Adekunle Ganiyu Salaudeen

Condom use among people living with HIV/AIDS attending Abejukolo General Hospital in Kogi State, North Central Nigeria

BACKGROUND Condom programming is an integral component in a range of HIV/AIDS prevention strategies and with repeated sexual contact among HIV-discordant couples, 98-100% of those who used latex condoms correctly and consistently did not become infected. The objective of this study is to determine condom use among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). METHODS This is a cross-sectional survey carried out among 231 PLWHA and receiving care and treatment at General Hospital Abejukolo in Kogi State, Nigeria. The research instrument was interviewer-administered questionnaire. The data obtained were analysed using EPI-INFO version 3.4.1 software and P-value of < 0.05 was significant for the study. RESULTS About three-quarters (70.6%) of the respondents had ever used condom. Reasons given by respondents who did not use condom were: Desire for children (39.7%), and reduction of sexual pleasure (17.7%) and partner preference. More than half (56.0%) of the respondents with multiple partners did not use condom. About half 119 (51.5%) have used condom in the last sexual encounter. Gender, literacy level and disclosure of HIV status to partners significantly influence condom use during sexual intercourse. CONCLUSION The poor uptake of condom among PLWHA underscores the need for government and other stakeholders in the management of HIV/AIDS to provide more enlightenment opportunities to address the gaps in condom use and disclosure of HIV status to partners.

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 students 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.

Knowledge and prevalence of risk factors for arterial hypertension and blood pressure pattern among bankers and traffic wardens in Ilorin, Nigeria

BACKGROUND High job strain, mental stress, sedentary lifestyle, increase in BMI are among the factors associated with significantly higher incidence of hypertension. The job of bank employees is both sedentary in nature and accompanies high mental stress. The aim of this study is to assess the level of knowledge of risk factors among respondents and to compare the blood pressure pattern of bankers and traffic wardens. METHODOLOGY The study design is a descriptive cross-sectional conducted among bankers and traffic wardens in Ilorin to determine the pattern and knowledge of blood pressure. Self-administered questionnaires, weighing scale (Omron Digital scale), stadiometer and sphygmomanometer were used as the research instruments. Simple random sampling was used to select respondents involved in the study. RESULTS The prevalence of hypertension in this study was 34.4% in bankers and 22.2% in traffic wardens. The risk factors the bankers commonly had knowledge of are alcohol, obesity, high salt intake, certain drugs, stress, emotional problems and family history while the traffic wardens commonly had knowledge of all these in addition to cigarette smoking. Also, more bankers (32.2%) than traffic wardens (13.3%) were smoking cigarette and more of these cigarette smokers that are bankers (17.8%) had elevated blood pressure compared to the traffic wardens (3.3%). CONCLUSION Workers in the banking industry as well as traffic wardens should be better educated about the risk factors of hypertension and bankers should be encouraged to create time for exercise.

Condom use among HIV sero-concordant couples attending a secondary health facility in North-Central Nigeria

Background: Condom use during intercourse is perceived as unnecessary in sexual encounters involving a regular partner. The non-use of condom among HIV-positive people has been found to increase the risk of resistance to anti-retroviral therapy. The objective of this study was to determine the pattern of condom use among HIV sero-concordant couples attending a secondary health facility in North-Central Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey that was carried out among people living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) who have been enrolled into care and treatment at General Hospital Abejukolo in Kogi State, Nigeria. The data instrument used was self-/interviewer-administered questionnaire. The data obtained were analysed using EPI-INFO version 3.4.1 software package. Chi-square test was used and P < 0.05 was considered significant for the study. Results: Assessment of knowledge of the respondents on the correct use of condom showed that two-thirds (60; 65.9%) had good knowledge and 70 (79.6%) of them demonstrated positive attitude towards the use of condom during sexual intercourse. About one-third of the respondents (32; 35.2%) would oblige the spouse sexual intercourse without condom mainly because they are both positive, to fulfil marital obligations and to avoid problems in marital relationship. Less than two-thirds (59.3%) of sero-concordant spouse used condom during sexual intercourse for reasons of preventing re-infection and pregnancy. Conclusion: With one-third of respondents not using condom during sexual intercourse, there is a great challenge for spread of HIV infection and risk of drug resistance in HIV care and management. Therefore, stakeholders at various levels should intensify efforts and support research towards behavioural modification in addressing the existing lacunae in HIV control.

Tyre related risk assessment in the middle belt region in Nigeria: information for policymakers

Objective: It has been reported that defective, worn-out and under-inflated tyres were responsible for many road crashes. The objective of this study was to assess the safety profiles of tyres used by inter-city commercial vehicle drivers in Ilorin Kwara State, Nigeria. Methods: It was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which simple random sampling technique by ballot method was adopted to select 300 commercial vehicles. Two tests were performed on each vehicular tyre viz: visual inspection of tyres for tread wear indicator (TWI), manufacturing date to determine the expiry date and the depth of tread of vehicle tyres by one penny US coin. Data analysis was done using SPSS data analysis package. Results: Ninety-two vehicles (30.7%) had all the four tyres expired and 80 (26.7%) did not have extra tyre. Of all the 300 vehicles inspected, 120 (40.0%) had all the four tyres worn-out. Additionally, 104 (34.7%) of the vehicles failed the coin test. Only four vehicles (1.3%) had all their four tyres pass all the three tests conducted on them. Conclusion: There is need to scale up the study so that the magnitude and contribution of tyre safety to road crashes can be determined in the country to provide basis for informed and evidence-based interventions. Keywords: Tyres, risk, assessment

Pregnancy Outcomes Following Assisted Reproduction Technologies For Infertile Women At A Public Health Institution In Nigeria

This study determined the factors associated with malnutrition among adolescents in senior secondary schools in The Abuja Municipal area council. This was a cross-sectional study conducted among adolescents (10-19 years) in secondary schools. A multistage sampling technique was employed to select a total of 1700 students from selected schools. All schools in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) were stratified into urban and rural schools. Eight schools were selected by balloting from a list of schools obtained from the Education centre. A school was selected from each of the four major districts of AMAC and four schools were selected from the rural making a total of 8 schools. Although the consent of the school authorities were obtained, individual subject also consented to the study before being enrolled. The study excluded those adolescents who were physically challenged thus limiting physical activity. Socio-demographic information was obtained using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Subjects height and weight was taken using the floor-type height (H) and weight (W) measuring scale model ZT-120 using Massachusetts department of public health protocol. The nutritional status was determined using the formula: BMI= W/H2 , where W =weight (in kilograms) and H= height (in meters). The age and sex specific height and BMI percentile for each subject was determined using the 2007 WHO Height and BMI growth charts for age 5-19years. The students were then classified into one of the following categories using previously used standards: normal, stunted, overweight or obese. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 17 statistical package. A regression analysis of all investigated factors was done to determine those with significant association to malnutrition. The mean age was 14.43±1.94 years; male 688, female 862, M:F ratio 1.1.3. Mean BMI, weight and heightwere 20.31±3.07kg/m2, 51.07± 10.80 kg, and157.88±9.33 cm respectively. The prevalence ofoverweight, stunting, obesity and wasting wasdocumented as 13.2% (205/1550), 11.3% (175/1550),2.6% (41/1550) and 1.7% (27/1550) respectively. Lowsocial class, male gender, hawking after school andrural setting were associated with stunting (p< 0.05)and female gender and watching Television for morethan 3 hours daily were associated with overweight(p<0.05). Obesity occurred more in urban areas

Reproductive health problems and health seeking behavior of female sex workers in Sabon Gari Local Government Area, Zaria, Nigeria

Background: The sexual and reproductive health needs of sex workers have been neglected both in research and public health interventions. Among the reasons for this are the condemnation, stigma and ambiguous legal status of sex work in Nigeria. This study was aimed at determining the reproductive health problems and health-seeking behavior of brothel-based female sex workers (FSW). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among brothel-based FSW in Sabon-Gari Local Government in Zaria, Nigeria between 1 st January 2011 and 31 st June 2011. A total of 208 FSW were randomly selected and information was obtained with the use of the semi-structured questionnaire. Data entry was done with the help of structured codes in Microsoft Excel. Descriptive analysis was carried out using the statistical package (SSPS 16-University of Bristol). Results: Majority 90.7% of the respondents had experienced reproductive morbidity in the last 3 months. Frequently experienced symptoms were vaginal discharge (63.8%), acute lower abdominal pain (57.5%), menstrual irregularities (37%) and genital ulcer (32.3%). Genital tear occurred in only 25 (9.8%) respondents. Furthermore, 178 (63.6%) had a termination of unwanted pregnancies. Most (32.3%) sought care for their reproductive health problems from chemist shops; followed by the private hospitals in 23.6% of respondents. Others took self-medication for their ailments. Post-treatment success was the most frequently mentioned reason for the choice of place of treatment, followed by finance. Conclusion: The most commonly reported reproductive health problem among FSW was vaginal discharge and many of them have poor health seeking behavior. Health promotion and client sensitive health care services specifically targeting FSW should be developed, packaged and delivered to improve reproductive health of FSW. There should be concerted efforts by the government and other stakeholders in reproductive health to develop a policy framework to addressing the challenges in health of FSW.

Socio-demographic profiles and outcome of motorcycle related head injury in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Institution

Background: Motorcycle increasingly has been used for commercial transportation in many Nigerian cities with attendance increase in the rate of motorcycle crashes. Head injury is responsible for high morbidity and most mortality following such crashes. The aim of this study is to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of head injured victims of motorcycle crashes, severity of head injury and management outcome. Materials and Methods: A 1 year prospective study of head injured motorcyclists and pedestrians knocked down by motorcycle were carried out at University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital using a pre-designed proforma. Information collected included the age, gender, literacy level, alcohol consumption, license status, crash helmet use, Glasgow coma score and Glasgow outcome score. The IBM statistical package for social sciences (version 15.0) statistical package was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of140 patients with the median age of 30 years (ranged 3-90 years) were studied. They comprised 115 (82%) males and 25 (18%) females. Most patients (66%) had at least secondary education. People of varying occupations were involved in a motorcycle crash. All riders were males and most (71.8%) were unlicensed. Only 5.8% of riders wore crash helmets at the time of the crash and they all had a favorable outcome. At both extremes of age ( 70 years) more patients were involved as pedestrians. The only socio-demographic variable that influence outcome of head injury was the patient age. Outcome was better in younger age group ( P = 0.004). There was 26.4% mortality. Most, 23 (88.4%), of patients with severe head injury died and none of them had good recovery ( P Conclusion: Our findings demonstrated high mortality among non-crash helmet wearing motorcyclists with motor cycle related head injury. The outcome was significantly influenced by age and head injury severity.