Knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers/caregivers on infant and young child feeding in Shabelle zone, Somali Region, Eastern Ethiopia: A cross sectional study

Knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of mothers/caregivers on infant and young child feeding are key factors for optimal nutritional status, health and growth of the children. Hence, this study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of the mothers/caregivers on infant and young child feeding. A cross sectional study was carried out among 415 mothers/caregivers from Gode and Adadle Districts in Shabelle Zone of Somali Region, Eastern Ethiopia, by using semi structured interviewer administered questionnaire. The principal component analysis was carried out to generate KAP indices. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to isolate independent predictors for good knowledge, good practice and favourable attitude of the mothers/caregivers related to child feeding. Out of 415 study participants, 87.5%, and 69.4% were illiterate, and from rural residence, respectively. The majority (96.1 %) of the participants knew the importance of colostrums, time initiation, exclusive and duration of the breastfeeding, and, 82% believed that a newborn should be given butter, sugar and water for the first six months. Furthermore, 50% of the mothers started breastfeeding within one hour after delivery, 66% of the participants started additional food items before the age of the six months, and 69.2% continued breastfeeding for 24 months and above. On multivariable logistic regression, after adjusting for other predictors, being in Gode District (P <0.001), and not being housewife (P = 0.014) were significantly associated with having good Knowledge about optimal infant and young child feeding (IYCF), and wealth index (P = 0.001) are positively associated with favourable attitude, and being literate (P = 0.01) is positively associated with good practice. Conversely, good knowledge about optimal IYCF were negatively associated with favourable attitude (P <0.001), and urban and semi urban residence was negatively associated with good knowledge (P <0.001). In conclusion, the findings showed that despite the high knowledge of the participants on IYCF; a large proportion of mothers/caregivers had negative attitude and poor practice on proper IYCF leading to high rate of suboptimal feeding practices. Behavior change communication interventions using strategies appropriate for the pastoralist and agro pastoralist community. That is, targeting on culture, believes and practices related to IYCF, need to be performed using religious leaders, teachers, students, youth associations, female associations, health professionals, frontline health actors, and developmental armies to bridge the gap between knowledge and practice

Islamic perspectives of reproductive and maternal health: what role can Nigerian Muslim religious leaders play in the prevention of maternal mortality? –With Particular Reference to Zamfara State NorthWest Nigeria

Reproductive and Maternal health are an important components of public health and medicine which are concerned with the complete state of physical, mental and social wellbeing in all matters regarding reproductive system and health of mother especially during pregnancy.It implies ensuring that all women receive the care they need to be safe and healthy throughout pregnancy, childbirth and beyond. However, according to World Health Organization, millions of women all over the world do not have access to good quality health services during pregnancy and childbirth resulting in mortalities. Islam is a complete way of life. The Qur’an and Hadith consider pregnancy and child bearing as signs among other signs of the divine existence of Allah.The importance of maternal and reproductive is thus not unexplained in the Islamic perspectives. The study look at what role Muslim religious leaders can play in the prevention of maternal deaths and morbidities in developing countries. A qualitative study was conducted through in-depth interviews and focus groups discussion with a purposive sample of some Muslim religious leaders from Gusau local government area of Zamfara state northwest Nigeria in order to elicit information about the Islamic perspectives of reproductive and maternal health and the roles they can play in the prevention of maternal deaths among the Muslim communities. Muslim Religious leaders have a crucial role and contribution for the attainment and maintenance of good heath of women and children among Muslim communities through public enlightenment in the context of ‘ilm’, providing guidance through ‘Fatwah’ and community mobilization in the spirit brotherhood ‘ukhuwah’.Islam does not accept the “preventable death of a woman” due to childbirth or pregnancy. Thus, Islam encourages attendance of antenatal care visits and health care seeking

Undernutrition prevalence and its determinants among children below five years of age in Shabelle zone, Somali region, eastern Ethiopia

Introduction: Malnutrition is a major public health problem worldwide. More than half of under-five child deaths are due to undernutrition, mainly in developing countries. Ethiopia is among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. While, Somali region is the worst in Ethiopia. Objection: This study aims to assess the prevalence and determinants of undernutrition among under-five children living in Gode and Adadle districts of Shabelle Zone, Somali region. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out in August, 2014 among 415 child-mothers/caregivers. Face-to-face interview using a standard questionnaire, scales and stadiometer measurements of children’s weight and height were done. Bivariate analysis to identify candidate variable for multivariable analysis were done. Multivariable linear regression were used to determine predictors for undernutrition. Results: Out 415 children, 30.4% were stunted, 21.0% underweight, and 20.2% wasted, out of which 17.3%, 9.9% and 8.0% were severely stunted, wasted, and underweight, respectively. The prevalence of undernutrition significantly increased with the age of child. Male children were chronically malnourished (P=0.016), compared to females. Early initiation of breastfeeding after delivery (within one hour) decreases the number of chronic malnutrition (P<0.001). Insecticide treated nets (ITNs) users are less stunted and underweight (P=0.010 and P=0.049), respectively. The higher the number of under-five children in the family (β=-0.4, P=0.001) the lower z-score for weight for age, and being urban/semi-urban residence decreases the z-score for height for age and weight for age (β= -1.132, P=0.001, and β=-0.355, P=0.025), respectively. Conclusion: Undernutrition was high in the study area. The main predictors of undernutrition were age and sex of the children, initiation of breastfeeding, and ITNs uses. It is important to focus on awareness creation using behaviour change communication (BCC) on sustainable nutrition education programs for parents, youths, elders, teachers, and school children. Besides that, health workers and health extension workers capacity building are also necessary

Awareness of vesicovaginal fistula among health workers in some health facilities of Zamfara state, Northwest Nigeria

The prevalence of obstetric fistula in Nigeria was found by 2008 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) to be 0.4%, suggesting there are approximately 150,000 women of reproductive age currently living with, or who have previously had, obstetric fistula. Fistula prevalence is higher in Northern than in Southern Nigerian zones. For instance, the prevalence of fistula in North Central Nigeria is 0.8%, followed by 0.5% in the North East and 0.3% in North West Nigeria. This study aimed at understanding the knowledge and level of understanding of Health workers in some selected hospitals and clinics in Zamfara State, North West Nigeria. The study was both a descriptive cross sectional and qualitative study of health personnel working in some health facilities in Zamfara State to gain an insight of their understanding and practice about vesicovaginal fistula (VVF) which is a common obstetric and maternal health complication among women in Nigeria during or after delivery. 68.3% of the respondents were females while 31.7% were males. There is no specialist consultant or fistula surgeon among the health personnel interviewed as only 11.7% of them were medical doctors while the remaining are nurses, midwives or community health extension workers. On their knowledge of fistula, 97.6% of them have heard of VVF, and 87% of them were of the opinion that early marriage causes complications during delivery or giving birth. Also 88% of them were aware of VVF as one of the problems associated with early girl-child marriage while only 61% of them knew that obstructed or delayed labour causes VVF. It is important to train and equip the lower cadre health and clinic personnel on VVF and how to prevent it as the management of VVF requires a specialized knowledge and expertise

Fasting in Islam: A combination of spiritual elevation and prevention of diseases

The obligatory fasting of Ramadan is not only an Islamic ritual to enhance the God-consciousness (called Taqwa), it may also lead to improvement of health status of fasting person. In other words, it is a complete overhauling instrument of Muslims soul/body in terms of faith and health. This can be termed as “Islamic fasting: a combination of spiritual elevation and prevention of diseases”. Fasting plays an important role in the improvement of hyperlipidemia, obesity (fat loss), diabetes, cognition, cell functions, immunological factors, inflammation, stress and lifespan etc. This article is an effort to review and discuss research carried out during the holy month of Ramadan on various aspects of human health

Programme standards: medical and health sciences

This document, The Programme Standards: Medical and Health Sciences (the Programme Standards), contains benchmarked statements pertaining to the field of medical and health sciences. The complex multidisciplinary nature of medical and health science requires a sound, research-informed, scientific education. Graduates must acquire sufficient knowledge, understanding, skills and professionalism that underpin the education and training of health professionals. They should be aware of the current approaches used in health care and research. They are encouraged to integrate the knowledge of various key disciplines to further understand their respective fields. These objectives can be achieved by incorporating professional standards within the programme

Religious and spiritual coping among diabetic patients

Patients who are spiritual may apply their beliefs when coping with illness, pain, and life stresses. Studies indicated that those who are spiritual tend to have a more positive outlook and a better quality of life. The aim of the present study is to explore the level of religious and spiritual coping among diabetic patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted using structured self-administered questionnaires. A total of 59 diabetic patients (25 males, 34 females) responded to the survey. Almost half (49.2%) of respondents described difficulties in changing dietary intakes, with 32.2% have difficulty in dealing with the new taste of their diet. There was a positive correlation between difficulty to change diet and taste of new diet (r=0.467, p < 0.05). It was also found that only 35.6% agreed that they know how to modify their diet and 40.6% had difficulty in increasing physical activity level. Most patients coped positively with their illness, with 88.1% respondents agreed that they look to Allah for strength, support, and guidance. A total of 93.2% respondents think that their life is part of spiritual force. From negative coping aspects, it was found that 40.7% of respondents thought that their illness could be as punishment for their sins, while 6.8% of respondents felt that Allah has abandoned them during illness. There were no significant associations between positive and negative coping with difficulties in changing components of their lifestyles. In conclusion, the respondents utilise religious and spiritual coping methods while facing crisis such as stress and illness, which can affect their psychological, physical and spiritual aspects in dealing with the illness. While patients are counselled on appropriate lifestyles changes, discussion on religious and spiritual coping strategies may be a worthwhile effort

Weight loss maintenance of participants from weight loss program in Klinik Kesihatan Beserah, Kuantan after one year – was it a success?

The objective of this study was to investigate on weight lost achieved by participants in Weight Loss Program in Klinik Kesihatan Beserah (KKB) and to find the percentage of successful weight maintainers for at least 1 year after the program. A total of 34 participants who had successfully lost at least 5% of their initial weight after the 6 months program were identified from the database. Further selection in accordance to inclusion and exclusion criteria were made which result in a total of 16 participants (4 men and 12 women) aged 47.4 ± 10.2 years (range at 33 and 67 years) eligible for the study purpose and agreed to involve in. By using a structured questionnaire participants were interviewed for their weight history (initial weight, weight at the end of the program, and weight after 1 year of the program). The result showed that all participants successfully lost between 3.0 kg – 24.0 kg during the program, with Q2 of 6.55kg. A total of 43.8% of the subjects successfully maintained the weight lost after one year. From the successful weight lost maintainers, 57.1% continues to lose their weight while 42.9% just maintain the weight as achieved at 6 months. Investigation on strategies practiced to achieve weight maintenance found that 71.4% of weight-loss maintainers attributed their success on good dietary control, while increased in physical activity and behavior changes is perceived to be moderately effective. From this study it shows that, dietary understanding and practice gives a more significant impact in weight maintenance rather than the role of physical activity and behavioral changes. In addition, a structured weight loss program shows to be effective in weight management even after the completion of the program