Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Drug Misuse in a Polytechnic in Lagos, Nigeria

Rationale/Objectives of the study: Drug use and misuse remain a critical problem in most countries and are associated with varied social and economical consequences. It includes self medication and abuse of psychoactive substances. The specific objective of the study were to assess the socio-demographic characteristics and pattern of drug misuse among the students of a Polytechnic in Lagos. Research design: The study was carried out using a self reporting anonymous questionnaire modified and adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO), student drug survey proforma(1). The study population consisted of 210 students, 140 males and 70 females from the 5 levels of polytechnic education. Main findings: Over 71% of the respondents acceded to drug misuse. This cuts across age, sex and educational levels. The modal age group of students who used un-prescribed drugs was 20–24 years. Almost all the class levels of respondents have above 60% use of un-prescribed drugs. There is a positive statistical association between the use of un-prescribed drugs and the level of education. (

Perceptions of Health Students of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital to Gender Based Issues related to Reproductive Health

Gender equity, equality and mainstreaming are very topical issues presently and most components of reproductive health require gender equity to succeed. Health care workers are constantly going to have to be involved in gender related issues in health. This study was conducted among health students of the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba. A total sample of 330 students selected by stratified sampling from the 5 various disciplines were included in the study. All the male respondents compared to 93% of the female respondents believed that a woman has human rights. More females [34.6%] than males [18.2%] and more students from the paramedical fields [45.8%] felt it was right for a woman to seek contraception without permission if necessary [

Management Of Diarrhoea And Impact Of Health Eduction In Agboyi, A Peri-Urban Community With A High Prevalence Of Diarrhoea

This study was designed to assess the method of management of diarrhoea by mothers of pre-school children, their knowledge of the preparation of sugar salt solution and the impact of health education on the level of awareness and practice of these mothers who are fully resident in a peri-urban community. Two hundred and twenty three mothers with pre-school children were interviewed. The prevalence of diarrhoea amongst the pre school children over the preceeding one month of the study was as high as 46%. Up to 50% knew infection was the major cause however only 33% would normally use ORS or SSS. Fewer than half of the studied population actually knew the correct quantities of sugar, salt and water. As many as 20% of preschool children were either wasted or stunted (i.e. malnourished). Health education was found to have a significant impact on the awareness and proper practice of these mothers. It is recommended that repeated training and health education be given to these mothers on the prevention and proper management of diarrhoea disease to achieve the recommended decade goals. Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine Vol.9, No.3 (1999) pp. 189-19

Disease Notification Among Physicians in a Nigerian Tertiary Health Institution

The objective of this study was to assess the physicians' knowledge, attitudes, and practice as related to disease notification. A random sample of 125 physicians was initially recruited for the study but only 120 returned the questionnaires completed, giving a response rate of 96%. Knowledge about disease notification was generally low (14.2%) and among physicians with good knowledge, those in public health specialty had the highest percentage (52.3%) while those in pathology specialty had no knowledge at all (0%). A positive attitude was reported by a large majority (94.2%), who believed that disease notification is beneficial to Nigeria's health care delivery system because it aids-prevention and control of disease outbreak. This attitude was significantly more common in those with few years of professional activity. Even though most of the diseases for routine and immediate notification were diagnosed and treated almost on daily basis by the physicians, yet only 5.8% of them had reported these diseases to the appropriate health authority in the last six months. This study showed that there is a great need for efforts to improve physicians' knowledge on disease notification. Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol. 45 No 6, 2004 (111-115

Knowledge of Cervical Cancer Risk Factors Among Refugee Women in Oru Camp

Cervical cancer, although largely preventable, remains a leading cause of cancer death in the developing world. The pivotal role that refugees play within any host community concerning the distribution and determinants of morbidity and mortality make it important to ensure that programmes designed to reduce the incidence of preventable conditions are acceptable and accessible to this population sub-group. The study was aimed at finding out the level of awareness of women in a refugee camp about cervical cancer A 20-item questionnaire was administered to a total of 170 female residents of the camp aged 18 years and older who met the inclusion criteria. Unsurprisingly, 46% had experienced first intercourse by 16 years, rising to 94% by the age of 20. Less than 20% knew that cervical cancer could be detected early and 6.8% had had Pap smears done. Knowledge of risk factors, signs and symptoms was low, although there was a statistically significant relationship between the educational level of the women and risk factors for cervical cancer. The paper discusses the benefits of increasing awareness about cervical cancer. Key Words: cervical cancer screening; refugee women; risk factors Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol.46(4) 2004: 67-7

The Socio-Demographic Characteristics and the Level of Awareness of the Prevention of Carcinoma of the Cervix Among Commercial Sex Workers in Lagos, Nigeria

Cancer accounts for approximately 8.5% of the 51 million deaths occurring in the world each year. Of the estimated 4.3 million cancer deaths, more than half (2.5 million) occurs in developing countries. Cancer of the cervix is the second most important cancer among women worldwide, with about 500,000 cases occurring annually. I n Nigeria, it is the commonest malignancy of the female genital tract accounting for about 74.4% of all cancer.12 The estimated incidence is 250/100000 and 25,000 new cases are expected to occur yearly.13 The aim of the study was to identify the sociodemographic characteristics of commercial sex workers in Ayilara,a low income semi-urban area of Lagos state, Nigeria. All commercial sex workers(CSW) located in the area were interviewed within a six month period.105 respondents voluntarily accepted to participate in the study. Data was collected using Pimps and Landlords of the CSWs. Data was analysed usong EPI-INFO version 6.4. The result showed that 3 in every 5 of the CSW were single, while one in every five were separated. Seventy point five percent (74) had an average of 1 – 3 sexual partners per day. Majority of the respondents had previous history of sexually transmitted infection (83.7%). There was a positive statistical association between the consumption of alcohol and smoking as all the respondents who smoke, consume alcohol. The mean age at first sexual initiation was 12.7 years. Only 37.3% (38) of the respondents had ever had of cancer of the cervix and 2.9% (3) had ever had pap smear done. The main source of awareness about cancer of the cervix was through radio / Television. It is recommended that there is a need for awareness campaign targeted at commercial sex workers on their risk of cancer of the cervix. Nigerian Medical Practitioner Vol. 45 No 4, 2004.(52-56