Educational building conditions and the health of users

In order to maintain a healthy learning environment, diagnosis and management of defects in the educational facility are paramount. The preliminary results of the ongoing research reported here seek to identify defects associated with educational buildings and their effects on the health of polytechnic students and staff in Nigeria. A questionnaire survey, including 34 defects based on a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) was used to establish relationships with the health of polytechnic students and staff. Two hundred (200) respondents were randomly selected based on their schools (faculty) within Lagos State Polytechnic. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis of the collected data. The results of the study indicate that defects such as plumbing and dampness problems, cobwebs and dust, are prominent in the institution. Also the relationship between building conditions (defects) and health problems was established, with the predictors of the health problems. Based on the findings, it is important for designers and managers of facilities within tertiary institutions to develop and implement design and maintenance policies targeted at minimizing the likelihood of plumbing, dampness, electrical, cobweb and dust problems in educational buildings due to the health risks induced by the defects. It is evident that effective maintenance schedules and policies should be put in place to ensure that facilities are not left to decay before replacement

Autism spectrum disorder in a community-based sample with neurodevelopmental problems in Lagos, Nigeria

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a globally prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder for which early diagnosis and intervention is the mainstay of management. In the African continent, limited data is available regarding the non-clinic based samples. Lack of information available to caregivers and inadequate skilled manpower often limit early detection and access to the few available though under resourced services in the community. Community based screening can be an important drive to create awareness and improve information dissemination regarding services available for those living with this disorder. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study utilizing data obtained from participants of a community-based autism screening exercise. The surveillance exercise was part of the annual Orange Ribbon initiative for autism awareness and screening held in 2014. Data was obtained from 85 participants involved in the Autism Surveillance screening exercise within the Lagos community. Community public service radio announcements state wide and word of mouth were used to invite and enroll eligible participants to the screening and consultation exercise. A second stage screening and a brief sociodemographic questionnaire followed by a third stage clinical interview and evaluation using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - 5 Edition (DSM 5) were used. Appropriate consultation and referrals to services in the community were given. Participants had a mean age of 7.53 years (SD 4.35). Twenty-nine (34.5%) met the diagnosis of ASD. Other diagnosis included attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), language and speech disorder, intellectual disability (8.3%) and learning disorders (9.5%). Main health concerns to caregivers were poor language development in all (100%), of which 11 (40.7%) were non-verbal; gaze avoidance was seen in 14 (48.3%) and challenging behavior in 12 (42.9%). Comorbidities included seizure disorders (3.4%) and ADHD (6.9%). Persons with autism had history of ASD behavior more often when compared to the other neurodevelopmental disorders and these findings were statistically significant. Referrals were given to caregivers to engage in services within the community. As seen in this study, community understanding of ASD is poor in such locations, in which many persons with other neurodevelopmental disorders are often presented as having autism. Caregivers in the study location are distressed by many symptoms associated with autism and their comorbid conditions. Currently there is an evident role for frequent large scale community based screening and autism awareness exercises possibly using inter-sectoral collaboration as a strategy.Yewande O. Oshodi, Andrew T. Olagunju, Motunrayo. A. Oyelohunnu, Elizabeth A. Campbell, Charles S. Umeh, Olatunji F. Aina, Wellington Oyibo, Folusho E.A. Lesi, Joseph D. Adeyem

Inclusive assessment and feedback in RESE1173 (understanding research in evidence based practice) module: a case study

The University of Greenwich Strategy 2021-2030 positions the university to deliver outstanding teaching, learning and graduate outcomes, which is partly achieved through inclusive assessment and feedback. This proposal highlights inclusive practice based on the Inclusive Education Framework in assessment and feedback in the delivery of RESE1173 module through a case study. RESE1173 (Understanding Research in Evidence-Based Practice) is offered in the second year of a three-year BSc program. About 500 students of Midwifery, Paramedic Science and the four branches of nursing undertake this module in the September cohort. Assessments include a formative MCQ exam and a 2,500-word essay that critiques the research methodology/methods deployed etc in a recommended research paper, and seminars are offered to prepare students for the assessments. I took over leadership in December 2021. Previously, students have complained about variations in seminars facilitated by different lecturers in the 14-16 seminar groups and the lack of structure of the seminars across the Medway and Avery Hill Campuses. I found some lecturers have preferences when it comes to research methodology and not eager to mark scripts based on research designs they were not confident in. Following the release of grades, students would complain about inaccurate/inadequate feedback, and some would request re-mark of their scripts. To enhance student-centred assessment and feedback, I provided exemplar essays, seminar answer guides, and comprehensive marking guidance for the essays. I also held markers meetings before assignment submission, addressing assessment criteria, learning outcomes, and effective feedback, as recommended by Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2006). The findings showed more positive module evaluation, fewer complaints from students about feedback/grades, reduced variation in the delivery of lectures and seminars, lecturers finding marking easier and less stressful, and increase in the KPIs. Sharing my findings with colleagues will help them review their practices and highlight areas which could be enhanced

Property Rental Value Classification Model: A Case of Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

Residential property rental value forecasting has an impact on property investment decision. This necessitates the need for a study to forecast residential property rental value considering all associated variables including presence of cultural sites in the study area. Data for the study were gathered from the record of recent lettings in the study area. For the purpose of precision, this study adopted three artificial intelligence models. These are artificial neural network, logistic regression and support vector machine as models of classifying the rental value of residential property in Osogbo. The study considered relevant input variables among which are distance to cultural site, age of building, state of exterior/interior of building. Findings from the study revealed that the three adopted forecasting models had over 80% of the forecasted properties correctly classified thus making the residential property rental forecasting very reliable. Also, it was established that, in the study area, distance from cultural site is the property attribute with the highest negative impact on rental value

Evaluation and comparison of the Amino acid composition of three varieties of Lagerena siceraria melon seed flours

Amino acids of three varieties of Lageneria siceraria seed flours were determined using standard methods of analysis. The three varieties are rich in essential amino acids needed for human health and growth, with a mean of 53.15%. Sulphur amino acid and aromatic amino acid              of the seeds ranged from 17.06 mg/g protein to 24.10 mg/g protein and from 80.22mg/g protein to 89.00 mg/g protein respectively. The varieties of these melon seed flours are closely related; however, there are significant differences (P?0.05) in Cystine, showing that the varieties have some genetic differences. Key Words: Lageneria siceraria seed flours, Essential amino acid, Genetics, Aginine,  Cystine

Assessment of Parents’ Satisfaction with Paediatric Surgery Services at a Tertiary Hospital in South West Nigeria: A Quality Control Check

Background: Patient satisfaction is an important link in the chain of patient-physician interaction, patient care experience and patient health outcome. Patient satisfaction is relevant in the evaluation of quality of services received in health institutions based in low and middle income countries, and can provide important feedback for service improvement in such resource-poor settings. Aim: This study aimed to examine the patient’s level of satisfaction with pediatric surgery services in a Teaching Hospital. Subjects and Methods: Setting: Paediatric Surgery Unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Prospective questionnaire based survey. Consenting literate parents of paediatric post-op patients were serially recruited from the pediatric surgery unit of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The consent of the Institution’s Research Ethics’ Committee was sought and obtained. Using a general sociodemographic questionnaire and the patient satisfaction with services scale, patient experiences were obtained. Results were expressed as simple percentages and presented in tables. Results: One hundred and thirty-four post-op cases participated in this study. These participants were parents of children with varied surgical conditions such as: hernia (24.6%, 33/134), hydrocoele (8.2%, 11/134), among other conditions. Majority of the cases were follow-up cases (75.4%, 101/134), compared to 24.6% being new cases. Most respondents (parents/guardians) rated the ‘assistance from the records officer’ as good/ very good/excellent (82.1%, 110/134), while 14.9% (20/134) rated it as fair/poor. Respondents were quite satisfied with the ‘amount of information given about the health problem’ with 82.9% (111/134) rating it as good/very good/excellent and 8.2% (11/134) as fair/poor. The ‘suitability of the treatment plan to needs was considered good/very good/excellent by 61.9% and fair/poor by 9.0%. However, the ‘overall quality of care’ was rated as fair/poor in 12.0%, and good/very good/excellent by 88.0% of respondents. Conclusion: In conclusion, the study serves as a useful feedback tool which provides important information on certain aspects of patient satisfaction, it identifies aspects which respondents find less satisfying and as such need improvement

Adoption of Information Technology and its effect on Cooperative Performance in Egba Division, Ogun State, Nigeria

Cooperative is a common platform for addressing contemporary financial challenges in a fast growing economy. The manual accounting systems among cooperatives are very slow, leave high margin of errors and create opportunities for abuse with negative impact on cooperative performance. The study examined factors affecting information technology (IT) adoption and its effect on cooperative performance in Egba Division, Ogun State, Nigeria. Primary data were collected from 122 respondents by multi-stage sampling techniques through questionnaire. Data were analysed by descriptive statistics, Binary Logit and Cobb-Douglas function. The result shows that average respondent was 32.8 years old. Male (80.3%) dominated cooperative management, 64.8% were married, 31.2% had maximum of secondary education. Cooperative membership was 10 – 58 persons. The major IT facilities adopted were office phone (84.4%), computer system (63.9%) and television (45.9%). Some managers (23.3%) were computer illiterate. Regression estimates revealed that age (p < 0.01), education (p < 0.01), experience (p < 0.01) and computer literacy (p < 0.01) of cooperative managers affected IT adoption while cooperative performance was promoted by computer system (p<0.01), office phone (p<0.01), television (p<0.01) and managers’ experience (p<0.01). The major constraints against IT adoption were high cost of IT (63.1%) and low membership/ finance (45.9). Therefore, government should ensure policy that will increase membership participation and finance in cooperatives. It is recommended that minimum cooperative membership for registration should be twenty (20) persons. Computer training should be compulsory for managers/ staff under the principle of cooperative education. IT adoption should become a policy in the bye-law. Keywords: Cooperatives, adoption, information technology, performance, Logit mode

Weight gain and menstrual abnormalities between users of Depo-provera and Noristerat

Background: Progesterone only injectable contraceptive provides long acting contraception against unwanted pregnancy. Alterations in menstrual pattern are a well known side effect of this effective contraceptive method. Objective of this study was to compare the weight gain and pattern of menstrual abnormalities in users of Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA) and Norethisterone Enanthate (Noristerat) in LASUTH.Methods: Retrospective comparative study conducted over a 3year period (January 2013 to December 2015) and involving 237 subjects who used injectable hormonal contraceptive (either DMPA or Noristerat). Case records of all the subjects were retrieved and information obtained on socio-demographic data, parity, previous contraceptive method and reason for discontinuation within one year of usage. Other information including subjects’ weight, menstrual cycle length and pattern, and side effects were collected at 3, 6 and 12 months for DMPA group and 2, 4 and 12 months interval for Noristerat group. Data obtained were analyzed using statistical packages for social sciences (version 19).Results: The combined mean age was 34.15±1.36 years. The mean weight at commencement was 68.16kg for DMPA and 66.61kg for Noristerat users while after a year, it significantly increased to 71.27kg for DMPA and 69.07kg for Noristerat users (P<0.05). No change in menstrual pattern was noted in 10% of DMPA and 7% of Noristerat users while 60% of DMPA and 57% of Noristerat had amenorrhoea by the end one year period. Five percent each of DMPA and Noristerat users perceived weight gain as problem significant enough to discontinue both methods respectively. Overall, 24% of DMPA and 19.1% of Noristerat users discontinued use after one year.Conclusions: There were significant weight gain between users of DMPA and Noristerat which was not considered a problem. Amenorrhoea was the commonest menstrual abnormality responsible for discontinuation of either method

Do job advertisements promote gender inequality in the construction sector?

Paper presented at International Conference for Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society (SEEDS)International Conference for Sustainable Ecological Engineering Design for Society (SEEDS), Bristol UWE University, 31 August - 1 Sept 2022.The poor performance of construction projects remains a topical issue in the academic field of construction management. Across the globe, statistical data indicates that the construction sector is male dominated. The observed inequality is linked to conflicts, which is one of the main reasons for the poor performance of construction projects. The current study aims to explore the differences between job adverts for male [construction manager] and female [social worker] dominated sectors of the economy by comparing word usage. Text mining was used to unearth the differences in the content of the job advertisements for these two roles. The findings indicate that masculine words [such as leader] are the most commonly used words in the job adverts for construction manager roles. The findings suggest that the content of job adverts seem to promote gender stereotypes associated with employment in the construction sector. Such gender cues may contribute to the gender differences in the construction workforce. Taken together, these findings suggest that there is a need to embed gender-neutral words in job adverts placed by construction sector