Influence of Family Size, Household Food Security Status, and Child Care Practices on the Nutritional Status of Under-five Children in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

Fertility pattern and reproductive behaviours affect infant death in Nigeria. Household food insecurity and poor care practices also place children at risk of morbidity and mortality. The objectives of this study were to assess the influence of family size, household food security status, and child care practices on the nutritional status of under-five children in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 423 mothers of under-five children and their children in the households selected through multistagesampling methods. Food-insecure households were five times more likely than secure households to have wasted children (crude OR=5.707, 95 percent CI=1.31-24.85). Children with less educated mothers were significantly more likely to be stunted. The prevalence of food insecurity among households in Ile-Ife was high. Households with food insecurity and less educated mothers were more likely to have malnourished children (Afr J Reprod Health 2010; 14[4]: 123-132)

Women's perspectives on epilepsy and its sociocultural impact in south western Nigeria

Background There has been little study of the specific implications of living with epilepsy for women in societies where they already face gender based marginalization. Purpose Understanding the sociocultural aspects of epilepsy in women will help to improve the management of epilepsy in the community. Methods A series of six focus groups were held in urban and rural Southwest Nigeria.Results Epilepsy was commonly attributed to a spiritual attack, witchcraft and other supernatural causes. Denial of the diagnosis of epilepsy was common among women with nocturnal or focal seizures. Majority of women with epilepsy preferred multiple modalities of care in the following order: traditional, spiritual and western. The cost of traditional care was astronomical and most were already impoverished by the time they sought western care. WWE experienced stigma, social exclusion, isolation particularly from paternal relations, in -laws, and community members. Epilepsy related stigma contributed to schooling problems, difficulty in getting married, separation, divorce and problems with childcare and role fulfilment. One unanticipated result of this study was that public announcements made to identify rural study participants created a demand for western health services in rural populations previously unaware that epilepsy could be controlled through western medication.Conclusion Women with epilepsy face significant and persistent social, economic and cultural barriers. There is the need to educate women, their family and community members to reduce misconceptions and stigma. Community based medical treatment can be improved by taking into consideration the surrounding social, economic and cultural challenges faced by women with epilepsy. The care of epilepsy need to be incorporated into the primary health care system; regular awareness campaigns to be carried out in order to improve knowledge and attitudes and reduce stigma and social exclusion of women with epilepsy. Specific social welfare programmes and educational programme should be established to encourage the full integration of women with epilepsy in the society

Assessment of a treatment guideline to improve home management of malaria in children in rural south-west Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Many Nigerian children with malaria are treated at home. Treatments are mostly incorrect, due to caregivers' poor knowledge of appropriate and correct dose of drugs. A comparative study was carried out in two rural health districts in southwest Nigeria to determine the effectiveness of a guideline targeted at caregivers, in the treatment of febrile children using chloroquine.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Baseline and post intervention knowledge, attitude and practice household surveys were conducted. The intervention strategy consisted of training a core group of mothers ("mother trainers") in selected communities on the correct treatment of malaria and distributing a newly developed treatment guideline to each household. "Mother trainers" disseminated the educational messages about malaria and the use of the guideline to their communities.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Knowledge of cause, prevention and treatment of malaria increased with the one-year intervention. Many, (70.4%) of the respondents stated that they used the guideline each time a child was treated for malaria. There was a significant increase in the correct use of chloroquine from 2.6% at baseline to 52.3% after intervention among those who treated children at home in the intervention arm compared with 4.2% to 12.7% in the control arm. The correctness of use was significantly associated with use of the guideline. The timeliness of commencing treatment was significantly earlier in those who treated febrile children at home using chloroquine than those who took their children to the chemist or health facility (p < 0.005). Mothers considered the guideline to be explicit and useful. Mother trainers were also considered to be effective and acceptable.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The use of the guideline with adequate training significantly improved correctness of malaria treatment with chloroquine at home. Adoption of this mode of intervention is recommended to improve compliance with drug use at home. The applicability for deploying artemisinin-based combination therapy at the community level needs to be investigated.</p

Nutritional Evaluation of Graded Levels of Aspergillus-treated Rice Husk on the Performance of Pregnant West African Dwarf Goats

Nine pregnant West African dwarf (WAD) goats were fed untreated (control diet A with 30% inclusion level) and Aspergillus treated diet, B (10%) and diet C (20%) in total mixed rations. The effect of treatment was evaluated on feed intake, digestibility, BW and growth rate. Fungus-treated rice husk appeared to be well accepted by goats even when included in rations at 20% of total DM. Mean DM intake averaged 595, 611 and 623gld for goats fed diets A, B and C respectively. The crude protein intake was greatest (

Incidence of unusual sacralization and lumbarization in Southern adult Nigeria population

A study on the incidence of unusual sacralization in adult Nigerians was carried out, using sacral bones and radiographs of lumbosacral vertebrae. The bones were obtained from three Nigerian universities which are: University of Port Harcourt, Nnamdi Azikiwe University and University of Nigeria, Enugu campus. The radiographs were gotten from: University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital and Seiyefa Clinic, Port Harcourt. Thirty (30) available sacra were taken and observed to note the number of sacralization and lumbarization in male and female bones. Randomly selected lumbosacral radiographs of patients were collected from Radiology Department of the three Hospitals in a two year period  (2006-2007). The X-ray reports were noted and observed. Results revealed that sacralization in males was higher (62.5%) than in females (37.5%) and generally the ratio of sacralization is twice in percentage to lumbarization.Therefore, it is apparent that the condition of sacralization is real, however it is a rare condition that can only be seen through radiograph and does not affect normal life expectancy

Accreditation of Undergraduate Medical Training Programs: Practices in Nine Developing Countries as Compared with the United States

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Empirical Framework for Tackling Recurring Project Management Challenges Using Knowledge Management Mechanisms

The construction industry is termed as a highly risky industry, considering the alarming rate of recurring challenges and its negative impact on the economy, man, and his environment. This study aimed to develop a framework using knowledge management in tackling recurring problems in the Nigerian construction industry. The data instrument was a well-designed questionnaire directed at construction professionals. Out of the 80 questionnaires distributed, the study used 78 (97.5%) questionnaires for analysis. The study identified corruption, inadequate planning measures, and reduced government policies as the main factors influencing recurring project management challenges in the Nigerian construction industry. The study revealed significant knowledge management strategies used by Nigerian construction professionals, which include the use of emails, face-to-face interactions, and brainstorming sessions. The knowledge management strategies are further classified into data mining based, traditional based, and mobile technology-based knowledge management strategies in the construction sector. The primary benefits associated with knowledge management mechanisms in the construction industry include high growth performance, aid decision making, and innovation in the construction sector. Further classification showed that these benefits are mainly performancebased and collaboration and learning-based benefits. The study proposed a knowledge management framework for tackling recurring challenges in the Nigerian construction industry. Some recommendations drawn from the findings and conclusions can be found in this study