Nutritional status of primary school children and their caregiver's knowledge on malnutrition in rural and urban communities of Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Nutritional imbalance is an underlying cause of 2.6million death annually and a third of child's death globally. This study assessed and compared the nutritional status of primary school children and their caregiver's knowledge on malnutrition in rural and urban communities of Ekiti State. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional comparative study carried out among 983 urban and rural primary school children in Ekiti State (495 in urban and 488 in rural) using interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire. A multi-stage sampling technique was used and data collected was analyzed using SPSS 23 with level of statistical significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: Underweight and stunting were relatively higher in rural (6.5% and 22.7% respectively) than in urban (6.3% and 19.4% respectively) and these differences are not statistically significant (p = 0.898, p = 0.197). However, wasting, overweight and obesity were higher in urban (12.7%, 6.1% and 7.7% respectively) than rural (11.5%, 3.7% and 7.5% respectively) but the difference is not statistically significant. (p = 0.242). Majority of the caregivers in both settings had good knowledge of malnutrition though higher in urban mothers (89.5%) with statistical significance than their rural counterparts (71.5%). However, there is no significant association between caregiver's knowledge and malnutrition in this study. Being in lower primary school class, relationship with caregiver, educational status of caregiver and occupation of caregiver were the common predictors of malnutrition among the school children in both community settings. CONCLUSION: Generally, the prevalence of malnutrition was high in both urban and rural primary school children in this study. However, while underweight and stunting were more prevalent among the children in the rural communities, wasting, overweight and obesity were more prevalent in the urban. The caregivers in both communities had good knowledge of malnutrition (better in the urban) but this is not good enough to bring a significant relationship with the occurrence of malnutrition in the children. Common predictors of malnutrition in both community settings are being in lower primary school class, relationship with caregiver, educational status of caregiver and occupation of caregiver. It is therefore recommended that regular continuous public enlightenment, nutritional education programmes and other programmes targeted at improving the economic power of the caregivers are measures that will improve the nutritional status of the primary school children.

Feeding Pattern, Prevalence of Malnutrition and Associated Determinants amongst Primary School Children in Rural and Urban Communities of Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is an increasing health problem amongst children, especially in developing countries. This study assessed and compared the feeding pattern, prevalence and determinants of malnutrition amongst primary school children residing in the rural and the urban communities of Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria. METHODS: The study employed a cross-sectional comparative study design and was carried out amongst 983 children attending primary schools in Ekiti State, 495 of them from urban and 488 from rural communities using an interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire and the World Health Organization AnthroPlus version 1.0.4 to collect data on the nutritional status and anthropometric indices of the schoolchildren. A multistage sampling technique was used and data collected were analysed using SPSS 23 with the level of statistical significance set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: A statistically higher proportion of primary school children in the rural communities (24.8%) had a low dietary diversity score than those in the urban communities (8.5%) (P < 0.001). Less than half of the pupils (47.1% in the urban and 48.6% in the rural communities) were malnourished. Lower birth order, respondents from household with poor toilet facility, lower class in school, low education of caregiver, occupation of household head and father as caregiver were factors associated with malnutrition in both urban and rural communities. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of malnutrition was high in both urban and rural primary school children though higher in rural settings. Furthermore, dietary diversity score and feeding pattern were worse in rural than urban communities.

Trends and Determinants of Non-Utilization of Modern Contraception in Ekiti State, Nigeria: A Ten-Year Review.

BACKGROUND: An increase in correct usage of modern contraception is vital in reducing the maternal mortality ratio and Under-5 mortality, leading towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 3. Our study examined the trends and factors affecting non-utilization of modern contraceptives over a 10-year period in Ekiti State, Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This study used data from three consecutive National Demographic Health Surveys (NDHS) - 2008, 2013, and 2018 - with a weighted sample size of 1,357 women of reproductive age (15-49 years). Data on contraceptive use on these women, provided by the NDHS, were extracted and analysed using IBM SPSS version 25. The sample was weighted to adjust for disproportionate sampling and non-response. Pearson's chi-square and binary logistic regression were used to assess the factors associated with non-utilization of modern contraceptives. RESULTS AND FINDINGS: The mean age of the women was 30 years. Modern contraceptive use increased from 13.1% in 2008 to 23.0% in 2018, while unmet need for modern contraceptives decreased from 84.8% in 2008 to 75.4% in 2018. Identified predictors of non-utilization of modern contraceptive were age 20-24 years [aOR=0.33, 95%CI=0.19-0.59], 25-29 years [aOR=0.34, 95%CI=0.18-0.64], 30-34 years [aOR=0.46, 95%CI=0.22-0.94], 35-39 years [aOR=0.29, 95%CI=0.14-0.61] and 40-44 years [aOR=0.37, 95%CI=0.17-0.80] compared to age 15-19 years; living in urban areas [aOR=0.72, 95%CI=0.53-0.98] compared to in rural areas; higher level of education [aOR=0.46, 95%CI=0.21-0.98] compared to no education; and desire for more children [aOR=0.48, 95%CI=0.32-0.73] compared to not wanting more children. CONCLUSION: Although contraceptive usage increased over time, the factors associated with non-utilization were being an adolescent, living in a rural area, lower level of education, and desire for more children.

Coronavirus disease 2019 risk assessment of adults and geospatial mapping in selected communities of Southwest Nigeria.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) remained a worldwide public health problem. Risk assessment and mapping can be deployed to assist in the control and management of disease outbreaks. Aim: The aim of this study was to conduct COVID-19 risk assessment and mapping in selected communities of Southwest Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of adults, 18 years and above, involving the use of multi-stage sampling. Data collection was done with a pre-tested, structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 23 and Environmental Systems Research Institute ArcGIS desktop version 10.5 were used for data analysis and spatial mapping, respectively. The threshold for statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: The respondents' mean age was 40.6 ± 14.5 years. Self-reported vulnerability factors identified included hypertension, diabetes mellitus, working in hospital facility, cigarette smoking and age ≥60 years amongst others. About a quarter (20.2%) had a high risk of COVID-19 following risk quantification. The risk cuts across geographical locations and socio-economic status. Education was significantly associated with COVID-19 risk. The spatial interpolation map revealed that the farther a community was from the high-burden area, the lower the risk of COVID-19. Conclusion: There was a high prevalence of self-reported COVID-19 risk. Identified communities with COVID-19 high-risk burden in the risk mapping and those with stratified proximity to these areas need to be targeted by the government for a public health awareness campaign.

Cost of illness of non-communicable diseases in private and public health facilities in Nigeria: a qualitative and quantitative approach.

Introduction: the cost of illness (COI) of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has detrimental effects on healthcare outcomes in addition to the serious economic impact on patients and their families. This study estimated and compared the COI of NCDs and its predictors in private and public health facilities (HF) in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Methods: the study was carried out in selected HF (39 private; 11 public) using a comparative cross-sectional design with a mixed method of data collection. Quantitative data were collected from 348 hypertensive and/or diabetic patients (173 private; 175 public) using a semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire while qualitative data were from 5 key informant interviews (KII) conducted with HF heads or their representatives. Results: the average monthly COI of NCDs was higher among patients in private (₦15,750.38±14,286.47 [US$43.75±39.68]) than in public HF (₦13,283.37±16,432.68 [US$ 36.90±45.65]) (P<0.001), however, the indirect cost was higher in public HF (private, ₦1,561.07 [US$4.34]; public, ₦3,739.26 [US$10.39]) (p<0.001). Predictors of COI of NCDs identified were income and admission in both groups. Additionally, age, payment method, type of NCDs, having two or more complications, and exercise were identified in private while socioeconomic status, length of diagnosis, and alcohol were identified in public HF. The KII revealed a long waiting time for the public HF patients which accounted for the huge indirect cost. Conclusion: the study found a huge indirect cost in the public HF that could be minimized by developing policies that would reduce the waiting time of patients. Government and private interventions targeting identified predictors should be applied to reduce the financial burden of NCD.

Exposure to patients' sample and prevalence of Hepatitis B and C virus infection among health-care workers in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital.

Background: Hepatitis B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and together constitute the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer with attendant mortality. Objective: The objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of hepatitis B and C virus infection among different categories of health-care workers, looking at the exposure to patients' samples and the prevalence rate among these categories of health workers. This will help to ascertain the risk and the need to pay more attention to preventive measures. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted over a 2-year period among 217 health-care workers at the department of Haematology of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria. Respondents were randomly selected, and blood samples were taken for the hepatitis B and C screening. Data were analyzed using SPSS 20; bivariate analyses were done, and the level of statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. Results: A total of 13 (6.0%) tested positive for HBsAg. Analysis of the marital status of those that tested positive to Hepatitis B, revealed that the highest number (77%) was found among the married, while the singles and the divorced constitute 15.3% and 7.7% respectively. The nurses and nonhealth professionals (admin staff) constitute the highest positive yield of hepatitis B virus (HBV), followed by medical doctors and laboratory staff. The age of the respondent was found to have a statistically significant association with HBV serology (P < 0.05). Conclusion: There is a comparatively lower prevalence of HBsAg among the health-care workers who are directly exposed to patients' samples. The age of the respondent has a significant association with hepatitis B infection.

Résumé Contexte: L'hépatite B et C conduisent à des maladies chroniques chez des centaines de millions de personnes et constituent ensemble la cause la plus courante de cirrhose du foie et de cancer avec la mortalité des participants. Objectif: L'objectif de cette étude était d'estimer la prévalence de l'infection par le virus de l'hépatite B et du C entre différentes catégories de travailleurs de la santé, en examinant l'exposition aux échantillons des patients et le taux de prévalence entre ces catégories d'agents de santé. Cela aidera à déterminer le risque et la nécessité de prêter plus d'attention aux mesures préventives. Matériel et méthodes: Il s'agissait d'une étude transversale menée sur une période de 2 ans parmi 217 travailleurs de la santé au Département d'hématologie de l'hôpital fédéral universitaire, Ido - Ekiti, au Nigéria. Les répondants ont été sélectionnés au hasard et des échantillons de sang ont été prélevés pour le dépistage de l'hépatite B et du C. Les données ont été analysées à l'aide de SPSS 20; Des analyses bivariées ont été effectuées et le niveau de signification statistique a été fixé à p <0,05. Résultats: Un total de 13 (6,0%) ont été testés positifs pour HBSAG. L'analyse de l'état matrimonial de ceux qui se sont testés positifs à l'hépatite B, ont révélé que le nombre le plus élevé (77%) a été trouvé chez les mariés, tandis que les célibataires et les divorcés constituent respectivement 15,3% et 7,7%. Les infirmières et les professionnels de la santé (personnel administratif) constituent le plus élevé Rendement positif du virus de l'hépatite B (HBV), suivi des médecins et du personnel de laboratoire. L'âge du répondant s'est avéré avoir une association statistiquement significative avec la sérologie du VHB (p <0,05). Conclusion: Il existe une prévalence relativement plus faible de HBSAG chez les travailleurs de la santé qui sont directement exposés aux échantillons des patients. L'âge du répondant a une association significative avec l'infection à l'hépatite B. Mots-clés: Exposition, hépatite B et C, prévalence.

The Nigeria national health insurance authority act and its implications towards achieving universal health coverage.

The National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) faced several inherent and systemic drawbacks towards achieving universal health coverage for all Nigerians, and this has led to the signing of the new National Health Insurance Authority Act (NHIA), 2022. This article highlights the benefits of NHIA, discusses the possible challenges and the way forward in its implementation. A narrative review of past literature searched in PubMed, MEDLINE, African Journal Online, and Goggle was conducted. A total of 76 publications were initially retrieved and following data triangulation, 55 were finally used. The authors also included their experiences. The NHIA addressed some of the shortcomings of the previous NHIS, however, it would still face several challenges in its implementation such as low government funding priority to health, shortage of healthcare workers and poor healthcare coverage, as well as problems with enforcement as it mandates all Nigerians to enroll. These and other impending constraints must be surmounted and all stakeholders must be involved to ensure the Act accomplishes its aim.

Catastrophic Health Expenditure and Impoverishment from Non-Communicable Diseases: A comparison of Private and Public Health Facilities in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria.

Background: Catastrophic health expenditure and impoverishment are the outcomes of poor financing mechanisms. Little is known about the prevalence and predictors of these outcomes among non-communicable disease patients in private and public health facilities. Methods: A health facility-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 360 patients with non-communicable diseases (180 per group) selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected with a semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire and analyzed with IBM SPSS for Windows, Version 22.0. Two prevalences of catastrophic health expenditure were calculated utilizing both the World Bank (CHE1) and the WHO (CHE2) methodological thresholds. Results: The prevalence of CHE1 (Private:42.2%, Public:21.7%, p<0.001) and CHE2 (Private:46.8%, Public:28.0%, p<0.001) were higher in private health facilities. However, there was no significant difference between the proportion of impoverishment (Private:24.3%, Public:30.9%, p=0.170). The identified predictors were occupation, number of complications and clinic visits for catastrophic health expenditure and socioeconomic status for impoverishment in private health facilities. Level of education, occupation, socioeconomic status, number of complications and alcohol predicted catastrophic health expenditure while the level of education, socioeconomic status and the number of admissions predicted impoverishment in public health facilities. Conclusions: Catastrophic health expenditure and impoverishment were high among the patients, with the former more prevalent in private health facilities. Therefore, we recommend expanding the coverage and scope of national health insurance among these patients to provide them with financial risk protection. Identified predictors should be taken into account by the government and other stakeholders when designing policies to limit catastrophic health expenditure and impoverishment among them.

Comparative assessment of health-related quality of life among hypertensive patients attending state and federal government teaching hospitals in Ekiti State, Nigeria.

Background: Hypertension is a serious health problem and it is one of the diseases that impair health-related quality of life. The central tenet of care should be to improve health-related quality of life and overall well-being and not just be limited to improving clinical outcomes. This study assesses and compares health-related quality of life and its predictors among hypertensive patients in two government hospitals in Ekiti State, Nigeria. Methods: This was a comparative cross-sectional study involving 440 hypertensive patients (220 in each group), recruited using a systematic sampling technique within the hospitals. Data on socio-demographic, economic and clinical characteristics including the cost of care for hypertension were collected from the patients. The WHOQoL-BREF questionnaire was used to assess health-related quality of life. Data were entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 22.0. Results: All domains of health-related quality of life were better among patients in federal government teaching hospitals, however, only the physical (T = -7.932, p < 0.001) and overall (T = -2.783, p = 0.006) domains were of statistical significance. An inverse relationship between cost and health-related quality of life was found in the two hospitals (State: r = -0.224, p = 0.001; Federal: r = -0.378, p < 0.001). Identified predictors of health-related quality of life were age, locality of residence, income, number of complications, exercise and smoking in both hospitals. Other predictors were marital status, living arrangement, occupation, number of medications, and involvement in religious and spiritual activities among patients in the state government teaching hospital; household size, length of diagnosis, and indirect cost among patients in the federal government teaching hospital. Conclusion: There is a need to support hypertensive patients in the state government teaching hospitals to reduce the inequality of low health-related quality of life among them. Identified predictors should be taken into consideration when putting in place policies that will improve the health-related quality of life of these patients.

Catastrophic Health Expenditure and Impoverishment from NonCommunicable Diseases: A comparison of Private and Public Health Facilities in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria

Catastrophic health expenditure and impoverishment are the outcomes of poor financing mechanisms. Little is known about the prevalence and predictors of these outcomes among non-communicable disease patients in private and public health facilities. METHODS: A health facility-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted among 360 patients with non-communicable diseases (180 per group) selected through multistage sampling. Data were collected with a semi-structured, interviewer administered questionnaire and analyzed with IBM SPSS for Windows, Version 22.0. Two prevalences of catastrophic health expenditure were calculated utilizing both the World Bank (CHE1) and the WHO (CHE2) methodological thresholds. RESULTS: The prevalence of CHE1 (Private:42.2%, Public:21.7%, p<0.001) and CHE2 (Private:46.8%, Public:28.0%, p<0.001) were higher in private health facilities. However, there was no significant difference between the proportion of impoverishment (Private: 24.3%, Public:30.9%, p=0.170). The identified predictors were occupation, number of complications and clinic visits for catastrophic health expenditure and socioeconomic status for impoverishment in private health facilities. Level of education, occupation, socioeconomic status, number of complications and alcohol predicted catastrophic health expenditure while the level of education, socioeconomic status andthe number of admissions predicted impoverishment in public health facilities. CONCLUSION: Catastrophic health expenditure and impoverishment were high among the patients, with the former more prevalent in private health facilities. Therefore, we recommend expanding the coverage and scope of national health insurance among these patients to provide them with financial risk protection. Identified predictors should be taken into account by the government and other stakeholders when designing policies to limit catastrophic health expenditure and impoverishment among them

Rubella transmissibility and reproduction number (Ro): A critical appraisal of the prospects for its control in Nigeria.

Rubella is a highly contagious disease of public health importance that is endemic in Nigeria. Rubella with its devastating sequel, congenital rubella syndrome, is a neglected disease with no surveillance system in place and no national incidence figure in Nigeria. This article, therefore, seeks to do reviews of rubella transmissibility, its reproduction number and the prospects for its control in Nigeria. This is a review of literatures with triangulation of findings along the objectives and the use of available secondary data to analyse the prospects of rubella control in Nigeria. Data were analysed and presented with appropriate tables and charts. A number of factors can fuel rubella transmission causing increase in reproduction number, Ro.The high birth rate, poor rubella surveillance and non-inclusion of rubella vaccines in the routine vaccination schedule among others are some of the factors working against a good outlook for rubella control in Nigeria. The Nigerian government should control the growing population, ensure a robust surveillance for rubella and incorporate rubella-containing vaccine in the immunisation schedule for infants with regular vaccination campaigns for older children and adults.

Adherence to combined Antiretroviral therapy (cART) among people living with HIV/AIDS in a Tertiary Hospital in Ilorin, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: This study aims to assess the treatment adherence rate among People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) receiving treatment in a Nigerian tertiary Hospital. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study that assessed self-reported treatment adherence among adults aged 18 years and above who were accessing drugs for the treatment of HIV. Systematic random sampling method was used to select 550 participants and data were collected by structured interviewer administered questionnaire. RESULTS: The mean age of respondents was 39.9±10 years. Adherence rate for HIV patients was 92.6%. Factors affecting adherence include lack of money for transportation to the hospital (75%), traveling (68.8%), forgetting (66.7%), avoiding side effects (66.7%), and avoiding being seen (63.6%). CONCLUSION: The adherence rate was less than optimal despite advancements in treatment programmes. Adherence monitoring plans such as home visit and care should be sustained.

Early sexual debut: prevalence and risk factors among secondary school students in Ido-ekiti, Ekiti state, South-West Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Early adolescent sexual activity remains a recurring problem with negative psychosocial and health outcomes. The age at sexual debut varies from place to place and among different individuals and is associated with varying factors. The aim was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of early sexual debut among secondary school students in Ido-Ekiti, South-West Nigeria. METHODOLOGY: This was a cross-sectional study. The respondents were selected using multi-stage sampling technique. Pre-tested, semi-structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 15. RESULTS: More than two-thirds, 40(67.8%), had early sexual debut. The prevalence of early sexual debut was about 11%. The mean age of sexual debut was 13.10±2.82; the mean age for early sexual debutants was 11.68±1.98. The mean number of sexual partners was 2.44±1.99. Male gender, having friends who engaged in sexual activities had association with early sexual exposure (p<0.05). Alcohol intake had the strongest strength of association for early sexual debut among the students. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of early sexual exposure among the students calls for urgent interventions to stem the trend. This will help to reduce the devastating negative psycho-social and health sequels.

Clomiphene resistant polycystic ovarian syndrome: Analysis of outcomes following laparoscopic ovarian drilling in infertile women in Ilorin, North-central, Nigeria

Background: Laparoscopic ovarian drilling (LOD) is one-off treatment modality for clomiphene citrate (CC)-resistant polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) avoiding the need of medical therapy and its attendant complications. Aims and Objectives: This study aimed at determining the efficacy of LOD in women with anovulatory infertility secondary to CC-resistant PCOS and factors influencing reproductive outcomes. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study of infertile women who underwent LOD on account of CC-resistant PCOS between January 2012 and December 2015 at a tertiary institution. Results: Patients aged 24­38 years (29.7 ± 3.6 years) and their body mass index (BMI) ranges from 20 to 35 (26.3 ± 4.3). The majority (90.5%) were nulliparous. Most (61.3%) had primary infertility. Their duration of infertility ranges from 1 to 13 years (4.3 ± 2.7) and ovarian volume ranges from 10 to 24 cm3 (mean, right ovary = 15.2 ± 3.2; left ovary = 16.3 ± 3.2). The number of drills per ovary ranged from 4 to 14 (mean, right ovary = 7.4 ± 2.1; left ovary = 7.3 ± 2.1) and the luteinizing hormone/follicle stimulating hormone (LH)/FSH ratio ranges from 2 to 6 (3.2 ± 1.4). All achieved spontaneous resumption of menses and ovulation with mean durations of 4.0 ± 1.8 days and 5.3 ± 3.2 weeks, respectively. Eighty-three (60.6%) clinical pregnancies were recorded, of which 68 (49.6%) resulted to live births (61 singletons and 7 twin births) and 14 (10.2%) early first trimester miscarriages. The mean time interval from LOD to pregnancy was 4.4 ± 1.1 months. There was a significant association between BMI, duration of infertility, FSH/LH ratio, and pregnancy outcomes (P < 0.05). Conclusion: LOD is the most preferred treatment modality for CC-resistant PCOS as it resulted in higher pregnancy rate

Pattern and predictive factors of health-related quality of life of patients with hypertension, diabetes and concomitant hypertension with diabetes in Ilorin, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension and diabetes are the two most important modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Nigerian population. Because of the lifelong nature of the two diseases and the attendant long treatment regimen required, assessing the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important outcome of these diseases. OBJECTIVE: This study assessed the pattern and predictive factors of HRQoL among patients with hypertension, diabetes and concomitant hypertension and diabetes using the 36-item short-form version 2. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study of 1203 patients attending the outpatient clinics of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin; the patients were sampled using systematic random sampling methods. Patients were divided into those with hypertension, diabetes and both diseases. The predictors of physical and mental component summaries of HRQoL were analysed using Norm-based Scoring. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05 and 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: The patients with both diseases have lowest physical HRQoL (45.6), while the diabetic patients have the worst mental HRQoL (39.5). Negative predictors of physical HRQoL across the three groups were: drug regimen (hypertension P < 0.001, diabetes P < 0.001, both P = 0.005), CVD complication (hypertension P < 0.001, diabetes P = 0.025) and accompanying persons (P < 0.001). The positive predictors of physical HRQoL across the three groups were medication adherence (hypertension P < 0.001, diabetes P < 0.001 and both P = 0.002). Similarly, medication adherence was the positive predictor for mental HRQoL across the three groups of patients (hypertension P < 0.001, diabetes P = 0.001 and both P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: This study provided evidence to show that HRQoL across the three categories of patients in Ilorin, Nigeria, is suboptimal. Drug regimen, medication adherence and support from accompanying persons were important predictive factors of HRQoL.

Knowledge and use of emergency contraception among students of public secondary schools in Ilorin, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion pose a major reproductive health challenge to adolescents. Emergency contraception is safe and effective in preventing unplanned pregnancy. The objective of this study was to assess the student's knowledge and use of emergency contraception. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Ilorin, Nigeria, using multi-stage sampling method. Data was collected using pre-tested semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Knowledge was scored and analysed. SPSS version 21.0 was used for data analysis. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: 27.8% of the respondents had good knowledge of emergency contraception. Majority of respondents (87.2%) had never used emergency contraception. Majority of those who had ever used emergency contraception (85.7%) used it incorrectly, using it more than 72 hours after sexual intercourse (p=0.928). CONCLUSION: Knowledge about Emergency contraception and prevalence of use were low. Contraceptive education should be introduced early in the school curriculum for adolescents.

Self-medication among health workers in a tertiary institution in South-West Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Inappropriate self-medication results in wastage of resources, resistance to pathogen and generally entails serious health hazard. This study was undertaken to determine the knowledge, practice and reasons for practice of self-medication among health workers in a Nigerian tertiary institution. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among staff of Federal Medical Center Ido-Ekiti, Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 305 respondents that were interviewed via a pretested semi-structured questionnaire. Analysis was done using SPSS version 15 and while chi-square test was used to test significance between variables, significant (p value set<0.05). RESULTS: Among the 305 respondents interviewed, the age range was 18-52yrs with greater proportion being males (51.8%). Majority of respondents were aware of self-medication (94.8%), but only 47.2% had good knowledge of it. Reasons for practicing self-medication were financial problem (10.8%), mild sickness (10.8%), lack of time (13.4%), knowledge of diagnosis (5.6%), convenience (2.3%) and non-availability of doctors (3.0%). The drugs used by respondents without prescription included analgesics (38.2%), antibiotics (19.0%) anti-malaria drugs (13.3%), and others (29.4%). Conditions for which respondents self-medicated were body pains (14.9%), catarrh (14.9%), headache (14.3%), sore throat (11.5%), diarrhea (11.2%), fever (9.0%) and toothache (5.6%). CONCLUSION: The study demonstrates that the prevalence of self-medication is relatively high. There is need for health education on the implication and danger of self-medication. There is also need for government to pass and enforce law to restrict free access to drugs.

Mapping knowledge management resources of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) among people living in rural and urban settings of Ilorin, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: Lack of access to information and knowledge about mother and child health was identified as a major contributor to poor maternal and child health in Nigeria. The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH) has recognized mapping the knowledge management of Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) as one of the major strategies to be deployed in improving the health of these vulnerable groups. The main aim of this study is to map the knowledge management resources of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) in rural and urban settings of Ilorin West LGA of Kwara state Nigeria. METHODS: It is a descriptive cross-sectional study with a comparative analysis of findings from urban and rural settings. Epi-mapping was used to carve out the LGA and map responses. The p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant at 95% confidence level. RESULTS: The study showed that traditional leader was responsible for more than half of the traditional way of obtaining information by rural (66.7%) and urban (56.2%) respondents while documentation accounts for the main MNCH knowledge preservation for the rural (40.6%) and the urban (50%) dwellers. Traditional leaders (32.2%) and elders (46.7%) were the main people responsible for dissemination of knowledge in rural areas whereas elders (35.9%) and Parents (19.9%) were the main people responsible in urban areas. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that traditional and family institutions are important in the knowledge management of MNCH in both rural and urban settings of Nigeria.

Seroprevalence of rubella IgG antibody in pregnant women in osogbo, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Infection of mothers with Rubella virus during pregnancy can be serious; if the mother is infected within the first 20 weeks of pregnancy she is likely to have miscarriage, stillbirth, or baby with congenital rubella syndrome. This study was carried out to define Rubella virus seroprevalence in pregnancy in Osogbo, Nigeria. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional sero-survey of rubella IgG antibody among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria. Socio-demographic information on participants was collected by interviewer-administered questionnaire while venous samples were collected, stored at -20°C and serum samples were screened for detection of rubella IgG antibodies using the enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Of the 200 sample evaluated for rubella Immunoglobulin G antibody, 175 (87.5%) were positive and 25 (12.5%) were negative. The result indicated prevalence of 85.7% in 15-19 year age group, 86.8% in 20-24 year age group, 89.6% in 25-29 year group, and 100% in greater than 40 year age group. Rubella IgG seroprevalence was not associated with age, gestational age, gravidity, vaccination, occupation and education. CONCLUSIONS: As the immunity gap in the studied population was high, rubella vaccination should be provided for all women of child-bearing age and children.