Determinants of Increased Prevalence of Teenage Pregnancy Among Female Senior Class Students in Two Selected Secondary School in Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria

Teenage pregnancy is a global phenomenon with rates range from 143 per 1000 in some sub-Saharan African countries to 2.9 per 1000 in South Korea. Highest risk of maternal death in young girls was shown in Africa, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Haiti, Nepal, Nicaragua and Yemen. (Papri, Khanam, Ara, & Panna, 2016). Victims of teenage pregnancy lack information and were not adequately educated on safe-sex either by their parents, schools or development agencies that could have enabled them deal with friends who lure them into sex prematurely, children of single parents are more vulnerable to teenage pregnancy. This study is aimed at identifying the determinants of increased prevalence of Teenage pregnancy among female Teenage students in two selected secondary schools in Sagamu, Ogun State. A descriptive cross sectional design was used for the study and this allowed data to be collected among two hundred and ninety seven (297) respondents. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.Descriptive statistics were used such as frequency table and percentage.The mean and standard deviation of the ages of the respondents were found to be 20.9±2.5years respectively and majority of the respondents were Muslims and were from the Yoruba tribe, more than sixty per cent of the respondents affirm their knowledge that teenage pregnancy is a pregnancy that occurs in females between the ages of 15 and 19years. Generally, majority of the respondents had good knowledge of teenage pregnancy and its negative effect on their lives.&nbsp

Interest Rate Liberalization, Financial Development and Economic Growth in subSaharan African Economies

This study considers a structural interaction of the interest rate liberalisation-growth nexus; through the inclusion of financial development variables, for sub-Saharan African economies spanning the periods 1980-2012. Coupled with the institutional theory of growth, this study relies on the McKinnon-Shaw framework and, given its merits over conventional tests, a battery of panel unit-root tests was used to purify our data off spurious regression estimates. Later, both panel cointegration and panel error correction models were employed for empirical investigations. From the results obtained, it was evident that other factors such as the openness on trade and price stability are much more significant for interest rate liberalisation and economic growth in sub-Saharan African countries. More so, the extent as well as degree of financial development relatively assisted in reducing interest rate; further facilitates investment and then engendered growth. Theoretically, this study aligns with the McKinnon-Shaw hypothesis of interest rate-growth nexus. Interestingly, the results show that public institutions have been found significantly detrimental at driving the growth process of the sub-Saharan African economies. From the foregoing, the level of financial development, price stability and institutional arrangement should be properly attended to for effective and far-reaching policy suggestions in sub-Saharan African economies

Assessing the determinants of agricultural commercialization and challenges confronting cassava farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria

This study assesses the agricultural commercialization levels, determinants, and challenges confronting smallholder cassava farmers in Oyo State, Nigeria. This study was conducted in Oyo State, Nigeria using cross-sectional data from 211 smallholder cassava farmers and employing multi-stage sampling procedures. Descriptive statistics, Crop Commercialization Index (CCI), and Ordered Logit Model (OLM) were used to analyze the data collected. The results revealed that 83.9% of the cassava farmers participated in the commercialization of their cassava roots while the remaining farmers were non-participants. The greatest challenge faced by the cassava farmers in the study area was the incessant attacks by the Fulani herdsmen (destroying growing cassava on the farm) while other challenges included cassava cyclical gluts and poor access road. Moreover, OLM revealed that age, farm size, cassava marketing experience and distance to market had significant influence on commercialization levels of cassava farmers. However, in order to enhance increased commercialization levels of cassava farmers and peaceful coexistence in the study area, policies and intervention programmes that will facilitate rural infrastructure development and proffer lasting solution to the farmers-herders crisis should be given upmost priority.JEL Classification D13; M31; Q19

Dietary diversity, nutritional status, and agricultural commercialization: evidence from adult men of rural farm households

Access to healthy and affordable diet hinged on the realization of Sustainable Development Goal 2, higher productivity and, economic prosperity while it is difficult for a poorly nourished people to achieve optimum production of goods and services. This study assessed whether dietary diversity (DD) and nutritional status of adult men are associated with crop commercialization index (CCI) levels of agricultural households in two states of Southwestern Nigeria. This research utilized 352 farm households, comprising 277 adult male members. The individual version of dietary diversity score (DDS) of 9 food groups was used to calculate adult men’s DDS over a 24-h recall. Anthropometric data was obtained using body mass index (BMI) while CCI levels was estimated for each agricultural household. Logistic regression and ordered logit models were used to examine the determinants of adult men’s dietary diversity and nutritional status respectively. Hundred percent of adult men consumed starchy staples, with 11.2% consuming egg, 5.8% milk and milk products and 0.4% consuming organ meat over 24-h recall. Adult men of CCI 2 and CCI 4 agricultural households recorded overweight prevalence of >20% in Ogun state while the association between DDS and CCI was statistically insignificant suggesting that being a member of any of the CCI households may not guarantee the consumption of healthy diets among adult men. From Logit regression analysis, it is more likely for adult men with higher farm size to attain the minimum DDS of 4 food groups than those with smaller size of farmland (OR = 4.78; 95% CI: 1.94, 11.76; p = 0.001). The age, farm experience, and cassava marketing experience were positively related to the likelihood of obtaining the minimum DDS. For adult men to achieve a healthy diet, their diet pattern must incorporate a more diversified intake of food from different food groups capable of improving their nutritional status. This study emphasized the need for relevant stakeholders to provide adequate nutrition knowledge intervention programmes capable of improving the diets and nutrition of adult men and other members of farm households

Adaptation of the Wound Healing Questionnaire universal-reporter outcome measure for use in global surgery trials (TALON-1 study): mixed-methods study and Rasch analysis

BackgroundThe Bluebelle Wound Healing Questionnaire (WHQ) is a universal-reporter outcome measure developed in the UK for remote detection of surgical-site infection after abdominal surgery. This study aimed to explore cross-cultural equivalence, acceptability, and content validity of the WHQ for use across low- and middle-income countries, and to make recommendations for its adaptation.MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study within a trial (SWAT) embedded in an international randomized trial, conducted according to best practice guidelines, and co-produced with community and patient partners (TALON-1). Structured interviews and focus groups were used to gather data regarding cross-cultural, cross-contextual equivalence of the individual items and scale, and conduct a translatability assessment. Translation was completed into five languages in accordance with Mapi recommendations. Next, data from a prospective cohort (SWAT) were interpreted using Rasch analysis to explore scaling and measurement properties of the WHQ. Finally, qualitative and quantitative data were triangulated using a modified, exploratory, instrumental design model.ResultsIn the qualitative phase, 10 structured interviews and six focus groups took place with a total of 47 investigators across six countries. Themes related to comprehension, response mapping, retrieval, and judgement were identified with rich cross-cultural insights. In the quantitative phase, an exploratory Rasch model was fitted to data from 537 patients (369 excluding extremes). Owing to the number of extreme (floor) values, the overall level of power was low. The single WHQ scale satisfied tests of unidimensionality, indicating validity of the ordinal total WHQ score. There was significant overall model misfit of five items (5, 9, 14, 15, 16) and local dependency in 11 item pairs. The person separation index was estimated as 0.48 suggesting weak discrimination between classes, whereas Cronbach's α was high at 0.86. Triangulation of qualitative data with the Rasch analysis supported recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ items 1 (redness), 3 (clear fluid), 7 (deep wound opening), 10 (pain), 11 (fever), 15 (antibiotics), 16 (debridement), 18 (drainage), and 19 (reoperation). Changes to three item response categories (1, not at all; 2, a little; 3, a lot) were adopted for symptom items 1 to 10, and two categories (0, no; 1, yes) for item 11 (fever).ConclusionThis study made recommendations for cross-cultural adaptation of the WHQ for use in global surgical research and practice, using co-produced mixed-methods data from three continents. Translations are now available for implementation into remote wound assessment pathways