Health Implications of Cassava Production and Consumption

The paper examined health issues on production and consumption of cassava. It was revealed that production of cassava is dominated by the use of cassava varieties that contain hydrogen cyanide (HCN) which if consumed without adequate fermentation may be toxic to human. Efforts should be intensified by research institutes to develop more cassava varieties that are low in hydrogen cyanide (HCN) especially in areas where cassava and its products were newly introduced. The use of agrochemicals on cassava farms should be approached with caution. Protective clothing and equipments such as gloves, overall, nose and eyes guards should be provided before applying agrochemicals. Farmers and stakeholders in cassava enterprise should be educated on the need to keep their environment and sources of water free from pathogen and disease causing organisms.Keywords: cassava, health, hydrogen cyanide, agrochemicalsJournal of Agriculture and Social Research (JASR) Vol. 11, No. 1, 201

Pattern of Motion Restriction in Nigerian Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

In the Western population, knee osteoarthritis (OA) has been shown to present a characteristic passive motion restriction pattern, called the capsular pattern (extension restriction to flexion restriction ratio ranging from 0.03 to 0.50). The pattern of motion restriction of Nigerian patients with OA has not been previously reported. This study was conducted to determine the pattern of motion restriction in Nigerian patients with knee osteoarthritis. Participants were 50 patients with knee OA (OA Group/OAG), recruited consecutively from two secondary health institutions and 50 age and sex-matched controls (Control Group/CG) without symptoms of OA. Goniometric measurements of passive and active knee motion of participants were taken. Data was analysed using the independent t-test. The OAG, aged 58.1±10.7 years has had OA for 4.0±4.5 years. The CG was aged 55.9±10.3 years. Mean active extension (1.5±5.2°) of the OAG differed significantly (P < 0.05) from that of the CG (0°), but the two groups did not differ significantly in passive extension (OAG = 1.2°±4.4°; CG = 0°). The CG (125.9°±4.6°) had significantly higher (P= 0.0001) active knee flexion than the OAG (99.9°±15.5°). Passive knee flexion of the CG (134.5°±5.0°) was significantly higher (P=0.000) than that of the OAG (110.4°±14.8°). Mean active extension and flexion restriction of OAG was 2.1±5.7° and 26.0±15.4° respectively. Mean passive extension restriction was 1.2±4.4° and passive flexion restriction was 24.0±14.8°, giving a ratio of 0.05 for OAG. Our findings suggest that the passive motion restriction pattern seen in Nigerian patients with knee osteoarthritis is the capsular pattern. KEY WORDS: motion restriction, patients, knee osteoarthriti

Ibadan Knee/Hip Osteoarthritis Outcome Measure: Process of Development

The development of instruments for the assessment of therapeutic intervention has been an age long practice. However, many of the published instruments do not have detailed information on how the instruments were developed. It is necessary for authors to provide detailed (step by step) information on how measuring scales/instruments are developed. The Ibadan Knee/Hip Osteoarthritis Outcome Measure (IKHOAM) was developed as a  Nigerian-environment and culturefriendly instrument for the assessment of the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions in individuals with osteoarthritis of the knee and/or hip. This article outlines the steps involved in developing an outcome measure using IKHOAM as a template

Body Size Perceptions and Weight Status of Adults in a Nigerian Rural Community

Background: Overweight and obesity are now recognized worldwide as increasing public health problems throughout the life course and wrong perception of one’s body size may reduce the motivation for an overweight person to lose weight. Aim: This study was conducted to investigate how Nigerian rural dwellers perceive their body size and how their perception agrees with their body mass index (BMI). Subjects and Methods: A cross‑sectional sample of 183 adults living in a rural community, South‑West Nigeria was randomly recruited into the study. Their verbal and visual body size perceptions were assessed through structured questions and body images. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: Thirty‑five percent (64/183) of participants were classified as either overweight or obese by BMI. More than half of the participants perceived themselves as normal weight. More women perceived themselves to be obese than men in both verbal and visual perceptions. Based on BMI classification, 43% (79/183) and 54% (98/183) of participants misperceived themselves in verbal and visual perception, respectively. Underestimation of body size was higher in men (38.3%, 36/94) while overestimation was higher in women (9.0%, 8/89). Men had consistently higher values of kappa coefficient which indicate greater agreement than women in both types of perception. Conclusion: We found considerable gender differences in body weight perception of adults in the Nigerian rural community. A large proportion of these rural dwellers could not appropriately classify their weight status; and over 30% (64/183) and nearly 50% (92/183) of them underestimated their own body weight in verbal and visual perceptions respectively.Keywords: Body perception, Overweight, Rural community, Weight statu

Utilization of sweetpotato based confection technology: A panacea to food crisis among women farmers in Imo State

Utilization of sweet potato-based confectionary was used as a step to reducing food crisis among women farmers in Imo state because of the health benefits, environmental friendliness and ability to make a home food secured with little investments. This is because such technology will help serve as an avenue to reduce food crisis among women. The study identified the demographic characteristics of the women farmers, level of awareness of the technology, level of utilization and constraints associated with utilization of the technology. One hundred and twenty women farmers were sampled in the study area using multi-stage random sampling technique. The study revealed that lack of credit, contact with extension agents and membership of cooperative societies were problems associated with utilization of the technology

Pattern of Spinal Pain Managed at the Physiotherapy Department of a Tertiary Health Institution in Nigeria

Spinal pain (SP) is one of the clinical conditions managed at the  orthopaedic unit of physiotherapy departments of hospitals all over the world. There is a dearth of information on the pattern of SP being  managed in these departments. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of SP managed at the physiotherapy outpatient department of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Newly referred SP cases seen at the outpatient unit of the physiotherapy department, University College Hospital, Ibadan, from January 2006 to December 2010, were identified from the departmental patients’ attendance register. Socio-demographic and clinical information were obtained from the case notes and recorded in a self-designed data recording form. These data were then analysed using descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation and percentage. The results showed that the cases of SP involved patients between the ages of 13-89 years with a mean age of 53.42±15.08 years. Patients in the age group of 60 years and above had the highest  prevalence (35.23%) of spinal pain. Cases with SP constituted 59.2% of all the cases managed; and more females (62.9%) were reported to have SP. Lumbar spondylosis was the mostly recorded diagnosis while there was no record of coccydynia during the study period. Outcome measures were underutilized with no record of reported outcome measures for the majority of the patients (51.44%). Physiotherapists discharge rate of SP was 9.14%.It can be concluded that SP is a common clinical condition managed in the physiotherapy department of this tertiary health institution, accounting for about 60% of new patients seen and managed at the orthopaedic unit.It is more common in females than males. Lumbar spondylosis was the most frequently reported diagnosis. Utilization of outcome measures and the discharge pattern of these patients by physiotherapists who managedthe patients were poor. This study revealed the need for improvement in clinical documentation of cases, usage of standardized outcome  assessment and the need for improvement in the clinical reasoning skills of physiotherapists.KEYWORDS: spinal pain, physiotherapy department, university college hospital, orthopaedic unit, interventio

Low Back Pain At Work: Knowledge and Attitude of Sectional Heads at the University College Hospital, Ibadan

The purpose of this study was to find out the knowledge and attitude of sectional heads towards managing low back pain (LBP) at work at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. It was also aimed at identifying the difficulties encountered and the organizational needs required in the management of LBP at work. Twenty-nine sectional(16 male and 13 female) heads at the University Teaching Hospital participated in this cross-sectional survey. The participants completed a self-administered questionnaire, adapted from the Management of LBP in the Workplace Questionnaire. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentages and inferential statistics of Chi square. Level of significance was set at 0.05. Twenty-six (89.7%) of the participants reported no difficulty in managing staff members with low back pain. Seventeen (58.6%) participants had poor knowledge, while 37.9% had fair to good knowledge of managing LBP at work. Twenty-two participants had a positive attitude towards managing staff members with low back pain. There was no significant association (p=0.307) between respondents’ knowledge and attitude towards managing workers with LBP. Organizing workshops for workers was the most frequently reported organizational support required for the management of LBP. Sectional heads at the University College Hospital, Ibadan have poor knowledge but a positive attitude towards managing workers with LBP

Prevalence of Low Back Pain among Adolescent Students in a Nigerian Urban Community

This school-based survey was aimed at determining the prevalence of low-back pain (LBP) among adolescent students of selected secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria. Nine hundred secondary schools students, comprising 415 boys and 485 girls, with age range 12-17 years were surveyed. They were required to complete a self-developed, three-part items questionnaire which collected information on socio-demographic characteristics, history and intensity of low back pain, factors predisposingto low back pain, and activity limitations suffered because of low back pain.The 12-month and point prevalence of LBP among participants were 40.7% and 12.9% respectively. For boys the 12-month prevalence of LBP was 41.7% and for girls it was 39.8%. The point prevalence of LBP was14.2% for girls and 11.3% for boys. Most of the participants had their first LBP experience at 10-15 years, with a peak at 12-14 years. The LBP experienced by most participants was of short duration and only a few episodes, suggesting non-chronicity. Over 50% of the participants were involved in activities that make them frequently bend at the waist.The findings of this survey suggest that LBP is fairly prevalent among Nigerian adolescents. Health education on LBP prevention will help reduce its incidence in this population.KEYWORDS: low back pain, prevalence, adolescent students, Nigeri

Influence of pain intensity, pain duration and location of pain in the occurrence of leg length discrepancy among patients with chronic low back pain

Objective: The association of Leg length discrepancy (LLD) in subjects with chronic low back pain (LBPS) has been a debatable issue. The occurrence of LLD in LBPS and comparing with non-low back pain subjects (NLBS) and the possible influence of the site at which pain was felt, duration of low back pain and intensity of pain on the occurrence of LLD in LBPS was studied.Method: One hundred and ninety subjects recruited by consecutive purposive technique were assigned into two groups. An inelastic tape measure was used to assess the leg length measurements in 90 LBPS and 100 NLBS.Results: The mean ages were 39.59&plusmn;9.74 years and 36.24&plusmn;9.89 years (LBPs and NLBs respectively). The mean real LLD was 0.50&plusmn;0.50 cm and 0.18&plusmn;0.40 cm for LBPS and NLBS; mean apparent LLD was 0.68&plusmn;0.64 cm and 0.31&plusmn;0.64 cm for LBPS and NLBS. Significant differences between LLD in LBPS and NLBS were found for real and apparent measurements (P=0.05 in each case).The mean duration of LBP and pain intensity in LBPS were 21.84&plusmn;23.15 months and 5.6&plusmn;1.77 respectively. No significant correlation was found between pain intensity and LLD in LBPS, but a significant correlation was found between real LLD and duration of LBP (r=0.369; P=0.008). There were significant differences in the real and apparent LLD at different pain sites in LBPS (P=0.043 and P=0.04 respectively). One-sided low back pain was found to be more associated with LLD.Results: It was concluded that LLD occurs in LBPS and that the duration and site of pain influenced LLD in LBPs

Body weight and blood pressure profile in Nigerian secondary school adolescents

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