Climatic variations, trends and drought frequency in Dejen District, Nile Basin of Ethiopia

Temperature and rainfall variability affect systems such as water, agriculture, health, tourism, coastal areas, and biodiversity. This study examined climatic variability, and trends in Dejen district, Nile Basin of Ethiopia. The trends in temperature and rainfall over the period 1979- 2014 were computed and tested for statistical significance. Results indicated a significant increase in temperature consistent with global temperature pattern. The decreasing trend in rainfall is contrary to the projections of a climate model for East Africa.The results show that the mean annual temperature increased by 1.66 OC. The maximum and minimum temperatures also rose by 2.16 OC and 1.91 OC respectively. The yearly rainfall declined by 399.96 millimeters. From 36 years of observation, 2002 and 2012 received below the average rainfall and characterized by arid years while 2008, 2011, 2013, 2014 years were moderately dry. The year 1983, 1986, 1987, 1996, 1998, and 2010 were moderately wet. Among these negative patterns, the year 2002 and 2012 were extreme drought years. In the Nile Basin of Ethiopia, the variability and trends of temperature and rainfall, which hinders agricultural production are increasing and expected to increase in the future. This implies that the country specifically the study area whose mainstay depends on agriculture must cope with further warming, low, and erratic rainfall, and frequent climatic extremes.Keywords: Climate change, drought frequency, standardized precipitation index, rainfall variation

Assessment of Functional Impairments among the Elderly in Ijebu Ode Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria

Background: The aging process is characterized by various physiological conditions that results in decline of functional capacity and physical abilities. This leads to limited quality of life and increased dependency among the elderly.Objective: The study assessed the prevalence of functional impairments among elderly persons in IjebuOde Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 500 elderly subjects selected from 100 households in the study area using systematic random sampling. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to elicit relevant socio-demographic information. Functional impairment was assessed using the Katz Index of Independence Activities of Daily Living (KADL). Six aspects of daily activities were assessed - urinary continence, toileting, dressing, bathing, feeding and transferring. Frequency counts, percentages, mean, standard deviations and Chi square test were used in data analysis.Results: The study comprised of 41.2% males and 58.8% females with age ranging from 60-92years and mean age of 71.10±8.40years. More female (58.6%) compared to male (41.4%) were impaired. Overall prevalence of functional impairment was 26.6%. There were significant associations between functional impairment, older age and lower educational level (p=0.001). The most common impairment was related to transference (25.6%) while the least was with feeding (3.6%).Conclusion: Elderly subjects are prone to functional impairments related to transference which advances with age and more in women. Thus, assessing functional impairment is important in preventive geriatric health care for screening to help in reducing further morbidity in the elderly.Keywords: Assessment, prevalence, functional impairment, elderl