High risk sexual behavior among adolescent senior secondary school students in Nigeria

Background: The consequences of high risk sexual practices (HRSP) are enormous among adolescent senior secondary school students. They therefore  need to have sufficient knowledge of HRSP.Aim Objectives: The study gauged the level of knowledge and perceptions of high risk sexual behavior among senior secondary school students in Ilorin, Nigeria with a view to improving their understanding of the current trends in HRSP. This  was a quantitative, cross-sectional, descriptive study of adolescent secondary school students in Ilorin East Local Government Area. Multi – stage sampling method involving 3 stages was used. A semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain data. Informed consent of respondents was obtained. The data was analyzed using SPSS windows software package version 17.Results: Majority, 305 (69.5%) of the students were between 16 – 20 years. The major source of information was from movies, 42.5%, and the internet, 24.7%. Twenty-three percent (23.1%) had poor knowledge of HRSP. Thirty-eight percent (38.1%) did not consider indiscrimi- nate sexual intercourse as HRSP while 27.9% still believed that unprotected sexual practice is safe. Thirty-four percent (34.2%) did not  know that sex with multiple  partners is a HRSP while 34.4% did not know that oral –genital sex is unsafe.  Over thirty-two (32.9%) perceived that engaging in sex made them mature among peers. Twenty-four (24.7%) did not perceive any danger in keeping multiple sexual partners while 15.3% would still engage in unprotected sex.Conclusion: The students had relatively poor knowledge and perceptions of HRSP. Quite a number did not consider indiscriminate sexual intercourse as HRSP. An appreciable number did not perceive any danger in keeping multiple sexual partners or beingengaged in unprotected sex. Counselling on the dangers of HRSP should be a component of the school health services so as to curb the complications of HRSP in our secondary schools.Keywords: Knowledge, attitude , perception , high risk sexual practices, Nigeri

Prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes in Oke-Ogun region of Oyo State, Nigeria

Background: Oke-Ogun consists of 10 out of the 33 Local governments in Oyo State, Nigeria. Although literature abounds on prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria, there is none in this geo-political zone, despite the fact that there is a high genetic and socio-cultural factors predisposition the residents to diabetes and pre-diabetes. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to assess the prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes and associated socio-demographic characteristics among indigenes of Oke-Ogun. Method: Of the 10,000 respondents who participated in the study, 6,915 had completed data. Fasting Plasma Glucose (FPG) was measured using calibrated glucometers and classified thus; normal (≤6 mmol/l), pre-diabetes (6.1–6.9 mmol/l), and diabetes (≥7 mmol/l). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square and binary logistic regression tests at value of p < 0.05. Results: There was a female preponderance for diabetes and pre-diabetes. Majority, 63.4% had no formal education, 82.9% earned less than NGN18,000 ($50) per monthly income. The mean FPG was 5.50 ± 2.20 mmol/l. The overall prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes in the study were 4.6 and 6.0% respectively. Conclusion: This study shows high prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes among residents of Oke-Ogun. DM is more common in the females, and in those below the age of 61 years. The high pre-diabetes prevalence might imply an impending diabetes epidemic among the indigene of Oke-Ogun. Family history of diabetes, a surrogate of genetics is an important association of DM in the study. A large proportion of the residents were in abject poverty, a critical factor to be considered in their management

Social Determinants of Depression: Social Cohesion, Negative Life Events, and Depression Among People Living with HIV/AIDS in Nigeria, West Africa

Background: People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) continue to face persistent and deep rooted social barriers. Incidentally, studies in social determinants of depression are very limited, necessitating this study, which examined social determinants of depression and the impact of these determinants on depression. Methods: This was a hospital based, cross sectional descriptive study of three hundred adult HIV/AIDS patients, attending the HIV clinic of Kwara State Specialist Hospital, Sobi, Ilorin, Nigeria. Depressive symptoms were measured by the PHQ-9 rating scale. Three variables of social determinants of depression: socio-economic status (years of school and self-reported economic status of family), social cohesion, and negative life events were examined. Results: The self-reported economic status of the family varied from good 35(11.7%), average 162(54%), and poor among 103(34.3%) of the respondents. Social cohesion was low in 199(66.3%), fair in 65(21.7%) and high among 36(12%) of the respondents. There was significant association between social cohesion, negative life events, and depression. Conclusion and Global Health Implications: Income was the most significant socio-economic determinant. Majority had very low social cohesion and more negative life events, while those with below average years of schooling were more depressed. These are statistically significant. Social determinants of depression should be given a lot of emphasis, when addressing the issue of depression, if we are to meaningfully tackle this increasing scourge in our society. Key Words: Depression • Social determinants • PLWHA • Social cohesion • Negative life events • Nigeria • People living with HIV/AIDS Copyright © 2014 Shittu et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited