigeria and other African countries.Quality of life, physical activity, community reintegration, and body image can be adversely affected among individuals with mobility disabilities.Understanding relationships between these constructs among individuals with mobility disabilities could help in enhancing rehabilitation planning and outcomes.Physical activity relates to both community reintegration and life quality, whereas body image relates to community integration.