Behavioural risk-factors associated with the use of Facemask during Covid-19 pandemic lockdown period in Nigeria: online-based survey

Background:  The Coronavirus disease has rapidly become a public health challenge, with many countries adopting the usage of facemasks as one of the protective strategies against the virus. This study aimed to assess the behavioral risk factors associated with the use of facemasks during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown period in Nigeria.  Methods:  The study recruited 500 participants in an online-based survey through a cloud-based platform called Google Forms. The main scales; facemask usage and behavioral risk factors were measured on a 0-27 and 0-24 point rating scale respectively, while the subscales are utilization, prevention, and perceived threats were measured on a 0-16, 0-19, and 0-5 point rating scale. Result: The usage of facemasks accounts for 32.8% (daily), 12.2% (weekly), 38.2% (monthly basis), and 16.8% use facemasks out of necessity. More than half (55.6%) use facemasks because of fear of punishment by the task force while challenges associated with the usage of facemasks include: difficulty breathing (47%) and suffocation (24%). A significant association was found between the use of facemasks and the prevention of COVID-19 (b= 0.029, 95% CI =0.055 - 0.114, p-value 0.049, r2=11.1%).  Conclusion:  The use of facemasks has become a norm and passed into law in Nigeria, however not a pleasant practice for most people Recommendation:  Therefore there is a need for mass awareness and education to improve the use of facemasks in Nigeria

Online Medical Education for Doctors: Identifying Potential Gaps to the Traditional, Face-to-Face Modality

Background: Online education options increasingly complement traditional face-to-face (F2F) approaches. Few studies have compared both formats on doctors, and little evidence exists to prove that the online approach is universally effective. This gap needs to be addressed to ensure that the quality of education and health care delivery is not compromised. Methods: A quantitative survey targeting 881 doctors that required online and F2F teaching sessions offers identical contents over a 12-month period. The surveyed doctors work in the Australian after-hours house-call (AHHC) industry, and the teachings were parts of their continuing professional development activities. Results: In all, 89 responses were received; 10 (11.2%) participated exclusively online, while 23 (25.8%) did so by F2F; 52 (58.4%) engaged through both modalities. No statistical differences existed based on sex, specialty, and post-graduate fellowship status, as well as on the perceptions with teaching structure, contents, and duration of the education programmes. However, F2F-only doctors were likely to be junior and younger than 40 years (odds ratio [OR]: 3.85; P  = .01). They also admit easy access to effective teaching environment (OR: 4.07; P  = .01) and receive better feedbacks (OR: 3.75; P  = .01). Conversely, online-only participants were more likely to combine AHHC duties with regular-hours general practice (OR: 0.15; P  = .02) and are generally more satisfied with the programme frequency (OR: 6.90; P  = .01). Conclusions: On multiple areas, no differences exist in the medical education delivered by online and the F2F methods to doctors and both should be encouraged. However, younger and junior practitioners, who tend to need feedbacks on their jobs, should participate more in the F2F sessions

The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment and Oil Revenue on Economic Growth in Nigeria

Many emerging economies, particularly oil-rich countries such as Nigeria, have neglected the key drivers of growth, and consequently resulting in a decline in investment and employment. In the midst of this, the current study sought to examine the extent to which foreign direct investment and oil revenue impact Nigerian economic growth. The estimation was done using ordinary least squares (OLS) techniques, and the Granger causality test was used to determine the direction of causality between FDI, oil revenue, and economic growth using annual time series data from 1991 to 2019. Hence, recognising that annual time series are high-frequency data, all the variables were subjected to OLS assumptions. The empirical findings revealed that FDI and oil revenue significantly impacted growth. Accounting for the impact of economic activities reflected in the role of financial inflow and outflow on economic growth, a significant and positive relationship was found. This implies that international monetary transactions between entities captured in the current account balance are key determinants of growth in Nigeria. Further evidence revealed that variables such as real exchange rate, inflation and interest rates significantly determine economic growth in Nigeria. As such, this finding was further supported by their interactive effects, revealing an inverse and significant influence on economic growth. The Granger causality results show bidirectional causality between oil revenue and growth, as well as between oil revenue and foreign direct investment in Nigeria. The robustness test, which employs GDP per capita and GDP growth as proxies for economic growth, is consistent with empirical evidence. As a result, FDI and oil revenues are important drivers of Nigeria's growth, ceteris paribus

Incidence and Predictors of Mortality Among Newborns With Perinatal Asphyxia: A 4-Year Prospective Study of Newborns Delivered in Health Care Facilities in Enugu, South-East Nigeria

Fatalities from perinatal asphyxia remain high in developing countries, and continually assessing its risk factors will help improve outcomes in these settings. We explored how some identified risk factors predict mortality in asphyxiated newborns, to assist clinicians in prioritizing interventions. This was a 4-year prospective study conducted at the Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria. All newborns who met the study criteria that were admitted to this facility in this period were enrolled and monitored. Data collected were analysed with SPSS Version 18. A total of 161 newborns with perinatal asphyxia were enrolled into the study with an in-hospital incidence rate of 12.81 per 1000 birth and a case fatality rate of 18%. Overall, the APGAR scores were severe in 10%, moderate in 22%, mild to normal in 68%, whereas the SARNAT stages were III in 24%, II in 52%, and I in 25%. In terms of mortality, 66.7%, 22.2%, and 11.1% mortalities were, respectively, observed with SARNAT scores III, II, and I ( P  = .003), whereas the findings with APGAR were 31.2% (severe), 25.0% (moderate), 25.0% (mild), and 18.8% (normal) ( P  = .030). Fatality outcome was more correlated with SARNAT ( R  = .280; P  = .000) than APGAR ( R  = −.247; P  = .0125). The SARNAT score significantly differentiated between the degrees of asphyxia in newborns based on gestational age at delivery ( P  = .010), place of delivery ( P  = .032), and mode of delivery ( P  = .042). Finally, it was noted that newborns that were female ( P  = .007), or born outside the hospital ( P  = .010), or with oxygen saturations <60% ( P  = .001), or with heart rate <120 ( P  = .000), and those with respiratory rate <30 ( P  = .003), all have significantly higher likelihood of deaths from asphyxia. Therefore, predictors of neonatal mortality from perinatal asphyxia in our centre include being female and being born outside the hospital, as well as low oxygen saturations, heart rates, and respiratory rates at presentation