Prospects and problems of rice-fish culture in Nigeria

This paper examines fish demand and supply and looks at on-going research works in rice-cum-fish culture in Nigeria. It examines all the pre-requisites for adopting this farming system. Economic and Financial analysis were made using experimental plots at two ecological zones of Nigeria. This farming system, which has reached advanced stage in most of Asian countries, could well be practiced in Nigeria to assist farmers to harvest both protein (from fish) and carbohydrate from rice and thereby to improve their standards of liv

K. Sridhar Moorthy’s Theoretical Modelling in Marketing - A Review

Modelling has become a visible tool in many disciplines including marketing and several marketing models have been constructed. These models serve their pedagogical and practical purposes in some cases. However, among the marketing models so often cited is Moorthy‟s Theoretical Modelling in Marketing. This model is important, and hence this review once more, in that it offers a starting point, and in some cases the finishing line, for those who want to tread the pedestrian of modelling in marketing. But this is not the end; it also provides an explanation for those who want to know more about modelling in general by providing answers to some basic questions about the use of models. Our discussion here will certainly bring in many people who have been peeping into marketing modelling from behind the wall.Key words: Marketing, Modelling, Moorthy, Pedagogy, Theoretica

Relevance of culturally-appropriate approaches in health promotion: a look at Igbo philosophies in dealing with eye care challenges in Nigeria

Reverence for the culture and beliefs of people most times kindles their interest in a unique way in programmes that they may likely tend to adopt, scorn or attack. In recent times, there have been fatal attacks on health workers in different parts of the world due to misunderstanding of their mission. These health workers have been constantly molested and killed while carrying out their duties. The misunderstandings stem from the fact that these people’s cultural belief was not put into consideration while planning the health programme for that population. Human beings are not chemical elements that could give the same kind of reaction given same environment and conditions, but they have consciences and choices that could be influenced by a number of factors. Hence, this study was an attempt to demonstrate the usefulness of a culturally-appropriate health promotion approach in an adult Nigerian population. This was population-based qualitative study that used face-to-face semi-structured interviews to collect data from three sets of participants [Service users n=28; doctors n=8; and policy makers n=3]. The transcribed interviews provided six important themes among which are: the desire for health education, the need to think outside the box, and the Igbo philosophies. These themes were analysed using interpretative phenomenological approach framework to provide rich information about this population. Understanding the culture and beliefs of the target population could help to shape and plan effective health promotion programmes within a given community.Keywords: Culturally-appropriate approach, Health promotion, Igbo philosophies, eyecare, Nigeri

Meaning and interpretation of Igbo body-parts based idioms

The traditional view of idioms suggests that they are expressions with arbitrary meanings. The cognitive linguistics view however, has it that the meanings of idioms can be interpreted by some cognitive operations. This study, using Igbo idioms pertaining to body-parts, attempts to ascertain the cognitive operations that apply in Igbo idiomatic meaning interpretation. Data for the study were extracted from Igbo textbooks and analysed based on the cognitive linguistics framework. The study shows that the figurative meanings of the selected body-part idioms are generally achieved by  conventional knowledge, metaphor and metonymy. It equally reveals that conventional knowledge is a basic tool in idiomatic meaning interpretation as it can solely account for the meaning of an expression. Finally, it can be concluded that a single cognitive mechanism or a combination of two or more of such mechanisms can be employed in the figurative meaning interpretation of Igbo body-parts idioms.Keywords: Conventional knowledge, Idioms, Metaphor, Metonym

EVALUATION OF PHYSICO-CHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF STIRRED YOGHURT STABILIZED WITH SWEET POTATO (IPOMOEA BATATAS) STARCH

The physicochemical and microbiological qualities of stirred yoghurts stabilized with sweet potato starch were investigated. The yoghurt was prepared from whole milk powder and other essential ingredients. The product obtained after fermentation was divided into five equal portions and subsequently stabilized by the addition of sweet potato starch at the levels of 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% to produce different samples of yoghurt. The various samples of yoghurt produced were analysed for their physicochemical and microbiological qualities using standard methods. The physicochemical characteristics of the samples showed the pH of 4.30, 4.28, 4.36, 4.42 and 4.48, dry matter content of 17.74%, 21.26%, 22.76%, 23.10% and 24.38%, titrable acidity of 0.60%, 0.66%, 0.72%, 0.78% and 0.86%, lactose content of 3.86%, 3.92%, 3.98%, 4.18%, and 4.26%, total soluble solids content of 0.08%, 0.09%, 0.16%, 0.18% and 0.26% and viscosity of 334Cp, 356Cp, 368Cp, 374Cp and 386Cp respectively. The microbial count of the yoghurt samples revealed that the total viable count ranged between 0.9 x 102cfu/ml and 1.7 x 102cfu/ml. The coliform and fungal count were nil which is an indication of the microbial safety of all the samples

Barriers to Accessing Good Eye Care Services in Nigeria: A Focus on Anambra State.

Certain forms of blindness can be prevented if the right steps and treatments are applied at the right times, but this is not always possible due to the challenges patients face in accessing eye care services. The aim of this study was to explore and identify the barriers in accessing good eye care services in Anambra State Nigeria, and suggest how the three major stakeholders could work in harmony to minimise these barriers and facilitate easier access. Three main stakeholders in eye health comprising of 28 key informants (the target population), 8 service providers (the eye doctors) and 3 policy makers were identified and recruited for this study through purposive sampling method. Data was collected from all consenting participants through semi-structured interviews. The resulting transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis framework. Poverty and inability to pay for eye care services has been the most prominent barrier among this population. Other barriers include: distance of eye care service centres from the rural dwellers, fear of financial exploitation from the service providers, fear of treatment outcome and the availability of other cheaper treatment options. Also other barriers identified were: the ability to cope with eye disease, seriousness of the symptoms and lack of awareness of eye diseases and the related risk factors. Poverty remains a major determinant of health in Nigeria. Therefore to reduce the barriers to accessing eye care services in Nigeria, the three stakeholders must work in harmony.Keywords: eye care services, barriers, challenges, Anambra State, accessing services

Dietary Diversity, Nutritional status and Academic performance of pupils in public primary schools in Port Harcourt Metropolis

Background: Poor nutrition can hinder pupils from achieving good educational performance at school. This study provides information on the dietary diversity and nutritional status of school-age children in Rivers State, and their relationship with academic performance.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was conducted among pupils attending public primary schools, aged 6-11 years. Using a multi-stage sampling technique, data on dietary diversity was collected using a two-day 24-hour dietary recall tool adapted from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) guidelines for measuring household and individual dietary diversity. Nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric measures and educational performance was assessed using the end of term examination results for Mathematics and English language in the selected schools. Statistical analyses were performed at p level of 0.05.Results: The study had a total of 847 public primary school pupils, comprising of 441 (52.1%) males and 406 (47.9%) females The minimum and maximum dietary diversity score (DDS) obtained from the pupils were one and five, respectively with a mean DDS of 3.67 ± 0.71. The frequency of stunting, underweight and overweight among the pupils were 39.4%, 23.0% and 6.0% respectively. Dietary diversity was significantly associated with academic performance (p=0.001), with higher odds of poor academic performance in both English language and Mathematics reported among pupils with low DDS in comparison to those with normal DDS.Conclusion: Dietary diversity for primary school pupils should be promoted to achieve optimal academic performance amidst other benefits. Keywords: Academic performance; Dietary diversity; Nutritional status; Pupil

INFLUENCE OF HEAD-TEACHERS CONFLICT MANAGEMENT STYLE ON TEACHERS’ JOB SATISFACTION IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS

The study focused on influence of head-teachers conflict management style on teachers’ job satisfaction in public secondary schools in Awka education zone of Anambra State, Nigeria. Two research questions guided the study and two null hypotheses were tested. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population of the study consisted 122 head-teachers in 61 public secondary schools in Awka education zone. No sample was taken, as the population size was manageable. A 16-items structured questionnaire validated by three experts was used for the study. The reliability of the instrument was ascertained using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient to determine its degree of reliability which obtained overall reliability coefficient values of 0.95. Data related to the research questions were analyzed using mean and standard deviation while Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that respondents disagreed that head teachers use integrating conflict management style while they agreed in using obliging conflict management style for their job satisfaction. The study revealed that head teachers’ years of teaching experience does not affect the uses of integrating and obliging conflict management style in their job satisfaction. It was concluded that integrating conflict management style are rarely used by the head teacher. It was recommended, among others, that Head teachers should strive at minimizing conflicts and use appropriate methods to manage them such integrating either than obliging conflict management style.  Article visualizations