Associations Among Depression, Leisure-time and Occupational Physical Activity of Health Care Providers in a Nigerian Tertiary Hospital Setting

Physical activity (PA) has been consistently associated with enhanced quality of life. The tight schedule of duty of health care workers may predispose them to physical inactivity and psychosocial morbidities which most of them tend to ignore while rendering services to others. The prevalence of depression among Nigerian health care workers and its association with PA is not known. This study investigated the levels of leisure-time and occupational PA and their association with depression among health care providers in a Nigerian tertiary hospital setting. The research was a cross-sectional survey of 734 health care providers. The Godin-Shephard Leisure Time Physical Activity Questionnaire, Occupational Physical Activity Questionnaire and the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale were used to assess leisure-time PA, occupational PA and depression respectively. Data obtained were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at α= 0.05. The mean age of participants was 39.6 ± 9.4 years (range 22-57 years). Nearly half of the health care providers (46.2%) reported low participation or insufficient leisure-time PA that could provide substantial health benefits, while 20.2% participated in leisure-time PA that could give some health benefits and 33.7% participated in leisure-time PA that could give substantial health benefits. Sitting/standing were the main occupational PAs of the majority (96.2%) of the health workers. The overall prevalence for depression was 11.4%. There was a significant association between leisure-time PA and depression (χ2 =18.9, p= 0.016). There was no significant association between occupational PA and depression. There is low participation in leisure-time PA among health care workers and this is linked with depression. Efforts to improve participation in leisure-time PA among workers may help to relieve their depression symptoms. KEY WORDS: leisure time, occupation, physical activity, depressio

Correlates of Satisfaction with Community Reintegration Among Stroke Survivors in Kano Metropolis

The aim of stroke rehabilitation is to ensure successful reintegration of stroke survivors (SSV) into their communities to enable them effectively discharge their physical, economic and social roles. This study assessed factors related to satisfaction with community reintegration (CR) of SSV in Kano metropolis. It was a cross sectional survey that recruited 68 consenting SSV using the purposive sampling technique. Assessments of CR, physical function, social support and depression were done with Reintegration to Normal Living Index (RNLI), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MPSS) and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) respectively. Spearman Rank Order Correlation and Wilcoxon Sign Rank tests were used to analyze the data at a level of statistical significance of 0.05 using SPSS version 16.0. A total of 36(52.9%) males and 32(47.1%) females with mean age of 59.69±13.568 years took part in the study. About 50 (73.6%) are modified dependent and 46 (67.6%) enjoyed moderate social support. The majority 87% (N=59) experienced severe restrictions to CR. There were significant correlations between RNLI and each of MSPSS (rho=0.249, p=0.041) and FIM (rho =0.406, p=0.001) scores. Occupational status (Z=-6.693, p=0.000), income (Z=-3.910, p=0.000) and driving status (Z=-5.292, p=0.000) changed significantly. It was concluded that the level of CR of most SSV in Kano metropolis was not satisfactory with significant loss of employment and earnings and ability to drive post stroke. Increased levels of social support and adequate recovery of physical functions are likely to improve satisfaction with CR.KEY WORDS: stroke, satisfaction, community reintegration, social support, driving, return to wor

Structural, mechanical and swelling characteristics of 3D scaffolds from chitosan-agarose blends

This study aimed to explore the correlation between mechanical and structural properties of chitosan-agarose blend (Ch-Agrs) scaffolds. Porosity of Ch-Agrs scaffolds was constant at 93%, whilst pore sizes varied between 150 and 550 μm. Pore sizes of the blend scaffolds (150 - 300 μm) were significantly smaller than for either agarose or chitosan scaffolds alone (ca. 500 μm). Ch50-Agrs50 blend scaffold showed the highest compressive modulus and strength values (4.5 ± 0.4 and 0.35 ± 0.03 MPa) due to reduction in the pore size. The presence of agarose improved the stability of the blends in aqueous media. The increase in compressive properties and residual weight after the TGA test, combined with the reduction in the swelling percentage of the blend scaffolds suggested an interaction between chitosan and agarose via hydrogen bonding which was confirmed using FTIR analysis. All wet blend scaffolds exhibited instant recovery after full compression. This study shows the potential of Ch-Agrs scaffolds for repairing soft tissue

Prevalence of _on-invasive risk factors of type 2 diabetes among higher education teachers in _orth-western _Igeria

Background: Teaching is associated with a number of stressful circumstances that promote unhealthy lifestyles capable of fuelling risk factors for metabolic and cardiovascular disorders. This study investigated the prevalence of selected non-invasive risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) among higher education teachers. Methods: Higher education teachers numbering 876 from three tertiary institutions in Kano, North- Western Nigeria were assessed on selected non-invasive risk factors of T2D including Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), Waist-Hip-ratio (WHR), Percent Body Fat (PBF) and family history of diabetes. Lifestyle including smoking, alcoholism and physical inactivity were also assessed. Results: Female-male ratio of participants was 1:5 while the age range was 24-58 years. Female teachers had higher prevalence of poor adiposity markers represented by overweight (33.8%), obesity (12.7%), high PBF (21.7%) and WC in the high risk domain (53.5%). They also had higher prevalence of hypertension (22.5%) while men had higher prevalence of WHR (31.2%) in the high risk domain. Positive family history of diabetes was 6.5% (males), 7.5% (females); physical activity at walking level 46.0% (males), sedentary activity 85.9% (females); current smoking habit 42.8% (males), 4.3% (females) and current alcohol consumption was 11.9% for males and 0% for femaleteachers. Conclusion: There may be considerable chances of developing T2D among the higher education teachers based on prevalence of the selected risk factors and the risk may be higher among the female teachers. Measures to change the modifiable risk factors for the better in this population are urgently needed

Cardiovascular health benefits of some locally adoptable exercise techniques

Many people in low-income countries are unable to access the much evidence based benefit of exercise on cardiovascular health because they hold the believe that effective exercise can only be done in the organized gymnasium. We compared the cardiovascular effect of riding bicycle ergometer, a commonly used gymnasium equipment with that of jogging and walking on the spot on a group of university undergraduates. The three techniques tasked the cardiovascular system of the participants after a single bout and recorded no significant differences (P>0.05) in their resting cardiovascular effects at the end of the twelve weeks of 2 hours/week exercise. We therefore conclude that in the absence of heavy gymnasium equipments, positive cardiovascular health benefits are derivable from the adoption of adequate intensity of walking and jogging on the spot.Keywords: Blood pressure, Heart rate, Jogging, Walking, Bicycle ergometr

Exercise Capacity in Type 2 Diabetes Patients: A Preliminary Investigation

To enhance glycaemic control and improve general well being, physical exercises, in addition to drugs and/or diet are usually prescribed to patients with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus (T2D). Assessment of the capacity of these patients to exercise based on the simple Six Minute Walk Test (6MWT) is however not sufficiently documented. We compared the exercise capacities of 58 T2D volunteers matched with 60 non-diabetic individuals using the 6MWT on a 50-meter corridor. The self paced Six Minutes Walk Distance (6MWD) was our outcome measure and it was taken as a display of the exercise capacity of the participants. The diabetic participants had significantly lower (t = 30.5046, P < 0.05) 6MWD (318.57 ± 43.7, 95% CI = 306.74-329.25 m) than the non-diabetic sample (596. 43 ± 54.78, 95% CI = 582.57-610.29 m) indicating lower exercise capacity. In the diabetic sample, we found significant differences in the 6MWD of the age groups (F = 9.4738, P < 0.05) and body mass index classifications (F = 3.3416, P < 0.05) but not for the duration of their diabetes. We found exercise capacity to be lower in patients with T2D than non-diabetic subjects and this was found to be lower in T2D patients who were older and overweight or obese. Exercise prescriptions for T2D patients should consider these factors to avoid exercise induced eventualities

Beliefs of Health Care Providers, Lay Health Care Providers and Lay Persons in Nigeria Regarding Hypertension. A Systematic Mixed Studies Review

<div><p>Background</p><p>Hypertension is a major health risk factor for mortality globally, resulting in about 13% of deaths worldwide. In Nigeria, the high burden of hypertension remains an issue for urgent attention. The control of hypertension, among other factors, is strongly determined by personal beliefs about the illness and recommended treatment.</p><p>Objective</p><p>The aim of this review is to systematically synthesize available data from all types of studies on beliefs of the Nigerian populace about hypertension</p><p>Methods</p><p>We searched the following electronic databases; Medline, EMBase, PsycInfo, AMED from their inception till date for all relevant articles. A modified Kleinman’s explanatory model for hypertension was used as a framework for extraction of data on beliefs about hypertension.</p><p>Results</p><p>The search yielded a total of 3,794 hits from which 16 relevant studies (2 qualitative, 11 quantitative and 3 mixed methods studies) met the inclusion criteria for the review. Overall, most health care providers (HCPs) believe that stress is a major cause of hypertension. Furthermore, reported cut-off point for uncomplicated hypertension differed widely among HCPs. Lay Health Care Providers such as Patent Medicine Vendors’ beliefs about hypertension seem to be relatively similar to health care professionals in areas of risk factors for hypertension, course of hypertension and methods of treatment. Among Lay persons, misconception about hypertension was quite high. Although some Nigerians believed that life style habits such as alcohol intake, exercise levels, cigarette smoking were risk factors for developing hypertension, there was discordance between belief and practice of control of risk factors. However, beliefs across numerous ethnic groups and settings (urban/rural) in Nigeria have not been explored.</p><p>Conclusion</p><p>In order to achieve control of hypertension in Nigeria, interventions should be informed, among other factors, by adequate knowledge of beliefs regarding hypertension across the numerous ethnic groups in Nigeria, settings (rural/urban), age and sex.</p></div