Belief, knowledge, attitude and practices towards COVID-19 amongst residents of Abuja, Nigeria: implications for pandemic preparedness.

Introduction: coronavirus disease, (COVID-19), was a pandemic with high global morbidity and mortality, partly due to a lack of preparedness. People´s knowledge, belief, attitude, and perception of disease outbreaks may affect their response, and this may impact their health-related behavior. This study was designed to determine the pattern of belief, knowledge, attitude, and practices (BKAP) of residents of Abuja, Nigeria, towards the COVID-19 pandemic. The outcome of the study may help to make informed decisions on future pandemic preparedness. Methods: a cross-sectional study with data collected online about the local perceptions and common concerns, beliefs, misconceptions, attitudes, and conspiracy theories amongst residents of the FCT. A self-reported validated e-questionnaire prepared on Google Forms was used. The obtained data was downloaded on Excel sheet and then exported to SPSS for analysis. Results: there were one thousand eight hundred and seventy-three (1,873) respondents, 1017 (54.3%) females and 856 (45.7%) males. Participants were majorly knowledgeable, the majority (31.2%) were in the 41-50 years age group. Surprisingly, about 17% did not know that wearing a face mask could prevent COVID-19. About 25% still met in crowded places, and slightly more than 33% did not wear outdoor masks. The highest knowledge of COVID-19 was found among people in the age range 41-50 years, females, University graduates, married people, and healthcare personnel, particularly doctors. Conclusion: our study concludes that the overall population of Abuja had good knowledge and, a positive attitude, with pockets of poor attitudes and bad practices born out of misconceptions and infodemics.

Prevalence of Undiagnosed Dysglycaemias and their Correlates amongst Hypertensive Patients in a Tertiary Health Facility in Abuja, North Central Nigeria.

Background: Dysglycaemia, (diabetes mellitus, DM, and Prediabetes) and Hypertension (HTN) are two common non-communicable diseases that are closely linked. Cardiovascular risk profile and cardiovascular-related death rise significantly when they co-exist. A third of cases of diabetes mellitus amongst hypertensive patients are undiagnosed and most people who are newly diagnosed have a low level of awareness. This study is therefore designed to assess the prevalence of dysglycaemia and associated factors, among hypertensive patients attending our facility. Methodology: Clinical and laboratory information on 858 patients was extracted and analyzed. This includes sociodemographic variables such as age, sex, socioeconomic status, and level of physical activity. Also, family history of diabetes mellitus, the duration of hypertension as well as types of antihypertensives used by those already attending the clinic for hypertension care. Other variables were blood pressure, height, weight, waist and hip circumferences, and body mass index (BMI). Blood glucose and plasma lipid profile as well. Results: More than a quatre of the patients had prediabetes. Between 2% and 6.1% had diabetes mellitus using 2HPP and FBG respectively. Following cross-tabulation, dysglycaemia was significantly associated with age, duration of hypertension, body mass index, BMI, elevated total cholesterol, LDL as well as the use of beta blockers and thiazides. Conclusion: Dysglycaemias are common among hypertensive patients in Abuja. Age, duration of hypertension, body mass index, dyslipidemias, beta blocker, and thiazide use were positively associated with dysglycaemia. Screening for dysglycaemia is recommended for all hypertensive patients at the point of entry to care.