HIV/AIDS-Related Knowledge, Attitudes and Uptake of HIV Testing Services:A Comparative Study of Male and Female Secondary School Students in Lagos, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of HIV/AIDS and use of HIV Testing Services in Nigeria is still far from optimal. Good HIV/AIDS-related knowledge and attitudes are important in prevention. The aim of this study was to assess and compare HIV/AIDS knowledge, attitudes and the uptake of HIV Testing Services between male and female senior secondary school students in Lagos, Nigeria. METHODS: Using multistage sampling, 543 (50.3% male, 49.7 % female) participants were selected in a comparative cross-sectional study carried out in six senior secondary schools in Alimosho LGA, Lagos. Data was collected using a pre-tested, self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS- 20, p<0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Participants' level of knowledge of HIV/AIDS was good (86.4% male, 86.3% female), the difference was not statistically significant. The main source of HIV/AIDS information was their teachers (male - 53.6%, female - 49.3%). Attitudes were positive (99.3% males, 98.1% females). However, the uptake of HIV testing was low (27.8% male, 24.1% female). Only 41.8% of males and 34.1% of females knew where HIV Testing Services were offered. The uptake of HIV testing showed a significant association, for the males, with family structure (p=0.034), confiding in their fathers (p=0.039) and religion (p=0.044), and for the females, mothers' level of education (p=0.036), number of siblings (p=0.044) and alcohol use (p=0.006). CONCLUSION: In both groups, knowledge and attitude were optimal, however. the uptake of HIV testing was low due to poor access. Teaching about HIV/AIDS in schools should be sustained, but to improve the use of HIV Testing Services, stronger families are encouraged, though providing more HIV testing centers, especially Youth Friendly Centers should be considered.

Self-reported physical activity among health care professionals in South-West Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity (PA) is a key requirement for maintaining good health. There is growing evidence of declining PA worldwide. Physical inactivity is linked with the global obesity pandemic and increasing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in developing countries. A barrier to PA counseling by health care providers (HCPs) is personal PA habits. Information regarding PA among HCPs in Nigeria is limited. We aimed to determine the adequacy and predictors of PA among HCPs of a tertiary health care facility in Lagos, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-Short Form (IPAQ-SF). Using the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline, PA was categorized as adequate or inadequate. Predictors of PA were explored with multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 300 HCPs were recruited, comprising 47.7% doctors and dentists, 43.3% nurses and 9.0% other HCPs. Mean age was 39.9 (9.0 years), 79.2%, 9.7% and 11.1% of the HCPs had low, moderate or high PA levels respectively. Thus, only 20.8% had adequate PA. 71.3% had body mass index (BMI) above the recommended value. BMI of ≥25 kg/m2 was associated with inadequate PA (Adjusted Odds Ratio-2.1,P=0.018). CONCLUSION: Majority of the HCPs had inadequate PA levels according to WHO guidelines. BMI≥25 kg/m2 was associated with inadequate physical inactivity. The low level of PA implies that these HCPs are at risk for NCDs. This will have a negative impact on availability of human resource for health. There is an urgent need to establish programs to increase PA among HCPs.

Perceptions and practices of private medical practitioners to adolescent reproductive health in Lagos State, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Adolescent sexual and reproductive ill health is a major global public health issue, contributing to high levels of morbidity and mortality in adolescents. Although adolescents are known to have low levels of doctor consultations, private medical practitioners remain the preferred health care providers. This study was carried out to document the attitudes and experiences of private medical practitioners to adolescent reproductive health issues and to assess the factors that may influence their attitudes. METHODS: Information was obtained from a random sample of 187 out of 352 (53% ) registered private medical practitioners in 5 of the 20 Local Government Areas in Lagos State using a self-administered structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Sixty-two per cent of the doctors claimed they saw adolescents regularly, mainly for the treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Many (86% ) believed that adolescents should use contraception and suggested that parents, teachers and health workers provide sexuality information to adolescents. Sixty one percent of the practitioners believed that abortion should be legalised, though with restrictions. Many of them admitted to providing post abortion care to adolescents. The religious affiliation of the private medical practitioners influenced their perception and practices. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Improving the reproductive health care of adolescents is key to improving the world's future economic and social well being. It is recommended that appropriate sexuality education be made widely available to adolescents. In addition, private medical practitioners should strengthen their skills and be more actively involved in the care of adolescents by making their facilities more adolescent friendly.

The perception of caregivers attending a Nigerian teaching hospital on teething.

BACKGROUND: in November 2008. There was a national tragedy which recorded about eighty four Nigerian infant deaths due to the consumption of adulterated teething syrup- 'my pikin' administered to children by mothers to prevent 'teething problems". This could have been prevented if they had been well informed about the teething process. OBJECTIVE: to determine the knowledge, understanding and beliefs of caregivers attending LASUTH immunization clinic about teething. METHODS: An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 260 caregivers of children aged 4-36 months attending the immunization clinic in LASUTH over a six weeks period. The questionnaire assessed their knowledge, understanding, beliefs about teething and the teething experience in their wards. RESULTS: The mean age of the respondents was 30.4 5.3years. Fifty seven percent had tertiary education. However, none of the caregivers obtained information about teething from the dentist. There was an association between educational level and attitude to teething (p=0.002) as well as their understanding of the teething process (p=0.0009). Gum irritation was the most reported symptom observed in this study. Many of the caregivers had erroneous beliefs regarding the systemic symptoms such as fever, diarrhoea and vomiting which they attributed to teething. CONCLUSION: Many of the caregivers studied still had erroneous beliefs regarding teething. Thus there is a need to disseminate the right information about teething to care givers in this environment in order to discourage the use of the term "teething" for a serious childhood illness that might require prompt medical attention.