Assessment of delays in receiving delivery care at a tertiary healthcare delivery centre in Nigeria.

This study reviewed the causes of delays when patients were admitted with obstetric emergencies in Ife-Ife, Nigeria.

The under utilization of honey in a deprived environment.

The study investigated the utilization of honey in the treatment and prevention of illness amongst 400 respondents in Oranfe Community, Ile-Ife, Osun State Nigeria. Data were collected by employing a structured and pretested open ended questionnaire. The data indicated that 21%, 17% and less than 5% of the respondents had used honey for wounds, respiratory tract infections and gastroenteritis respectively. Neither educational nor professional status had any significant influence on the usage of honey in the treatment and prevention of common illness (p > 0.05). The vast majority (55%) preferred refined sugar to honey. The study has some policy implications. The first is the need for an intensive nutrition education programme that will disseminate the health benefits of honey as a source of energy, essential nutrients and its antioxidant properties. The second is the need to promote its usage in clinical trials because of its antibacterial properties.

Assessment of knowledge and practice of nutritional and life style risk factors associated with cancer among hospital workers at two university teaching hospitals in Osun State, Nigeria.

The objectives of this study were to assess both the predisposing and precipitating risk factors in the aetiology of any form of cancer among hospital workers at two teaching Hospitals in Osun State, Nigeria. Pre-tested and modified questionnaires were administered to 250 respondents. One hundred and seventy questionnaires were duly filled and completed. Less than 9% of the respondents consumed fruits and vegetables on a daily basis; while the highest percentage (65%) regularly consumed butter/margarine, followed with consumption of red meat. Twenty nine percent (29%) from both locations were classified as overweight and obese. Half did physical exercise twice a week. Of the 168 respondents. 34 (20.2%) did meet the criteria for completely emptying their bowels within a specified time of three minutes. It is concluded that whilst predisposing risk factors do not pose a threat to the onset of any form of cancer among respondents, precipitating factors are real major factors that need to be addressed through information, education and communication (I.E.C). Such an I.E.C. should be geared towards promotion of healthy eating and life style strategies. Alter all, 'the first step in cancer prevention is knowing the risk profile'.

A study on under five nutritional status and its determinants in a semi-rural community of Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.

Ten variables were assessed as they influence the under five (U5) nutritional status of children at Oranfe, a semi-rural community in Ife East Local Government Area of Osun state, Nigeria. The two types of protein energy malnutrition (PEM) that are prevalent in the community are stunting and wasting. Of the 230 children assessed using Waterlow's technique, 23% and 22.6% were stunted and wasted respectively. The results confirmed that mothers' educational level, age, parity, types of family and children's immunization status and age are some of the key determinants of nutritional status of U5 children. The intensification of exclusive breast feeding, female education, a compulsory food demonstration unit in all health centres, use of complementary feeds from 7 months upwards, growth monitoring and promotion are some of the strategies to reduce the high prevalence of PEM in both rural and urban areas of developing countries.

Promotion of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF): the need to focus on the adolescents.

This study was designed to assess the knowledge and attitude towards exclusive breast feeding among 377 female students of School of Health Technology, Ilesha and to compare their responses with 60 primigravidae attending antenatal clinic in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The ages of the subjects ranged from 15 to 34 years. Data were collected using pretested structured questionnaire. Approximately 47% of the total population were grouped under low level of knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding. There was no significant relationship in terms of knowledge between the two groups. There was, however, a significant relationship between the age of subjects and increased level of knowledge about EBF. Seventy percent of the primigravidae were graded as having poor attitudes as compared with 18% of the female students. About 42% of the total population would give water and glucose D water to neonates within 72 hours after delivery. These findings further suggest that planners of the Baby Friendly Initiative need to focus more on adolescents and the primigravidae in the promotion of breastfeeding.

Breast feeding practices in urban and rural health centres: impact of baby friendly hospital initiative in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.

The present study was carried out to assess the impact of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative (BFHI) on breast feeding practices. The variables used to evaluate the BFHI centre included time of initiation of breastfeeding (BF) after delivery, intended duration of BF, adoption of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) in relation to educational status, location of health centre, and knowledge and practice of positioning the child at the breast. Observation, questionnaire and interview techniques were employed to collect the data among 217 and 214 nursing mothers (NMs) from Urban and Rural Health Centres. Of the 228 NMs who initiated BF within 30 minutes after delivery, 140 (61%) were from a designated BFHI Centre and 88 (39%) were from an undesignated BFHI rural health centre. There was a significant relationship between the practice of EBF and designation of BFHI centre (P = 0.0001). The higher the level of education of the NMs, the higher the present of NMs subscribing to EBF (P = 0.0001). The present study has also confirmed that EBF which was once considered to be less than 3%, has increased significantly to 61%. The success was not unconnected with the inauguration of BFHI. The BFHI is recording huge success in the urban area but the impact is still to be felt in the rural areas.