Violence towards health workers in the workplace: exploratory findings in secondary healthcare facilities in Kaduna metropolis, Northern Nigeria

Objective: To determine the prevalence of workplace violence and associated factors in secondary health facilities in Kaduna Metropolis. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study where a semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from 177 health workers who were selected by multistage sampling. The Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23 and results were presented using frequency tables. The Chi-square test was used to test for association between independent and dependent variables. Fisher’s Exact Test was used where more than 20% of the cells had a value less than 5.  The level of statistical significance was set at a p-value of <0.05. Results: The results showed that 114 (64.4%) of the respondents had experienced workplace violence; the form which was experienced by most of the respondents was verbal abuse 100 (87.7%). Most (92; 80.7%) of the respondents did nothing following the incident. Most of the respondents believed that lack of bed space 89 (50.3%) and long waiting time 119 (67.3%) are largely responsible for violent situations. There was a statistically significant relationship between the experience of workplace violence and respondents’ age (p=0.001); sex (p=0.00146); cadre (p=0.0012) and work experience (p=0.00483). Conclusion: Most of the respondents had experienced violence in the workplace but did not pursue further action. Training health workers on the means to identify volatile situations and address workplace violence is crucial to ensuring the reduction in the prevalence of harmful incidents. The safety and protection of health workers are integral to the adequate functioning of health systems

The extraction of proteins from the neem seed (Indica azadirachta A. Juss)

Techniques for maximizing the extraction of protein from the neem seed (Indica azadirachta A. Juss) were investigated. Extractants used were sodium chloride and sodium sulphate solutions of varying concentration and pH. Maximum extractions of 17.86 g of extractable protein was obtained from 1 kg of crude protein, using 0.5 M NaCl solution at pH of 7.5. All the extracts were devoid of the usual neem smell and its bitter taste. As the pH increased from 7.0 to 7.5 there was steady increase in the quantity of extractable protein by sodium chloride solutions. However a decrease in the quantities of extractableproteins was observed at pH of 8.0 to 10 with sodium chloride solution. As the pH increased from 7.0 to 7.5 on the other hand, the quantities of the extract with sodium sulphate solutions decreased. While at pH of 8.0 to 9.5 the quantity of extractable protein increased, and the least quantity was obtained at pH of 10. 0.5 M NaCl at pH of 7.5 was found to be a better extractant for neem seed protein

What does family building mean? A qualitative exploration and a new definition: a UK-based study.

BACKGROUND: The importance of improving men's and women's knowledge of sexual and reproductive health has been emphasised in numerous global health policies. Fertility awareness literature highlights a disproportionately higher number of articles related to pregnancy-prevention compared to pregnancy-planning, which is justifiable in many contexts. However, recent concerted effort to improve fertility-awareness warrants a closer investigation of basic reproductive health terminologies. The objective of this study is to explore participants' views of "family building" and provide a definition. METHODS: We conducted 35 qualitative in-depth interviews on men, women and healthcare professionals who were sampled from a UK cross-sectional survey. We asked participants about terms such as 'family planning' and 'family building' to elicit views and explored the appropriateness of the term "family building." Data were transcribed and analysed via Framework analysis. RESULTS: When asked what 'family planning' meant to them, study participants stated that the term meant the avoidance of pregnancy. They viewed it as an "umbrella term for the use of contraception methods," that "paradoxically, the term family planning almost has a negative connotation regarding having a family," but could not state similar terminology for planning a family. Reasons cited for this perspective include the focus of school education and usage in clinical settings. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of an explicit definition in literature, we generated a new definition for family building as follows: "Family building refers to the construction or formation of a family, which can include steps or actions taken by an individual towards having children. In contrast to family planning, the intent focuses on pregnancy planning and childbearing rather than pregnancy prevention. However, it can also include actions taken to space the number of children one has." Some balance in the global public health messages, including bridging the gap in reproductive health literature, policies, processes and practices may contribute to the effort to improve fertility knowledge. Use of appropriate terminologies help optimise reproductive health services in order to enable men and women achieve their desired fertility intentions, whatever they may be. Trial registration Not applicable

Factors influencing health seeking behaviour among residents of basawa community, sabon gari l.g.a. Kaduna state, Nigeria

The health of the citizenry is crucial to the growth and development of any nation. Nigeria is riddled with poor health indices ranging from maternal mortality to infant mortality rates. It has been established that health-seeking behaviour has a strong influence on health status, morbidity and mortality indices of a society. It also drives utilisation of health services and is affected by predisposing, enabling and need factors. This study assessed the factors influencing health-seeking behaviour among residents of Basawa community, Sabon Gari LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria. Method: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out in September 2017 among 125 residents of Basawa community selected by systematic sampling technique. Data was collected using asemi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and analysed with SPSS version 21. The results were presented as tables and charts among others. Level of statistical significance was set at p <0.05. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 42±10 years. Majority of the respondents were male (60.8%) and married (90.4%). About two-thirds of the respondents delayed for more than 24 hours before seeking healthcare. Long waiting time (55.2%), the attitude of health workers (22.4%) and the high cost of drugs (22.4%) were given as barriers to health care utilisation. High cost of services, type and severity of illness and attitude of health care workers are the main determinants of health-seeking behaviour. There was a statistically significant relationship between education, monthly income and delay in seeking health care. Conclusion: The study showed several factors that influence health care seeking behaviour. In view of the multifactorial determinants of health-care seeking behaviour, there is need for health workers to be trained and retrained to improve on their attitude, and the provision of community-based social health insurance scheme by the government among others

Effect of heat and alkaline hydrolysis on the amino acid profile of Jatropha curcas seed cake

In recent times, Jatropha curcas has attracted attention of various researchorganizations, governments, public and international developmental  agencies and industries in the tropics and subtropics due to its adaptability to semi-arid marginal sites, the possibility of using its oil as a diesel fuel substitute and its role in erosion control. In tropical countries it is well known for its medicinal properties and as an oilseed. The seeds of J. curcas are a good source of oil, yielding between 40 – 80 % oil. Although the seed cake meal is rich in protein, it is toxic to rats, mice, ruminants and humans due to the presence of antinutritional factors; thus, its use as food or feedsource has not been encouraging. However, recent findings indicate that after a proper detoxification process the seed meal can serve as a protein substitute in feed meals of animal feeds. The seeds of J. curcas were collected, dehulled, grounded and defatted to obtain the seed cake. The seed cake was divided into five portions, 60 g of each of the cake portion was separately moistened with 1 M, 2 M, 3 M, 4 M and 5 M NaOH solutions, respectively and autoclaved. Each of the autoclaved samples was washedwith water and later with ethanol. A 60 g of the seed cake which was not treated with NaOH, water and ethanol was labeled untreated. The treated and untreated seed cakes were thus analyzed for their crude protein contents as well as amino acid profile. The untreated seed cake afforded 63.02 % yield of crude protein, while the crude protein content of the treated seed cake was 70.53, 71.46, 67.76, 60.82 and 56.19 % for the 1– 5 M NaOH treated seed cake, respectively with the 2 M NaOH treated seed cake having the highest yield. The amino acid profile of the treated seed cake was similar and comparable to the values of WHO/FAO standard and those of soybeans. The seed can thus be used as an alternative  protein source in animal feed formulation after it has been properly  detoxified. If well processed, it would reduce competition between man and livestock for the conventional sources of proteins.Key words: Amino acid, Jatropha curcas, protein detoxificatio

Substance use among healthcare workers in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Background: Research studies abound on substance use among healthcare workers (HCWs) in the western world, but a paucity of such information is the case in developing countries. Objectives: To determine the prevalence of substance use among HCWs in a Nigerian tertiary hospital and the variety of substances commonly used. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 380 HCWs selected across 4 professional cadres by stratified random sampling method. Results: About 85.5% of the respondents were past and/or current users of substances or substance-containing food items. Out of the 325 respondents who had ever used substances before, 208 (64%) were current users- these represented 54.7% of the whole. Coffee, alcohol and kolanuts were most frequently used. Diazepam was the least used. Gender was a statistically significant determinant of substance use (p<0.05). Conclusion: Substance use among HCWs carries grave implications for practitioners and patients alike. Further research towards unearthing and addressing the factors fueling this menace in developing countries will contribute immensely in resolving this challenge

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.

BACKGROUND: Global development goals increasingly rely on country-specific estimates for benchmarking a nation's progress. To meet this need, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 estimated global, regional, national, and, for selected locations, subnational cause-specific mortality beginning in the year 1980. Here we report an update to that study, making use of newly available data and improved methods. GBD 2017 provides a comprehensive assessment of cause-specific mortality for 282 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2017. METHODS: The causes of death database is composed of vital registration (VR), verbal autopsy (VA), registry, survey, police, and surveillance data. GBD 2017 added ten VA studies, 127 country-years of VR data, 502 cancer-registry country-years, and an additional surveillance country-year. Expansions of the GBD cause of death hierarchy resulted in 18 additional causes estimated for GBD 2017. Newly available data led to subnational estimates for five additional countries-Ethiopia, Iran, New Zealand, Norway, and Russia. Deaths assigned International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for non-specific, implausible, or intermediate causes of death were reassigned to underlying causes by redistribution algorithms that were incorporated into uncertainty estimation. We used statistical modelling tools developed for GBD, including the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm), to generate cause fractions and cause-specific death rates for each location, year, age, and sex. Instead of using UN estimates as in previous versions, GBD 2017 independently estimated population size and fertility rate for all locations. Years of life lost (YLLs) were then calculated as the sum of each death multiplied by the standard life expectancy at each age. All rates reported here are age-standardised

The ABC of reproductive intentions: a mixed-methods study exploring the spectrum of attitudes towards family building.

STUDY QUESTION: What are the intentions of men and women of reproductive age in the UK regarding reproduction and family building? SUMMARY ANSWER: We identified six main categories of people; Avoiders, Betweeners, Completers, Desirers, Expectants and Flexers, for whom reproduction education strategies should be tailored differently to suit intentions. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY: Several studies have highlighted poor fertility awareness across men and women of reproductive age. As the average age of first-time parents continues to rise, there has been a concerted effort from educators, healthcare professionals, charities, reproductive health groups and government policymakers, to improve fertility awareness. In order to ensure that these messages are effective and to deploy the best strategies, it is important to understand people's reproductive health needs. This study therefore aimed to explore different reproductive intentions to aid tailoring of information to help individuals and couples achieve their family building desires. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION: We conducted a mixed-method study via a UK-wide cross-sectional survey with 1082 participants and semi-structured interviews of 20 women and 15 men who agreed to follow-up interviews. Interviews lasted an hour on average. Ethics approval from UCL Research Ethics Committee. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS: Survey participants were recruited nationwide via online newspaper and social media adverts. Interviewees were purposely sampled to include men and women from the reproductive age range (18-45 years), varying ethnicity and education background. Survey data were analysed using the Minitab statistical software package. Interview data were transcribed and analysed using the framework method. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE: From the survey and interviews, we identified six key categories of people, grouped alphabetically, in a user-friendly manner to highlight a spectrum of reproductive intentions: Avoiders describes respondents who have no children and do not want to have children in the future; Betweeners describes those who already have child(ren) and want more in the future but are not actively trying to conceive; Completers describes those who have child(ren) but do not want more; Desirers describes those who are actively trying to conceive or plan to have child(ren) in the future; Expectants describes those who were pregnant at the time of the study; and Flexers describes those who may or may not already have and are unsure but or open to having child(ren) in the future. Analysis of survey data identified the following proportions in our study: Avoiders, 4.7%; Betweeners, 11.3%; Completers, 13.6%; Desirers, 36.9%; Expectants, 4.1%; and Flexers 28.4% and 2.4% preferring not to answer. There was one 'other' group from qualitative analysis, who would like to have children in the future but were unsure whether they could or had changing views. We recommend classifying as 'Desirers' or 'Flexers' for the purposes of fertility education. A majority of the survey population were trying to get pregnant; were pregnant; or planning to have a child in the future-whether actively, passively or simply open to the idea, with interviews providing deep insights into their family building decision-making. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION: Due to the online recruitment method, there may be a bias towards more educated respondents. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS: We developed a user-friendly, alphabetical categorization of reproductive intentions, which may be used by individuals, healthcare professionals, educators, special interest groups, charities and policymakers to support and enable individuals and couples in making informed choices to achieve their desired intentions, if and when they choose to start a family. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S): There was no external funding for this study. The authors report no competing interests. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: N/A

Socio-Demographic Determinants of Malnutrition among Under-Fives in Mil-Goma: A Rural Community in Kaduna State, North Western Nigeria.

Malnutrition remains a major public health problem in the developing world. It is a major underlying factor in many childhood diseases; and it is still one of the leading causes of under-five mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is particularly prevalent in rural areas where it affects one out every three preschool age children. This study was carried out to investigate theprevalence of malnutrition and associated socio-demographic factors that affect malnutritionamong under-fives in Mil-Goma community,Kaduna State, North Western Nigeria. This cross-sectional descriptive survey was carried out using structured questionnaires and anthropometric measurements of height and weight of 288 children selected by multi-staged sampling method. Data was analyzed based on descriptive statistics, chi-square and logistic regression analysis using SPSS version 20. The SPSS results were presented in tables.The prevalence of stunting, underweight and wasting in the children under-five years were 59.72%, 36.81% and 13.54% respectively. Malnutrition was found to be higher in children in their second year of life as compared to children in other age groups. There was a statistically significant association between maternal education, family income, mother’s occupation and stunting. Mothers who had only Quranic education were 11 times more likely to have stunted children than those with secondary education. There was also a statistically significant relationship between family income, maternal occupation and the prevalence of underweight among under-fives. There was a high prevalence of stunting observed among the children. Maternal education, maternal occupation and economic status of the family were important associations of poor nutritional status among under-five children. There is an urgent need for mounting nutritional intervention programmes to improve the nutritional status of the children. Keywords: Malnutrition, Under-Fives, Stunting, Wasting, Underweight

Chemical composition of leaf essential oil of Annona senegalensis Pers. (Annonaceae) growing in North Central Nigeria

Leaf essential oil of Annona senegalensis Pers. obtained by hydrodistillation was analysed using GC and GC/MS. The analyses revealed the abundance of oxygenated monoterpenes (65.0%). The major constituents were citronellal (30.0%), citronellol (14.8%), geranial (17.2%), thymol (8.1%), â – caryophyllene (7.8%) and carvacrol (6.92%)