Exposure to Sex Education and Its Effects on Adolescent Sexual Behavior in Nigeria.

Sexual behavior during adolescence fundamentally steers the future life of both girls and boys, and it should be guided with appropriate education, especially as it also represents a key factor to be considered in attainment of sustainable developmental goals. The study assessed the effect of exposure to sex education on adolescents' sexual behavior. The primary and cross-sectional survey data used for this study were analyzed using basic descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression analytical technique. The results, among others, highlighted that the most common sources of first sex education among the respondents are school (54.6%), family (21.6%), social media (9.5%), and others like television (7.6%) and books or magazines (4.9%). Frequency of discussion on sexual matters is positively associated with the use of protection such as condom (ß = 0.261; p ≤ 0.01). The study gave support to the increasing pursuit of sexuality education. However, since adolescents' needs could vary by demographics, streamlining sex education need by age and sex characteristics could enhance its effectiveness.

Variations in preference for family care support among the elderly in Southwestern Nigeria.

Preference for family care support among the elderly has become a prominent issue in Nigeria. Hence, the study explored variations in preference for family care support among the elderly in South-western Nigeria (Lagos and Oyo states). Data were extracted from a 2012 elderly survey dataset, and analyzed using quantitative techniques (univariate and bivariate). The results showed that study locations, marriage-type, educational attainment, employment status, religious affiliation, means of livelihood and usual place of residence have little and apparent variations in preferences for family care support in Southwestern Nigeria. We recommend that in order to keep on sustaining high-preferences for family care support, elderly people should be given all-round communal supports by family caregivers in the Nigerian extended family system.

Factors associated with child mortality among antenatal care attendees in Ado-Odo/Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.

The study examined the determinants of child mortality among attendees at a government health care facility in Ado-Odo/Ota in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study, based on a descriptive cross-sectional study, used a mixed-methods research approach and utilized an interviewer-administered structured pretested questionnaire. A total of 1350 respondents constituted the sample size. Data analysis consisted of descriptive and regression analysis with STATA Version 12. Furthermore, the study employed focus group discussions to reinforce the quantitative results of the investigation. Results showed the place of delivery (P = 0.000), distance from house to health facility (P = 0.022), immunization status (P = 0.000), duration of breastfeeding (P = 0.000), cost of treatment at the health facility (P = 0.627), household waste disposal practice (P = 0.000), and ever used oral rehydration solution (P = 0.000) as being significantly associated with child mortality. The study created awareness of behavioral practices affecting child mortality and insights on possible interventions for reducing child mortality. We conclude that community-based educational strategies and the improvement of health facilities will reduce child mortality.

Nigeria and Italy Divergences in Coronavirus Experience: Impact of Population Density.

BACKGROUND: The reports and information on coronavirus are not conspicuously emphasising the possible impact of population density on the explanation of difference in rapid spread and fatality due to the disease and not much has been done on bicountry comparisons. OBJECTIVE: The study examined the impact of population density on the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in two sociodemographic divergent countries. METHODS: The study conducted a scoping review of published and unpublished articles including blogs on incidences and fatalities of COVID-19. The analysis followed qualitative description and quantitative presentation of the findings using only frequency distribution, percentages, and graphs. RESULTS: The two countries shared similar experience of "importation" of COVID-19, but while different states ordered partial lockdown in Nigeria, it was an immediate total lockdown in Italy. The physician/patient ratio is high in Italy (1 : 328) but low in Nigeria (1 : 2500), while population density is 221 in Nigeria and 206 in Italy. Daily change in incidence rate reduced to below 20% after 51 and 30 days of COVID-19 first incidence in Italy and Nigeria, respectively. Fatality rate has plummeted to below 10% after the 66th day in Italy but has not been stabilised in Nigeria. CONCLUSION: The authors upheld both governments' recommending measures that tilted towards personal hand-hygienic practices and social distancing. Authors suggested that if Italy with its high physician/patient ratio and lower population density compared to Nigeria could suffer high fatality from COVID-19 pandemic under four weeks, then Nigeria with its low physician/patient ratio and higher population density should prepare to face harder time if the pandemic persists.

The interplay of post-translational modification and gene therapy.

Several proteins interact either to activate or repress the expression of other genes during transcription. Based on the impact of these activities, the proteins can be classified into readers, modifier writers, and modifier erasers depending on whether histone marks are read, added, or removed, respectively, from a specific amino acid. Transcription is controlled by dynamic epigenetic marks with serious health implications in certain complex diseases, whose understanding may be useful in gene therapy. This work highlights traditional and current advances in post-translational modifications with relevance to gene therapy delivery. We report that enhanced understanding of epigenetic machinery provides clues to functional implication of certain genes/gene products and may facilitate transition toward revision of our clinical treatment procedure with effective fortification of gene therapy delivery.

Correlation between body mass index and waist circumference in nigerian adults: implication as indicators of health status.

BACKGROUND: Anthropometric measures have been widely used for body weight classification in humans. Waist circumference has been advanced as a useful parameter for measuring adiposity. This study evaluated the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference and examined their significance as indicators of health status in adults. DESIGN AND METHODS: The subject included 489 healthy adults from Ota, Nigeria, aged between 20 and 75 years, grouped into early adulthood (20-39 years), middle adulthood (40-59 years) and advanced adulthood (60 years and above). Weight, height and abdominal circumference were measured. BMI was calculated as weight kg/height2 (m2) and World Health Organization cut-offs were used to categorize them into normal, underweight, overweight and obese. RESULTS: Abnormal weight categories accounted for 60 % of the subjects (underweight 11 %, overweight 31%, and obese 18%). The waist circumference of overweight and obese categories were significantly (P<0.05) higher than the normal weight category. There was no significant difference between waist circumference of underweight and normal subjects. The correlation coefficient values of BMI with waist circumference (r=0.63), body weight (r=0.76) and height (r=-0.31) were significant (P<0.01) for the total subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that waist circumference can serve as a positive indicator of overweight and obesity in the selected communities; however, it may not be used to determine underweight in adults. Regular BMI and waist circumference screening is recommended as an easy and effective means of assessing body weight and in the prevention of weight related diseases in adults. Significance for public healthThis manuscript describes the correlation between body mass index, waist circumference and body weight of two communities in Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria and the use of these anthropometric measures for body weight classification in human populations of the selected communities. This was carried out to evaluate the health status of the indigenes of the two communities for proper health awareness and public health intervention programmes.