Economic burden of acute watery diarrhoea in children aged 6 – 36 months presenting to a tertiary hospital in South-East Nigeria

Introduction: Globally,acute watery diarrhoea is amajor cause of childhood morbidityand mortality. It is the fourthleading cause of death in childrencontributing as high as 11% of allchildhood deaths. In Nigeria,acute watery diarrhoea causes240,106 deaths per year. Out ofpocket expenditure is a majorsource of healthcare funding inNigeria, hence treatment of acutewatery diarrhoea places extra financialburden on the familiesespecially those in the low socioeconomicclass.Objective: To determine the costof treatment of acute watery diarrhoeain children aged 6 to 36months.Methodology: This was a crosssectional study conducted on children aged 6-36 months who presented with acute watery diarrhoea from January through October 2017. Data obtained using interviewer-administered questionnaire, included sociodemography, duration of illness, treatment cost of the index diarrhoeal episode before presenting to our facility, transportation cost, food and other incidental cost, duration of hospitalization. Diagnostic tests requested and medications prescribed were obtained from the patient’s medical file. Information on drug cost, diagnostic test cost and hospital bed day cost were obtained from Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH) central pharmacy, NAUTH main laboratoryand account section respectively. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used for data analysis. Result: Seventy two patients were recruited for the study, of whom 47(65.0%) were males giving a male female ratio of 1.9:1. Forty eight (66.6%) of the study participants belonged to the lower socioeconomic class while 22(30.6%) and 2(2.8%) belonged to the middle and upper socioeconomic  class respectively. A mean total treatment post per diarrhoea episode derived from this study was # 37,572.2 ± #12,479.0 which at the time of the study was equivalent to US$104.7 ± US$ 34.8. This is well above the then Nigerian minimum monthly wage of 18,000.0 (US$ 50.1). Conclusion: The result of this study showed that the economic burden of acute watery diarrhoea is quite enormous especially to the low socio-economic group. Prevention and improvement of home treatment of diarrhoea may reduce the treatment cost. Key words: Acute watery diarrhoea, Cost, Children, Hospita

Abus sexuel parmi les colporteuses adolescentes dans l'Etat d' Anambra au Nigéria

Street hawking exposes young girls to all forms of hazards, including sexual abuse. This descriptive study examines the size of the problem and the consequences of sexual abuse on juvenile female street hawkers randomly recruited from two urban towns in Anambra State of Nigeria. Data was collected with semi structured, interviewer administered questionnaires. The mean age of the female hawkers was 13.0 + 2.2 years. Out of 186 respondents, 130 (69.9%) had been sexually abused with 32 (17.2%) having had penetrative sexual intercourse (28.1% were forced and 56.3% submitted willingly) while hawking. Majority (59.4%) of the sexual partners were adults. Other types of sexual abuse experienced include inappropriate touches (106 cases; 81.5%) and verbal abuses (121 cases; 93.1%).. There was low awareness of the twin risks of pregnancy (43.1%) and sexually transmitted infections (54.3%) following sexual abuse among the respondents. Sexual abuse of young female hawkers is an issue of great public health importance. Poverty alleviation, health education and protective child right policies will decrease its prevalence and the associated risks.L'activité des colporteuses expose les jeunes filles à toutes sortes de risques y compris l'abus sexuel. Cette étude descriptive examine l'ampleur du problème et les conséquences de l'abus sexuel sur les colporteuses qui ont été recrutées au hasard dans deux villes urbaines dans l'Etat d'Anambra au Nigéria. Des données ont été collectées à l'aide des questionnaires semi-structurés et administérs par l'enquêteur. L'âge moyen des colporteuses était 13,0+2,2 ans. 136 (69,9%) sur les 186 enquêtées ont subi l'abus sexuel d'une maniére ou d'une autre. Trente-deux (17, 2%) parmi les colporteuses ont eu des rapports sexuels avec pénétration quand elles étaient en train de marchander des produits. De ce nombre, 28,1% ont été forcées et 56,3% se sont soumises volontairement. La majorité (59,4%) des partenaires sexuels étaient des adultes. D'autres formes d'abus sexuels que les 130 colporteuses ont subis comprennent les touches inappropriées (106 cas . 81,5%) et des abus verbaux (121 cas ; 93,1%). La conscience du double risque de la grossesse (43,1%) et des infections sexuellement transmissibles (54,3%) suite à l'abus sexuel est peu élevée. L'abus sexuel subi par les colporteuses engagées dans le travail des enfants est une question de santé publique de grande importance. Les efforts du gouvernement pour remédier à la pauvreté, pour promouvoir l'éducation de la santé et les politiques des droits de l'enfant protecteurs, aideront beaucoup a réduire sa prévalence et la prévalence des risques qui y sont associés

Evaluation of the capacity of Pediatricians in Nigeria to conduct research: A nationwide survey

Background: Research is key to quality healthcare. Clinicians should possess adequate research capacity to generate evidence. This study aimed to evaluate the research capacity of pediatricians in Nigeria.Methods: The study was a crosssectional using a questionnaire developed from the Research Capacity Assessment Framework. Information on previous research work, challenges encountered, and utilization of research outcome were obtained. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 20.Qualitative variables were grouped under thematic headings.Results: Paediatricians who had received grants for research were 21 (19.4%). Those whose research outcomes had informed policy and practice were 20 (18.2%). Less than 40% of the participants had received training on research capacity areas.Conclusion: The research capacity among pediatricians was low partly due to underfunding and lack of research training programs. Improvement on government fund allocation for research and introduction of short research trainings programs will improve research capacity in Nigeria. Key words: Clinical research; Pediatrician; Research Capacity; Policy-Practice Chang