CONTRACEPTIVE USE AND FAMILY SIZE PREFERENCES AMONG RURAL WOMEN IN SOKOTO STATE, NIGERIA

Background: The interplay of high fertility, low contraceptive use and high maternal mortality continues to decimate populations across sub-Saharan Africa. This study aimed to determine contraceptive use and family size preferences among rural women in Sokoto State, Nigeria. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted in rural communities of Sokoto State, Nigeria, using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. It involved interviews to a random sample of 202 women of child bearing age using semi-structured interviewer- administered questionnaires, and focus group discussions among women and men. The quantitative data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 17 computer statistical package; while the qualitative data were transcribed, sorted, categorized and analyzed thematically. Results: The mean age of the women was 27.9 + 8.0 years, most of them had no formal education (85.6%) and were aged 14-19 years when they had their first pregnancy (84.2%). Of the 202 respondents only 10 (5.0%) were using modern contraceptives, most commonly pills 4 (40.0%), and injectable contraceptives 4 (40.0%). The main barriers to use of modern contraceptives were religious beliefs, desire for more pregnancies, poor understanding of FP concept/ disapproval by husbands; and lack of communication between couples. Almost all the respondents 197 (97.5%) preferred large family sizes and most of them 149 (73.8%) were willing to have as many children as possible. Conclusion: These findings underscore the need for governments and other stakeholders to make female education the central focus of FP promotion programs, in addition to involving men and religious leaders. Keywords: Contraceptive use, modern contraceptives, family size preferences, rural women, SokotoÂ

Prevalence of Anaemia in Pregnancy and Related Factors among Women Attending Antenatal Care (ANC) in General Hospital Bunza, Kebbi State, Nigeria

Background: Anaemia in pregnancy remains a major cause of maternal death in Sub-Saharan Africa, and it mostly results from a deficiency of iron and folate.Objectives: To determine the prevalence of anemia and the factors associated with it among pregnant women in Bunza, Nigeria. Materials and Method: A cross-sectional study conducted among 327 pregnant women attending ANC in General Hospital Bunza, Kebbi State, Nigeria. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire. Estimation of packed cell volume and RDT were alsodone for the participants; datawereanalysedusing IBMSPSS version 20. Results: The mean packed cell volume of the respondents was 30.7, with a SD 3.7 and majority of the respondents were having anemia 240(75.7%). Level of education of the respondents and their spouses, age at first pregnancy, spouses’ occupation, and the trimester at which the respondents booked were found to be significant p ?0.05for anemic status. Conclusion: The prevalence of anemia in pregnancy is high among pregnant women in Bunza, Nigeria, with the factors associated with it being the levels of education of the woman and that of her spouse, spouse’s occupation, having the first pregnancy before the age of 19 years, and late booking. Recommendations: Anemia in Pregnancy should be considered a public health problem in the LGA and state in general and girl child education should be given priority as a long term measure

Knowledge and practices related to stroke prevention among hypertensive and diabetic patients attending Specialist Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria

Introduction: Stroke has become a problem of public health importance worldwide. Knowledge and practices related to stroke prevention among hypertensive and diabetic patients are important in the control of the disease. In Nigeria, recent reports indicate an emerging epidemic of stroke. This study aimed to determine the knowledge and practices related to stroke prevention among hypertensive and diabetic patients in Sokoto, Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 248 patients attending hypertension and diabetes clinic of Specialist Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria, selected by systematic sampling technique. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the research variables. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20 statistical package. Results: The mean age of respondents was 48.21 ± 15.07 years and they were predominantly females (65.7%). The respondents had good knowledge of stroke (70.3%), organs or parts of body affected by stroke (89.1%), signs or symptoms of stroke (87.0%), stroke risk factors (86.6%) and stroke prevention (90.8%). Formal education was the sole predictor of good knowledge of signs or symptoms of stroke (aOR = 3.99, 95% CI = 1.58-10.13, p = 0.004), stroke risk factors (aOR = 4.24, 95% CI = 1.68-10.67, p = 0.002) and stroke prevention (aOR = 3.45, 95% CI = 1.09-10.93, p = 0.035). Stroke prevention practices were sub-optimal and significantly associated with formal education and being employed. Conclusion: These findings suggest the need for all stakeholders to focus on both patients' education and empowerment in halting the rising burden of stroke across the globe

Effect of food hygiene training on food handlers´ knowledge in Sokoto Metropolis: a quasi-experimental study

Introduction: training intervention for food handlers is necessary to increase their knowledge and awareness about food hygiene. Research in this area has been given low attention in Nigeria, especially in the Northern part of the country. Therefore, we assessed the effect of food hygiene training on the knowledge of food hygiene among food handlers in Sokoto metropolis. Methods: we conducted a quasi-experimental study between January and July 2019. We used a multistage sampling technique to select 360 food handlers randomized into intervention and control groups. We conducted a training intervention after the baseline data collection. Post-intervention data collection was conducted six months after the intervention. We estimated the proportion of respondents with good knowledge at baseline and post-intervention. We assessed the difference in pre-and post-intervention proportions using McNemars Marginal Homogeneity test at 5% level of significance. Results: in the intervention and control groups, 19 (10.6%) and 18 (10.0%) had primary education respectively, p = 0.231. At baseline, 23 (12.8%) and 22 (12.2%) in intervention and control groups respectively had good knowledge, p= 0.515. At post-intervention, the proportion of those with good knowledge in the intervention group increased to 56.7%, p < 0.001; while in the control group, there was no significant difference in the proportion of those with good knowledge, p = 0.248. Conclusion: the training intervention has significantly improved the knowledge of the food handlers. We recommend that the National Food and Drug Agency, in collaboration with restaurant owners, ensure regular on-the-job training of food handlers

Knowledge of health effects and determinants of psychoactive substance use among secondary school students in Sokoto Metropolis, Nigeria

Introduction: psychoactive substance use (PSU) is a patterned use of a drug in which the user consumes the substance in amounts or methods which are harmful to themselves or others. Psychoactive substance use takes a considerable toll on financial status, academic achievement and health status of addicts. In Nigeria, PSU is on the increase, one of the most disturbing health-related problems and a leading cause of premature death among school aged population worldwide. We therefore, determined the knowledge of health effects and determinants of psychoactive substance use among secondary school students in Sokoto Metropolis, Nigeria. Methods: we conducted a cross-sectional study among 430 secondary school students that were selected using multistage sampling in Sokoto, Northwestern, Nigeria from April to May 2019. We collected data using a semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. We calculated proportions and adjusted odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) in a binary logistic regression model. Results: knowledge of health effects of PSU was good in 38.1% of the respondents with a mean score of 19.6 ± 10.0. The overall prevalence of PSU was high among current users (16.3%), male participants (78.6%) and those aged 17-years or more (68.6%). Independent predictors of current use of psychoactive substances were poor knowledge of health effects (aOR: 4.1, 95% CI: 1.7-10.0) and father´s use of psychoactive substances (aOR: 10.3, 95% CI= 1.9-57.1). Conclusion: knowledge of health effects of psychoactive substances was generally poor among the participants with an associated high prevalence among current users. Poor knowledge of its health effects determines the use of psychoactive substances. We conducted awareness campaigns and health talk on health effects of PSU to secondary school students in the state. The Federal Ministry of Education should ensure that PSU-related topics are incorporated in the secondary school curriculum

Educational intervention on knowledge of cervical cancer and uptake of Pap smear test among market women in Niger State, Nigeria

Cervical cancer is the most common female genital tract carcinoma worldwide. It is increasingly becoming the leading carcinoma seen among women in the developing world. The aim of our study was to showcase the effect of educational intervention on the knowledge of cervical cancer and subsequently the uptake of Pap smear test amongst market women in Niger state, Nigeria. The state has a rich network of markets in all the local government areas because of the fishing activities, bountiful agricultural produce yearly and its situation to the North of the national capital, Abuja. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in two groups with pre and post intervention data collection. Sample size was determined based on a previous similar study done in Nigeria. Multi stage sampling technique was used for recruiting the study participants. SPSS statistical software was used for data entry, editing and analysis. Respondents’ knowledge of cervical cancer were comparable at pre-intervention but were statistically significantly better (P<0.0001) at post-intervention in the intervention group compared to the control group for every variable measured. However, there was only a (Fisher’s exact, P=0.621) compared to the control group. This study showed an increase in knowledge about cervical cancer and Pap smear test however the uptake of Pap smear test remained low even after intervention. This underscores the need for sustained intervention programs to eventually translate knowledge acquired to habitual practice

Determinants of knowledge and safety practices of occupational hazards of textile dye workers in Sokoto, Nigeria: a descriptive analytic study

Textile dye workers are subject to occupational hazards on a daily basis due to exposure to precarious conditions in the workplace. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and safety practices and its determinants among textile dye workers in Sokoto metropolis, Nigeria. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among 200 textile dye workers and the respondents were selected by multi stage sampling technique. Data was collected using an interviewer administered questionnaire. Data was processed using SPSS IBM version 20 and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Majority of the respondents (74.0%) had good knowledge of workplace hazards; (81.0%) had positive attitude and only 20% observed all the safety practices. Formal education (P=0.047); working less than 5 days a week (P=0.001) and permanent employment (P=0.013) were found to be determinants of respondents’ knowledge and attitude towards workplace hazards. Although the respondents had good knowledge and positive attitude, their lack of observance of safety practices brings to fore the need for direct safety instruction and training and retraining of textile dye workers on workplace hazards and safety practices

Prevalence and pattern of sexual assault in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria

Introduction: sexual violence is an important public health problem of growing concern all over the world. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and pattern of sexual assault managed in Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, Nigeria. Methods: it was a retrospective study that looked into cases of sexual assault admitted into the hospital between January 2010 and December 2014. Information on patients’ biodata, and relevant details on the cases were extracted from the patients’ case files and analyzed. Results: out of the 5317 gynecological admissions during the period under study, 45 (0.84%) were cases of sexual assault. Of these, only 34 case files were available for data extraction. The patients’ age ranged from 2 to 37 years (mean = 12.6 + 8.3). About two thirds (61.8%) of those affected were young children (aged 12 years and below). In majority of cases (70.6%) the assault was penetrative, and in most of the cases (91.2%) only a single assailant was involved. In close to two thirds of cases, the assailant was either an acquaintance (38.2%) or a family member (20.6%). Although law enforcement agents were informed in majority (58.8%) of cases, arrests were made in less than half (41.2%). Conclusion: although the prevalence of sexual assault in this study appears to be low, a major cause for concern is the fact that those affected were predominantly young children. Parents should be more vigilant in monitoring their children’s movement, and stringent laws should be enacted and enforced to curb this heinous act.The Pan African Medical Journal 2016;2