Exploring electronic cigarette portrayals: a content and thematic analysis of African online news coverage

Background: Electronic cigarette use has surged internationally in recent years, with numerous countries noting an uptick in users. Despite this, the portrayal of e-cigarette usage in African news remains unclear. Methods: This research investigates the subject, employing a mixed-methodology approach. The study units were news articles on electronic cigarette use retrieved from AllAfrica, an online African news archive. A total of 38 online news and opinion articles published between June 2017 and June 2022 qualified the exclusion and inclusion criteria. A content analysis revealed prevalent codes and themes, while a thematic analysis explored the association between news sources and framing. Results: The results indicate that articles and arguments presenting e-cigarettes positively outnumber those with a negative slant. The health impacts of electronic cigarettes emerged as the most discussed topic, with health authorities frequently cited as news sources. However, these health authorities often lacked a unified stance on e-cigarette safety. Conclusion: The lack of consensus among health officials could have public health consequences, possibly resulting in the formulation of uninformed policies

Toward pharmacy-based smoking cessation services in Nigeria: Knowledge, perception and practice of community pharmacists

Introduction: Worldwide, tobacco smoking is one of the leading causes of avoidable deaths. In Nigeria, there is currently no clinical guidelines for tobacco dependence treatment. However, globally, pharmacy-based smoking cessation intervention has been associated with improved cessation rates and quality of life. This study aims at assessing the knowledge and perception of community pharmacists about smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction as well as barriers to the practice of pharmacy based smoking cessation intervention. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 104 community pharmacists, between August and December 2019, using a self-administered paper questionnaire. Data entering, cleansing, and analysis were done using IBM SPSS (version 23). Descriptive statistics including frequencies and percentages were used to summarize the data. Results: Thirteen pharmacists (12.5%) were providing smoking cessation services. One-tenth (10.6%) of the pharmacists were aware of tobacco harm reduction. The majority (89.4%) were willing to attend smoking cessation training. Among the respondents, 65 (62.5%) had poor knowledge regarding smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction. Lack of knowledge and skills were reported by all (100%) as a barrier to providing the service. However, 101 (97.1%) community pharmacists agreed that smoking cessation treatment is an important role of pharmacists. Conclusions: A suboptimal level of knowledge of smoking cessation and tobacco harm reduction was noted among the community pharmacists. However, they believed smoking cessation intervention is an important role of pharmacists. It is advocated that smoking cessation training should be included as part of the Pharmacists’ Council of Nigeria Mandatory Continuing Professional Development Training. Thus, it is imperative to establish basic national smoking cessation guidelines that can be functional towards reducing mortality and morbidity associated with tobacco smoking in Nigeria

Fixing data gaps for population health in Africa: an urgent need

No abstract available

Community engagement in global health research

No abstract available

The African continent needs to prioritise planetary health

No abstract available

The need to adopt planetary health approach in understanding the potential influence of climate change and biodiversity loss on zoonotic diseases outbreaks

No abstract available

Volcanic and limnic eruption: A potential threat to one health

Nyiragongo volcanic eruption can cause a limnic eruption, which is a lesser-known disaster. The lava from Nyiragongo volcano can stream into Lake Kivu and boil the water, resulting in a CH4 explosion and CO2 emission into the external environment. This potential turbulence of Lake Kivu might result in multitudinous adverse effects. It would be a tragedy because residents of the lake basin would asphyxiate due to rising CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. Therefore, it is critical to inform and educate the population regarding the danger and the appropriate behaviour if the emergency occurs. Implementing mechanisms to extract and reduce CO2 would significantly prevent the catastrophe and sustain the population. There is equally a need to strengthen Lake Kivu protection and monitoring measures and regulate human activities. We advocate for a multifaceted One Health approach to establishing resilient prevention and preparedness mechanisms. This article aims to discuss the possible effects of the Nyiragongo volcanic eruption on Lake Kivu and how they might affect One Health, providing valuable and necessary information for public health practitioners and policymakers to consider

Zoonotic infectious diseases and maritime seaport: Areas of concern

No abstract available

Psychosocial Impacts of Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis Therapy

Background: Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) has been a significant global health problem and a source of an enormous burden on the healthcare system and psychological distress for diagnosed patients. This study aims to understand the psychosocial impacts of CKD and dialysis therapy on patients undergoing dialysis in LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo. Methodology: A descriptive study design was used, and the sampling technique was purposive. Subject participation was voluntary and preceded informed consent. Patients that had CKD and undergoing dialysis were identified. Data were collected, cleaned, and analysed using SPSS Version 23. Results: Patients perceptions of life and social limitations due to CKD and dialysis therapy revealed that 74.1% of the respondents always feel anxious, 67.8% feel that adjusting to dialysis is difficult, 85.5% of the respondents think that CKD and dialysis therapy is making them poorer, 90.3% feel they were neglecting important activities in life due to dialysis therapy. There was a significant relationship between patients’ perception of life and social limitations and the perceived influence of dialysis therapy on family functions and support persons (p<0.05) as well as the level of income and behavioural compliance. Conclusion: Our study revealed that CKD and dialysis therapy have major psychosocial impacts on the patients although many can cope well. We recommend more financial supports and interventions for CKD patients undergoing dialysis therapy.   Doi: 10.28991/SciMedJ-2021-0302-5 Full Text: PD