Hand Washing: Knowledge, Attitude and Practice amongst Mothers of Under-Five Children in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria

The hands are central to many of our daily activities and the use of contaminated hands for cooking and eating enhances transmission of contaminants/germs into the body through food, thereby causing ill-health. Mothers serve the dual role of the children’s nurse (handling their faeces, blowing their nostrils, etc.) as well as the household chef (prepares family’s meals, feeds children). This coupled with poor knowledge and practice of simple hygiene increase the risk of spread of diseases to the under-five children. A community based cross-sectional study set out to determine the knowledge, attitude towards and practice of hand washing among mothers of under-five children in Igbona Area of Olorunda Local Government in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Three hundred mothers of under-five children were selected for the study using a multi-stage technique. Interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaires were used to collect information on participants’ knowledge, attitude towards and practice of hand washing. Overall, respondents had good knowledge of hand washing but their educational status and religion were found to influence degree of knowledge of hand washing (p = 0.01 respectively with higher education and Christianity positively impacting knowledge of hand washing). More than three-quarters (81.6%) of them did not think that the use of soap was important in hand washing. Respondents’ practice of hand washing was influenced by their age and educational level (p < 0.0000001) respectively with older age group and higher educational levels corresponding to better practice. In conclusion, the study found good knowledge of hand washing among the respondents with many of them showing positive attitude in favor of hand rinsing. Those with higher education had better practice of hand washing. To realize the health benefits of hand washing, efforts to improve hand washing in this environment should encourage adding soap to current hand rinsing practices. Keywords: hand washing, mothers, under-five children, knowledge, attitude, practice

Knowledge, attitudes and practice of emergency contraception among medical doctors attending a continuing medical education programme in Osogbo, south-western Nigeria

Background: Emergency contraceptives (EC) play a very important role in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies when there are user failures with the regular devices. It is an integral part of the treatment of cases of sexual assaults and other unprotected sexual intercourse in susceptible subjects.Aims & Objectives: This paper reported the knowledge, attitude and practice of different cadres of Physicians attending a CME session at Osogbo on emergency contraceptives.Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study among doctors attending a Continuing Medical Education (CME) Programme organised by the College of Health Sciences, Osun State University at Osogbo, South West Nigeria. Data were collected from Resident doctors, General practitioners and Specialists using a structured 20-itemed questionnaires and were analysed using WINPEPIResults: A little more than half of respondents had good knowledge of emergency contraception. Both positive and negative attitudes were equally represented. However, only 1 in 5 doctors had good practice about Emergency Contraception. Specialization in any area of medicine had positive impact while duration over 10 years of practice had negative effect on knowledge and both were statistically significant.Conclusion: Many Medical doctors have poor Knowledge and attitude of emergency contraception especially the general practitioners and those who have worked for more than ten years. The practice of EC is generally poor among the respondents and this may add to unmet needs for contraception in this environment.Keywords: Knowledge, Contraception, Unmet need, Medical Practitioner

Challenges Facing Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV among Infants in Resource Poor Settings

The number of children who have HIV continues to grow. Studies have confirmed dramatic survival benefits and mortality reduction for infants confirmed and managed as early as possible after diagnosis. With the advent of the Polymerase Chain Reaction technology, early infant diagnosis of HIV among children is easier and more reliable worldwide. Most HIV programmes in developing countries are donor dependent with less encouraging moves towards sustainability drive by the local health authority. The health systems also face a lot of challenges while implementing these programmes that would promptly identify HIV exposed babies as well as enrolment into care. This review examined challenges facing early infant diagnosis of HIV among infants in NigeriaLe nombre d'enfants qui sont atteints du VIH ne cesse de s’accroitre. Des études ont confirmé les avantages de survie dramatiques et la réduction de la mortalité pour les nourrissons confirmés et gérés le plus tôt possible après le diagnostic. Avec l'avènement de la technologie de Réaction en Chaine de Polymérase, le diagnostic précoce du VIH chez les enfants à travers le monde est plus facile et plus fiable. La plupart des programmes du VIH dans les pays en développement sont dépendent des bailleurs de fonds avec des tentatives moins encourageantes vers la durabilité d'entraînement par l'autorité sanitaire locale. Les systèmes de santé font face également à de nombreux défis lors de l'exécution de ces programmes qui identifieraient rapidement les bébés exposés au VIH ainsi que leur inscription dans les soins. Ce compte rendu a étudié les défis auxquels fait face le diagnostic précoce du VIH chez les nourrissons au Nigeri

Obesity indices as predictors of pattern of self-reported arthritis among elderly women in Southwestern Nigeria

Objectives: This study assessed obesity indices and pattern of arthritis among elderly women in Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria. Methods: The cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among 350 elderly women selected by multistage sampling technique. Research instruments used in data collection were semi-structured, interviewer-administered pre-tested questionnaires that were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences software version 17.0. Results: The mean age of the participants was 69.1 (±1.4) years. A total of 232 (66.3%) of them had complaints of joint pains ( Awoka as expressed in the local language). Pattern of arthritis showed that 172 (74.0%) had recurrent joint pains, while 35 (15.1%) had joint swelling; the knee joint was mostly affected. A total of 97 (28.0%) were overweight while 84 (24.0%) were obese. Obese women were twice more likely to have arthritis when compared to the nonobese (odds ratio: 2.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.8–9.4, p  = 0.001). Conclusion: There is a need to give high priority to weight reduction strategies targeted at the elderly and the entire population

Perceptions and Use of Antimicrobials Among Staff of a University Community in Southwestern Nigeria

Public attitude and knowledge of antibiotics are determinants of rational use of antibiotics and prevention of antimicrobial drug resistance. This study assessed perception and use of antimicrobials among staff members of a University in Southwestern Nigeria. Descriptive cross-sectional study among 450 staff members of Osun State University in Southwestern Nigeria using multistage sampling method was carried out. Semi-structured self-administered and pre-tested questionnaires were used in data collection. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software Version 17.0. Binary logistic regression models for the outcome variable of composite knowledge and attitude scores toward antimicrobials and their possible predictors were done and level of significance was set at p values ≤ .05 and confidence interval of 95% for all inferential analyses. Mean age of respondents was 26.8 (±11.1) years, and 331 (73.6%) had up to tertiary-level education. One hundred eighty-three (40.7%) and 267 (59.3%) had good and poor knowledge scores, respectively; 175 (38.9%) had positive attitude whereas 275 (61.1%) had negative attitude toward the use of antibiotics. About 279 (62.0%) were informed about judicious use of antibiotics, 398 (88.4%) had ever used antibiotics in the past 1 year with the Ampicillin and Cloxacillin combinations being the most commonly used. Eighty-eight (22.1%) used antibiotics for more than 10 days as at the last use. Predictors for having good knowledge and attitude include age, educational status, and ever having used antibiotics. Inadequate knowledge and attitude toward antibiotics were observed, and this necessitates sustained health education campaign to stakeholders on rational use of antibiotics, especially toward prevention of antimicrobial resistance