Attainment of menstrual hygiene by girls in boarding secondary schools in a state in Sub-Saharan Africa

Background: Menarche is the most dramatic manifestation of puberty in girls; unlike the biometric developmental changes that occur at puberty, menarche requires the personal adjustment and response of an affected girl in order to attain good menstrual hygiene. This study was designed to evaluate how boarding secondary school girls manage their menstruation in school, away from the guidance of their parents.Methods: A cross sectional survey was performed in four public boarding secondary schools in the study area with the aid of structured questionnaires to evaluate how such girls manage their menstruation while in school.Results: The study population was 975 girls whose survey revealed the mean age at menarche of 12.5±1.4 years.  Seven hundred and two (72.0%) respondents had received sexuality education before onset of menarche. Respondents who attained good menstrual hygiene were 775(79.5%). Such respondents were those who had received sexuality education (p<0.001) and those who had access to synthetic sanitary pad (p=0.005). Duration of the menstrual period and the volume of menstrual blood loss did not affect (p=0.219) the ability of respondents to attain good menstrual hygiene. Respondents who received sexuality education had about 605 chances of attaining good menstrual hygiene than those who did not receive such education.Conclusions: A vast majority of the respondents had received sexuality education before onset of menarche and a larger proportion attained good menstrual hygiene. Major factors that positively influenced the girls’ capacity to attained good menstrual hygiene were prior sexuality education and access to synthetic sanitary pad

Awareness, use and main source of information on preventive health examinations: a survey of childbearing women in Uyo, Nigeria

The study determined awareness, use and the main source of information about preventive health examinations among 387 childbearing women attending three health facilities in Uyo, Nigeria. Respondents were consenting women aged 15-49 years who had a live birth in the two months preceding the survey. Respondents were interviewed using structured questionnaires during child welfare clinic visits at each facility. Awareness about pap smears and breast self examination was 14.2% and 35.3% respectively. Testing rates were highest for blood pressure checks, HIV and blood sugar and lowest for Pap smears and mammograms. Health workers were the main informants on preventive tests. Awareness and secondary education enhanced women’s uptake of screening services across levels of health care. Secondary education as a minimum and intensified awareness creation about preventive health examinations through media, school based programs, durbars and public health campaigns are vital to the health and well being of women and children.L&apos;étude a déterminé la sensibilisation, l&apos;utilisation et la principale source d&apos;informations sur les examens médicaux préventifs chez 387 femmes en âge de procréer qui fréquentent trois établissements de santé à Uyo, Nigéria. Les interviewées étaient des femmes consentants, âgées de 15-49 ans qui ont eu une naissance vivante au cours des deux mois précédant l&apos;enquête. Les interviewées ont été interrogées à l&apos;aide de questionnaires structurés lors des visites aux cliniques adaptées au bien-être de l&apos;enfant dans chaque établissement. La sensibilisation sur les frottis vaginaux et l&apos;autopalpation du sein était de 14,2% et 35,3% respectivement. Les taux de dépistage étaient plus élevés pour les contrôles de la tension artérielle, le VIH et le sucre sanguin plus faible concernant le test de Papanicolaou et la mammographie. Le personnel sanitaire ont été les principaux informateurs sur les essais de prévention. La sensibilisation et l&apos;éducation secondaire ont amélioré l’adoption des services de dépistage à tous les niveaux des soins sanitaires. L&apos;enseignement secondaire comme un niveau minimum ainsi que la création de la sensibilisation intensifiée par rapport à des examens médicaux préventifs à travers les médias, les programmes scolaires, les durbars et les campagnes de santé publique, sont essentiels à la santé et au bien-être des femmes et des enfant

Overweight and obesity profiles in Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

Introduction: Overweight and obesity are global public health problems because of their effect on individuals, families and communities. The objective of this study was to describe the profile of overweight and obesity amongst adult out patients in Uyo in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study done between October 2011 and March 2012. Using a systematic sampling technique, 584 subjects aged 18–65 years were recruited; data were collected with a structured questionnaire. Subjects were measured for height, weight, waist and hip circumferences. Body mass index (BMI) and waist–hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. Subjects with a BMI of 25.0 kg/m2 – 29.9 kg/m2 were regarded as being overweight whilst a BMI of > 30.0 kg/m2 was regarded as obese. Subjects with a WHR of > 0.90 for men or > 0.85 for women were regarded as having abnormal WHR. Results: Of the 584 subjects, 196 (36.6%) were men and 388 (66.4%) women. The mean age for men and women was 43.3 ± 17.8 years and 50.2 ± 13.6 years, respectively. The prevalence of overweight amongst men was 39.8% versus 31.7% for women; obesity in men was 28.0% versus 52.0% in women. Overweight and obesity were more prevalent in subjects aged 25–54 years and amongst married subjects. There was a significant relationship between obesity and television viewing (p = 0.003). Hypertension (p = 0.008) and osteoarthropathies (p = 0.043) were more prevalent amongst the obese than the non-obese subjects. Conclusion: Overweight and obesity are now common in our environment. There is therefore a need for more public education about the health consequences of big body size

Heterogeneity in head and neck cancer incidence among black populations from Africa, the Caribbean and the USA: Analysis of cancer registry data by the AC3

International audienceBackground: Africa and the Caribbean are projected to have greater increases in Head and neck cancer (HNC) burden in comparison to North America and Europe. The knowledge needed to reinforce prevention in these populations is limited. We compared for the first time, incidence rates of HNC in black populations from African, the Caribbean and USA. Methods: Annual age-standardized incidence rates (IR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) per 100,000 were calculated for 2013-2015 using population-based cancer registry data for 14,911 HNC cases from the Caribbean (Barbados, Guadeloupe, Trinidad and Tobago, N = 443), Africa (Kenya, Nigeria, N = 772) and the United States (SEER, Florida, N = 13,696). We compared rates by sub-sites and sex among countries using data from registries with high quality and completeness. Results: In 2013-2015, compared to other countries, HNC incidence was highest among SEER states (IR: 18.2, 95%CI = 17.6-18.8) among men, and highest in Kenya (IR: 7.5, 95%CI = 6.3-8.7) among women. Nasopharyngeal cancer IR was higher in Kenya for men (IR: 3.1, 95%CI = 2.5-3.7) and women (IR: 1.5, 95% CI = 1.0-1.9). Female oral cavity cancer was also notably higher in Kenya (IR = 3.9, 95%CI = 3.0-4.9). Blacks from SEER states had higher incidence of laryngeal cancer (IR: 5.5, 95%CI = 5.2-5.8) compared to other countries and even Florida blacks (IR: 4.4, 95%CI = 3.9-5.0). Conclusion: We found heterogeneity in IRs for HNC among these diverse black populations; notably, Kenya which had distinctively higher incidence of nasopharyngeal and female oral cavity cancer. Targeted etiological investigations are warranted considering the low consumption of tobacco and alcohol among Kenyan women. Overall, our findings suggest that behavioral and environmental factors are more important determinants of HNC than race