The impact of information technology on obtaining bank loans in Nigeria

Objectives The main objective of the study is to determine the effect of the frequency of internet use on the volume of bank loans, to show the impacts of the liberalization of the Nigerian telecommunication sector on the ICT infrastructure, especially in the banking sector. Summary This study examines the impact of frequency of internet use on the probability of getting a bank loan in Nigeria. Among others, the first finding of this study shows that the reform in Nigeria’s information, technology, and communication (ICT) sector in the early 1990’s increased mobile phone penetration and internet coverage in Nigeria, and these in turn boost the volume and levels of banking electronic transactions. Conclusions The impact of ICT reforms in Nigeria affects the way banks do business in Nigeria. Banks now advertise most of their product on the internet, thus making the internet one of the platforms on which borrowers can get more information about bank loans and other bank products

Environmental Noise in Residential Environments: The Case for Quality of Life in Minna, Nigeria

Environmental noise pollution lowers the quality of life and is a public health concern in residential areas. In Minna, Nigeria, the effects of exposure to noise pollution on inhabitants' health and well-being were examined in this study. The indicated maximum limits for tolerable noise levels for quality of life in a home context were exceeded by the noise data measured using a sound level meter, a hand-held geographic positioning system, and a structured questionnaire (N = 880). The study recommended the design of noise-absorbing buildings, improved urban and infrastructure planning, and noise-regulating measures  for a considerable increase in the quality of life of people. Keywords: Environmental noise; Public health; Quality life; Residential environment eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians/Africans/Arabians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7i22.416

Effects of Indoor Environmental Quality in Urban Housing on Residents’ Health and Wellbeing in Nigeria

The building industry's contribution as a non-clinical contributor to the quality of life is its impact on occupants’ health. A health-based standardised questionnaire and a digital data collection device were used to investigate the susceptibility of building indoor air quality (IAQ) to infectious diseases. PM2.5 (63 μm/m3) and PM10 (228 μm/m3) obtained exceeded the international standard. Some associations between certain building characteristics and potential risk factors for certain diseases were seen. This study provides a platform for future intervention in housing and public health policies and addresses the conundrum of safe and healthy building for the urban populace in Nigeria &nbsp

Effect of drinking magnetized water on immunity and carcass quality of broiler chicken

This study was conducted to determine the effect of drinking Magnetized Water (MW) on the immunity of broiler chicken. The problem which this study focused on was the mortality rate of broiler chicken which is common in some poultry farms in Nigeria due to some factors that could lead to loss of income. There is a need for economical methods for boosting the immunity of Broiler Chicken (BC) in order to reduce the mortality rate. BC (Arbor Acres breed) was given MW. The magnetized water was produced by passing water through the magnetic field in a pipe. The treatments were MW treated for 33s by passing the water through pipe surrounded with magnets one time(T1), MW treated for 66 s by flowing twice through the magnetic unit (T2), T3 was MW treated for 99 s and control (Non-Magnetized Water, NMW, T0). A total of 80 BCs (day old) with 20 BC for each treatment were given MW (T1, T2 and T3), NMW and monitored for 7 weeks. Blood samples were collected for hematology and analyzed using standard methods. The values of white blood cell for T0, T1, T2 and T3 were 153.61×10-9/L, 133.20×10-9/L, 134.78×10-9/L and 101.12×10-9/L and for lymphocytes, were 137.08×10-9/L, 120.79×10-9/L, 125.49×10-9/L and 96.12×10-9/L, respectively. MW T1, T2 and T3 increased body weight gain of the BC by 410, 320 and 210g/broiler. Protein contents of the carcass for T1, T2, T3 and T0 were 13.13%, 13.23%, 13.18% and 12.80%, respectively. MW can therefore enhance production of healthy broiler chickens

Nonprofit Fundraising Study: Covering Charitable Receipts At Nonprofit Organizations in the United States and Canada in 2013

Findings from a survey of more than 500 nonprofit organizations examining changes in charitable receipt amounts and types of fundraising methods used

Protocol for process evaluation of integration of mental health into primary healthcare in two states in Nigeria: the mhSUN programme.

BACKGROUND: Current international recommendations to address the large treatment gap for mental healthcare in low- and middle-income countries are to scale up integration of mental health into primary care. There are good outcome studies to support this, but less robust evidence for effectively carrying out integration and scale-up of such services, or for understanding how to address contextual issues that routinely arise. AIMS: This protocol is for a process evaluation of a programme called Mental Health Scale Up Nigeria. The study aims are to determine the extent to which the intervention was carried out according to the plans developed (fidelity), to examine the effect of postulated moderating factors and local context, and the perception of the programme by primary care staff and implementers. METHOD: We use a theoretical framework for process evaluation based on the Medical Research Council's Guidelines on Process Evaluation. A Theory of Change workshop was carried out in programme development, to highlight relevant factors influencing the process, ensure good adaptation of global normative guidelines and gain buy-in from local stakeholders. We will use mixed methods to examine programme implementation and outcomes, and influence of moderating factors. RESULTS: Data sources will include the routine health information system, facility records (for staff, medication and infrastructure), log books of intervention activities, supervision records, patient questionnaires and qualitative interviews. CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from this process evaluation will help guide implementers aiming to scale up mental health services in primary care in low- and middle-income countries

A structured approach to integrating mental health services into primary care: development of the Mental Health Scale Up Nigeria intervention (mhSUN).

BACKGROUND: The treatment gap for mental illness in Nigeria, as in other sub-Saharan countries, is estimated to be around 85%. There is need to prioritise mental health care in low and middle income countries by providing a strong body of evidence for effective services, particularly with a view to increasing international and government confidence in investment in scaling up appropriate services. This paper lays out the processes by which a programme to integrate evidence-based mental health care into primary care services in Nigeria was designed, including a research framework to provide evidence from a robust evaluation. METHODS: This paper forms the first step in the overall process evaluation of the mhSUN intervention, where standard research practice indicates that the intervention, and its development, is clearly documented prior to subsequent evaluation. The report covers the period of programme development and evaluation design, and study site and design was chosen to allow generalisability and practical conclusions to be drawn for service development in Nigeria. In order to design an intervention that was informed by evidence and took into account local context and input of stakeholders, a structured process was followed, including: (1) Engagement of relevant stakeholders for information gathering and buy-in; (2) Literature review and gathering of pertinent evidence; (3) Situation analysis at a national and local level; (4) Model development (using Theory of Change); (5) Ongoing consultation, recognising the iterative nature of Theory of Change, and need for ongoing refinement of complex interventions. RESULTS: The different sections of the structured approach resulted in outputs that built the necessary components (literature review, situation analysis) for informing the Theory of Change. A Theory of Change map is presented, which includes transparent documentation of the assumptions and logic behind the activities to drive the desired change. In addition, it documents the indicators necessary to measure fidelity and draw conclusions as to hypothesised effects of different mechanisms of action in subsequent evaluation. CONCLUSION: In addition to the details of ensuring robust evaluation design, there are a number of considerations that are particular to the context that must be taken into account in programme development, including the relationships between ultimate beneficiaries, implementers, host government and institutions, donors, and programme evaluators. Structured methods from existing frameworks can be drawn upon to use and collate relevant information to maximise the local applicability of a generic evidence base. Theory of Change, with its documented assumptions can form the basis of subsequent evaluation and iterative programme refinement, contributing to a more scientifically valid means of developing mental health programmes for scale up

COVID-19 mortality rate and its associated factors during the first and second waves in Nigeria

COVID-19 mortality rate has not been formally assessed in Nigeria. Thus, we aimed to address this gap and identify associated mortality risk factors during the first and second waves in Nigeria. This was a retrospective analysis of national surveillance data from all 37 States in Nigeria between February 27, 2020, and April 3, 2021. The outcome variable was mortality amongst persons who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 by Reverse-Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction. Incidence rates of COVID-19 mortality was calculated by dividing the number of deaths by total person-time (in days) contributed by the entire study population and presented per 100,000 person-days with 95% Confidence Intervals (95% CI). Adjusted negative binomial regression was used to identify factors associated with COVID-19 mortality. Findings are presented as adjusted Incidence Rate Ratios (aIRR) with 95% CI. The first wave included 65,790 COVID-19 patients, of whom 994 (1∙51%) died; the second wave included 91,089 patients, of whom 513 (0∙56%) died. The incidence rate of COVID-19 mortality was higher in the first wave [54∙25 (95% CI: 50∙98–57∙73)] than in the second wave [19∙19 (17∙60–20∙93)]. Factors independently associated with increased risk of COVID-19 mortality in both waves were: age ≥45 years, male gender [first wave aIRR 1∙65 (1∙35–2∙02) and second wave 1∙52 (1∙11–2∙06)], being symptomatic [aIRR 3∙17 (2∙59–3∙89) and 3∙04 (2∙20–4∙21)], and being hospitalised [aIRR 4∙19 (3∙26–5∙39) and 7∙84 (4∙90–12∙54)]. Relative to South-West, residency in the South-South and North-West was associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 mortality in both waves. In conclusion, the rate of COVID-19 mortality in Nigeria was higher in the first wave than in the second wave, suggesting an improvement in public health response and clinical care in the second wave. However, this needs to be interpreted with caution given the inherent limitations of the country’s surveillance system during the study

Epidemiology, diagnostics and factors associated with mortality during a cholera epidemic in Nigeria, October 2020-October 2021: a retrospective analysis of national surveillance data.

OBJECTIVES: Nigeria reported an upsurge in cholera cases in October 2020, which then transitioned into a large, disseminated epidemic for most of 2021. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology, diagnostic performance of rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits and the factors associated with mortality during the epidemic. DESIGN: A retrospective analysis of national surveillance data. SETTING: 33 of 37 states (including the Federal Capital Territory) in Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS: Persons who met cholera case definition (a person of any age with acute watery diarrhoea, with or without vomiting) between October 2020 and October 2021 within the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control surveillance data. OUTCOME MEASURES: Attack rate (AR; per 100 000 persons), case fatality rate (CFR; %) and accuracy of RDT performance compared with culture using area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Additionally, individual factors associated with cholera deaths and hospitalisation were presented as adjusted OR with 95% CIs. RESULTS: Overall, 93 598 cholera cases and 3298 deaths (CFR: 3.5%) were reported across 33 of 37 states in Nigeria within the study period. The proportions of cholera cases were higher in men aged 5-14 years and women aged 25-44 years. The overall AR was 46.5 per 100 000 persons. The North-West region recorded the highest AR with 102 per 100 000. Older age, male gender, residency in the North-Central region and severe dehydration significantly increased the odds of cholera deaths. The cholera RDT had excellent diagnostic accuracy (AUROC=0.91; 95% CI 0.87 to 0.96). CONCLUSIONS: Cholera remains a serious public health threat in Nigeria with a high mortality rate. Thus, we recommend making RDT kits more widely accessible for improved surveillance and prompt case management across the country