Analysis of Income Diversification Strategies among Farm Households in Oyo State

Diversification of income sources is considered as a desirable option to augments income among small scale farmers. This study evaluates the income diversification among farm households in Oyo State of Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 280 rural households. The data collected were analysed using diversity index and Tobit regression analysis. The results showed that all the respondents participated in arable farming and this accounts for 28.29 percent of the total income. 57.85 percent participated in tree crop income and this accounts for 11.95 percent of the total income, 60.36 percent of the households engaged in non-farm income and it accounts for 19.93 percent of the total income. The results of Tobit regression showed that education, household size, access to credit and extension contact were the factors increasing income diversification among the rural households in the study area. The study revealed that agriculture remains the major source of income among the respondents. Therefore, the study recommends improvement of agricultural activities through the distribution of agricultural inputs such as improved seeds, fertilizers and better extension services delivery in order to boost agricultural production. Keywords: Income diversification, Diversity index, Rural Household, Tobit regression

Evaluation of the Community Cataract Surgical Services of a University Teaching Hospital Using Cataract Surgical Coverage in Nigeria

Background: Cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world. An efficient and effective cataract surgical service is necessary to reduce the backlog of cataract blindness in the community. This study aims to determine the cataract surgical coverage among individuals aged 50 years and above residing in Esie and Arandun communities. This will serve as a measure of the impact of the cataract intervention programme provided by the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria.Methods: The study was a population-based, cross sectional survey conducted from November to December, 2013. Cataract surgical services are provided by the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, at Esie and Arandun communities as out-reach centres. Seven hundred and fifty-five individuals aged 50 years and above residing in these communities had basic ocular examination done.Result: Out of the 765 subjects registered, 755(98.7%) were examined. Out of these, 38.4% were males and 61.6% were females. The prevalence of bilateral cataract blindness was 1.6%. The Cataract Surgical Coverage (eyes) at visual acuity < 3/60 for males and females were 52.3% and 51.2% respectively (X2=19.30, p=0.001), while the Cataract Surgical Coverage (person) at visual acuity less < 3/60 for males and females were 80.6% and 68.4% respectively (X2=2.10, p=0.147).Conclusion: The Cataract Surgical Coverage was high with a correspondingly low prevalence of cataract blindness in these communities. The availability of cataract surgical services via out-reach programmes bridges the gap between eye care-givers and the community.Keywords: Cataract Surgical Coverage, Cataract Surgical Services, Community, Evaluatio

Awareness of Diabetic Retinopathy among patients with Diabetes Mellitus in Ilorin, Nigeria

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is a major cause of blindness worldwide. The associated loss of productivity and quality of life of the patients with diabetic retinopathy will lead to additional socioeconomic burden. This study aims to determine the level of awareness of diabetic retinopathy among diabetic patients. Materials and Methods: This hospital-based cross sectional study, was carried out at the Diabetic and Ophthalmology clinics of University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria from November 2011 to July 2012. A total of 365 patients had validated, semi-structured, and interviewer-administered questionnaires to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics, clinical information and awareness of diabetic retinopathy. Results: A total of 365 patients were enrolled, with age between 19 and 90 years, and a mean of 45.8 ±16.3 years. The male to female ratio was 1: 2.2. Ninety-nine respondents (27.1%) had no education. The majority (30.4%) had only primary education; 21.1% had tertiary; 14.5% had secondary while 6.8% had Quranic education. The mean duration of diabetes mellitus was 14.1 ±13.09 years. Of the 365 patients with diabetes mellitus, 279(76.4%) had heard that diabetes mellitus affects the eyes, while 86(23.6%) had not. Of those who had heard, 221(79.2%) heard it from health personnel, 45(16.1%) from radio/television, 25(9.0%) from internet, 23(8.2%) from books/newspapers, while 16(5.7%) heard from other sources.Conclusion: There was a high level of awareness of diabetic retinopathy amongst the patients. However, the high level of awareness of the blinding complication of diabetes mellitus did not translate to a correspondingly high level of ocular examination for diabetic retinopathy. 

Some Quality Indices of Gnetum Africanum (Afang) Leaves as Affected by Drying Methods

Gnetum africanum is a tropical plant with origin in the rain forest of Nigeria and contains valuable nutrients but susceptible to speedy spoilage due to its high moisture content. This necessitates its preservation, through drying, as it is not readily available for consumers in parts of Nigeria where it is not grown. This research, therefore, was carried out to evaluate the effect of three drying methods (solar drying, sun drying and oven drying) on some quality indices of Gnetum africanum leaves with a view to determine the most appropriate drying method for maximum nutrient retention. Fresh Gnetum africanum leaves were obtained from the local market, defoliated, washed, drained and sliced. The sliced vegetable was divided to four portions of 200g each. With the initial properties of the fresh vegetable (sample A) determined, samples B, C and, D were subjected to solar, sun and oven drying respectively. The properties evaluated were analyzed and the results showed that sun dried vegetable (sample C) had the least overall quality retention. Moreover, solar dried vegetable (sample B) had the highest quality retention in terms of protein (3.92%), fat content (6.67%) and carotene (6.10IU) while oven dried one (sample D) had the highest quality retention of crude fiber (0.63%), ash content (7.87%), carbohydrate (72.49%) and sensory properties (taste, colour, aroma and texture). These results indicated that drying, especially solar and oven drying can be used to preserve Gnetum africanum leaves with considerable retention in its nutritional and sensory properties

Some Proximate Properties Of Sweet Potato (Ipomoea Batatas L) As Influenced By Cooking Methods

Abstract: The effect of cooking methods on some proximate properties of sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L) was investigated. With the initial properties of the fresh sweet potatoes (sample A) determined, 600g each of samples B, C and D were boiled peeled, boiled unpeeled and roasted unpeeled respectively. The properties determined for the samples are moisture content, ash, fibre, protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins A and C. Data collected were analysed statistically to determine the effect of cooking methods on the properties of sweet potatoes. The results show that cooking methods used has no significant effects (p<0.05) on the moisture, ash and crude fibre contents of cooked sweet potato. Cooking generally increases the protein content but decreases the vitamin C and β-carotene content. Cooking of sweet potatoes unpeeled has the highest protein and carbohydrate content, it hence recommended for cooking sweet potatoes

The Making of Racial and Ethnic Categories: Official Statistics Reconsidered

One of the most striking features of the end of the twentieth century was the resurgence of the ethnic question in public debates, both in developing and in developed countries. Between conflicts and wars interpreted from an ethnic perspective (the Balkans and central Africa), nationalist struggles (the Basque country, Quebec and Belgium), and demands for recognition and political representation by new ethnic minorities resulting from immigration, every country is currently affected by what is commonly known as cultural pluralism (Hobsbawm 1993; Dieckhoff 2000; Faist 2009; Simon and Piché 2013). This ‘ethnic renewal’, to coin the expression used to qualify the growing interest for ethnic diversity in the 1960s in the US, is not only driven by a sort of obsession for cultural differences as an explanation for all kinds of social and political phenomenon. It derives from different legacies: from the increasing diversity of the population of countries that have undergone large immigration flows to the long lasting cohabitation of national minorities within modern Nation states, from the history of slavery to the post-colonial era. This resurgence or extension of the salience of ethnicity in most of the societies around the world can be found not only in public discourses, policy-making, scientific literature and popular representations, but also in the pivotal realm of statistics. Indeed, at the turn of century, an increasing number of countries are processing routinely data on ethnicity or race of their population. This is precisely what this book is about: ethnic and racial classifications in official statistics, as a reflection of the representations of population and an interpretation of social dynamics through different lenses

Global overview of the management of acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic (CHOLECOVID study)

Background: This study provides a global overview of the management of patients with acute cholecystitis during the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: CHOLECOVID is an international, multicentre, observational comparative study of patients admitted to hospital with acute cholecystitis during the COVID-19 pandemic. Data on management were collected for a 2-month study interval coincident with the WHO declaration of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and compared with an equivalent pre-pandemic time interval. Mediation analysis examined the influence of SARS-COV-2 infection on 30-day mortality. Results: This study collected data on 9783 patients with acute cholecystitis admitted to 247 hospitals across the world. The pandemic was associated with reduced availability of surgical workforce and operating facilities globally, a significant shift to worse severity of disease, and increased use of conservative management. There was a reduction (both absolute and proportionate) in the number of patients undergoing cholecystectomy from 3095 patients (56.2 per cent) pre-pandemic to 1998 patients (46.2 per cent) during the pandemic but there was no difference in 30-day all-cause mortality after cholecystectomy comparing the pre-pandemic interval with the pandemic (13 patients (0.4 per cent) pre-pandemic to 13 patients (0.6 per cent) pandemic; P = 0.355). In mediation analysis, an admission with acute cholecystitis during the pandemic was associated with a non-significant increased risk of death (OR 1.29, 95 per cent c.i. 0.93 to 1.79, P = 0.121). Conclusion: CHOLECOVID provides a unique overview of the treatment of patients with cholecystitis across the globe during the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The study highlights the need for system resilience in retention of elective surgical activity. Cholecystectomy was associated with a low risk of mortality and deferral of treatment results in an increase in avoidable morbidity that represents the non-COVID cost of this pandemic

Global, regional, and national burden of diabetes from 1990 to 2021, with projections of prevalence to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, and affects people regardless of country, age group, or sex. Using the most recent evidentiary and analytical framework from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD), we produced location-specific, age-specific, and sex-specific estimates of diabetes prevalence and burden from 1990 to 2021, the proportion of type 1 and type 2 diabetes in 2021, the proportion of the type 2 diabetes burden attributable to selected risk factors, and projections of diabetes prevalence through 2050. Methods: Estimates of diabetes prevalence and burden were computed in 204 countries and territories, across 25 age groups, for males and females separately and combined; these estimates comprised lost years of healthy life, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs; defined as the sum of years of life lost [YLLs] and years lived with disability [YLDs]). We used the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm) approach to estimate deaths due to diabetes, incorporating 25 666 location-years of data from vital registration and verbal autopsy reports in separate total (including both type 1 and type 2 diabetes) and type-specific models. Other forms of diabetes, including gestational and monogenic diabetes, were not explicitly modelled. Total and type 1 diabetes prevalence was estimated by use of a Bayesian meta-regression modelling tool, DisMod-MR 2.1, to analyse 1527 location-years of data from the scientific literature, survey microdata, and insurance claims; type 2 diabetes estimates were computed by subtracting type 1 diabetes from total estimates. Mortality and prevalence estimates, along with standard life expectancy and disability weights, were used to calculate YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs. When appropriate, we extrapolated estimates to a hypothetical population with a standardised age structure to allow comparison in populations with different age structures. We used the comparative risk assessment framework to estimate the risk-attributable type 2 diabetes burden for 16 risk factors falling under risk categories including environmental and occupational factors, tobacco use, high alcohol use, high body-mass index (BMI), dietary factors, and low physical activity. Using a regression framework, we forecast type 1 and type 2 diabetes prevalence through 2050 with Socio-demographic Index (SDI) and high BMI as predictors, respectively. Findings: In 2021, there were 529 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 500–564) people living with diabetes worldwide, and the global age-standardised total diabetes prevalence was 6·1% (5·8–6·5). At the super-region level, the highest age-standardised rates were observed in north Africa and the Middle East (9·3% [8·7–9·9]) and, at the regional level, in Oceania (12·3% [11·5–13·0]). Nationally, Qatar had the world's highest age-specific prevalence of diabetes, at 76·1% (73·1–79·5) in individuals aged 75–79 years. Total diabetes prevalence—especially among older adults—primarily reflects type 2 diabetes, which in 2021 accounted for 96·0% (95·1–96·8) of diabetes cases and 95·4% (94·9–95·9) of diabetes DALYs worldwide. In 2021, 52·2% (25·5–71·8) of global type 2 diabetes DALYs were attributable to high BMI. The contribution of high BMI to type 2 diabetes DALYs rose by 24·3% (18·5–30·4) worldwide between 1990 and 2021. By 2050, more than 1·31 billion (1·22–1·39) people are projected to have diabetes, with expected age-standardised total diabetes prevalence rates greater than 10% in two super-regions: 16·8% (16·1–17·6) in north Africa and the Middle East and 11·3% (10·8–11·9) in Latin America and Caribbean. By 2050, 89 (43·6%) of 204 countries and territories will have an age-standardised rate greater than 10%. Interpretation: Diabetes remains a substantial public health issue. Type 2 diabetes, which makes up the bulk of diabetes cases, is largely preventable and, in some cases, potentially reversible if identified and managed early in the disease course. However, all evidence indicates that diabetes prevalence is increasing worldwide, primarily due to a rise in obesity caused by multiple factors. Preventing and controlling type 2 diabetes remains an ongoing challenge. It is essential to better understand disparities in risk factor profiles and diabetes burden across populations, to inform strategies to successfully control diabetes risk factors within the context of multiple and complex drivers. Funding: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation