Prevalence of malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency in Nigerian preschool children subsisting on high intakes of carotenes

The prevalence of malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency was determined in 204 preschool children of both sexes aged 3–57 months. The children were recruited from 2 rural communities of Atakumosa Local Government Area of Osun State in South West Nigeria. Dietary vitamin A intake was estimated from frequency of consumption of locally available vitamin A containing food items. Vitamin A status of the children was assessed from concentration of retinol in plasma. Nutritional status was assessed from height and weight compared with international reference standards. The results indicate widespread malnutrition among the children. The prevalence of stunting (low height for age) was 60.8% while prevalence of wasting (low weight for height) was 7.4% and of underweight (low weight for age) 27.5%. Dietary vitamin A intake appeared to be adequate in the children. Intake of vitamin A is predominantly from plant sources. At least 43% of the children consumed the carotene rich red palm oil 6 or more times per week in contrast to less than 1% who consumed eggs or milk for 6 or more times per week. Vitamin A deficiency was low in the children. Only 11.3% of the children had plasma retinol concentration <0.70µmol/L. The results indicate that childhood malnutrition of public health magnitude can coexist with adequate dietary vitamin A intakes or vitamin A status

What are the drivers of recurrent cholera transmission in Nigeria? Evidence from a scoping review

Background: The 2018 cholera outbreak in Nigeria affected over half of the states in the country, and was characterised by high attack and case fatality rates. The country continues to record cholera cases and related deaths to date. However, there is a dearth of evidence on context-specific drivers and their operational mechanisms in mediating recurrent cholera transmission in Nigeria. This study therefore aimed to fill this important research gap, with a view to informing the design and implementation of appropriate preventive and control measures. / Methods: Four bibliographic literature sources (CINAHL (Plus with full text), Web of Science, Google Scholar and PubMed), and one journal (African Journals Online) were searched to retrieve documents relating to cholera transmission in Nigeria. Titles and abstracts of the identified documents were screened according to a predefined study protocol. Data extraction and bibliometric analysis of all eligible documents were conducted, which was followed by thematic and systematic analyses. / Results: Forty-five documents met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final analysis. The majority of the documents were peer-reviewed journal articles (89%) and conducted predominantly in the context of cholera epidemics (64%). The narrative analysis indicates that social, biological, environmental and climatic, health systems, and a combination of two or more factors appear to drive cholera transmission in Nigeria. Regarding operational dynamics, a substantial number of the identified drivers appear to be functionally interdependent of each other. / Conclusion: The drivers of recurring cholera transmission in Nigeria are diverse but functionally interdependent; thus, underlining the importance of adopting a multi-sectoral approach for cholera prevention and control

OWNERSHIP STRUCTURE AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF QUOTED MORTGAGE BANKS IN NIGERIA

The financial performance of mortgage banks worldwide has been a significant source of worry among researchers, professionals, and other stakeholders because of the substantial role mortgage banks play in people’s well-being and economic activity. Despite mortgage bank reforms, the mortgage banking systems in Nigeria are still developing. They remain at a low level of financial performance, poor financing management, and decline in economic performance indicators due to poor ownership structure among mortgage banks in Nigeria. This study examines the effects of ownership structure (significant shareholding, government holding, and minority holding) on financial performance indicators (earnings per share, net profit margin and bank size via total assets) of Nigerian mortgage banks. Ex-post facto research design was employed as well as the panel regression method of analysis, and data was sourced from selected mortgage banks in Nigeria from 2011 to 2020. The study found that ownership structure components (significant shareholding, government holding, and minority holding) have positive and significant effect on financial performance indicators of selected mortgage banks in Nigeria at less than a p&lt;0.05 level of significance. The study concluded that ownership structure components affect financial performance indicators of selected mortgage banks in Nigeria. Therefore, the study recommended that there is a need for mortgage banks in Nigeria to increase their ownership structure in terms of significant shareholding, government holding, and minority holding), as it was found that ownership structure absolutely affects the financial performance indicators of mortgage banks quoted in Nigeria