Mean quality of life of hypertensive and diabetic patients: A comparative study of patients in secondary and tertiary health facilities in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Introduction: Hypertension and diabetes have become major non-communicable diseases of public health importance globally, considering the magnitude of the diseases, the propensity to worsen the patients' quality of life and the associated mortality. This study compared the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of hypertensive and diabetic patients in both tertiary and secondary health facilities in Kaduna State, north-western Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive comparative cross-sectional study amongst 325 patients, of which 93 (28.6%) were from the tertiary and 232 (71.4%) were from the secondary facilities. All eligible respondents participated in this study. Data were analysed with SPSS version 25 and STATA SE 12, t-test for comparison of two means, Chi-square and multivariate analyses were performed with P < 0.05. Results: The mean age was 55.72 ± 13 years. Two-thirds, 197 (60.6%), were hypertensive only, 60 (18.5%) were diabetic only (18.5%) and 68 (20.9%) were hypertensive diabetic. For the hypertensive only at the tertiary facility, the mean scores for vitality (VT) (68.0 ± 5.97, P = 0.01), emotional well-being (EW) (77.33 ± 4.52, P = 0.0007) and bodily pain (BP), (74.17 ± 5.94, P = 0.05) were significantly higher for tertiary compared with those at secondary facilities. The mean HRQOL for the people with diabetes only at the tertiary facilities also showed statistically significant higher scores for VT (72.2 ± 61, P = 0.01), social functioning (72.2 ± 8.4, P = 0.02), EW (75.44 ± 4.9, P = 0.001) and BP (85.56 ± 7.7, P = 0.01) when compared with the secondary facilities. Conclusion: Patients managed by specialists at the tertiary health facility had better HRQOL than those managed at the secondary health facilities. Continued medical education and the use of standard operating procedures are recommended for improved HRQOL.

Cross-sectional study on knowledge, attitude and prevalence of domestic violence among women in Kaduna, north-western Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Domestic violence is a global issue of public health concern with detrimental effects on women's physical, mental and social well-being. There is a paucity of community-based studies assessing the knowledge and attitude of women towards domestic violence in Nigeria. OBJECTIVE: To assess knowledge, attitudes, prevalence and associated factors of domestic violence among women in a community in Kaduna, Nigeria. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study. SETTING: A selected community in Kaduna South Local Government Area in Kaduna State. PARTICIPANTS: In total, 170 women aged 15-49 years participated in the study. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The outcomes were knowledge, attitude and prevalence of domestic violence. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 28.7+7.9 years. A total of 113 (66.5%) respondents had high level of knowledge about domestic violence with 114 (67.1%) having non-tolerant attitudes towards domestic violence. The lifetime prevalence and 12-month prevalence of domestic violence were 47.1% and 35.3%, respectively. The results of logistic regression identified the educational status of women as a significant predictor of knowledge of domestic violence (adjusted OR (aOR)=0.32; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.68), while marital status (aOR=0.21; 95% CI 0.05 to 0.96), occupation of women (aOR=2.49; 95% CI 1.13 to 5.49), their tolerance of wife beating (aOR=0.33; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.72) and their partners' consumption habit of alcohol/substance use (aOR=7.91; 95% CI 3.09 to 20.27) were identified as significant predictors of the women's experience of domestic violence. CONCLUSION: Domestic violence was relatively high among women. Though a majority had high level of knowledge about domestic violence, a significant third had tolerant attitudes towards it. Appropriate health interventions need to be implemented by governmental and relevant stakeholders to target negative attitudes and address associated factors of domestic violence against women.

Can training of health care workers improve data management practice in health management information systems: a case study of primary health care facilities in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Reliable and accurate public health information is essential for monitoring, evaluating and improving the delivery of healthcare services. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of training health care workers on data management practice in health management information systems in primary health care (PHC) centers in Kaduna state. METHODS: The study was quasi-experimental with baseline, intervention and end point components. It was carried out in two local government areas, a study and a control. Eleven PHC facilities were selected in each LGA. The intervention was carried out among 76 PHC workers in the study LGA. Data were collected using a health facility checklist and a focused group discussion (FGD) guide. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20.0 and statistical significance of the difference between baseline and end-line data were determined using chi-square or fisher's exact test where applicable at p < 0.05. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant increase in completeness of reporting (p = 0.02), overall accuracy rate (p < 0.001), timeliness rate of reporting (p = <0.001) and feedback (p = 0.012). No improvement was found in the control group. During the baseline FGDs, PHC workers in both study and control LGAs expressed difficulty in filling registers/forms, data analysis and use of data. At end point, those in the study LGA said their practice had improved but those in the control LGA still expressed difficulty in data management. CONCLUSION: Health management information system training achieved an improvement in the data management practice of PHC workers. In-service training and re-training should be done to improve data management practice of health workers.