Contraceptive use and quality of life among women of reproductive age, attending a general outpatient clinic in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Background: In Sub-Saharan Africa, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and low use of modern contraceptives are major reproductive health problems affecting women of reproductive age. However, there is evidence of an increase in contraceptive use over the past decade. This study was carried out to assess the pattern of contraceptive use, and its association with quality of life among women of reproductive age, attending a general outpatient clinic, at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Nigeria.Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted with 323 women aged 15-49 years for three months. Data were retrieved using a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.Results: The mean age of the participants was 34.9±8 years. The prevalence of contraceptive use was 43.7%, and out which, 34.4% accounted for modern methods. At least 72.4% ever heard about a method of contraceptive. Male condom was the most heard (96.6%) and most used (39.0%) contraceptive method. Majority of the quality of life parameters had higher mean scores, with significant mean values in vitality and social functioning categories among contraceptive users (72.41±14.82 and 72.07±18.39 respectively, p=0.029) compared with non-contraceptive users.Conclusions: Despite a higher mean quality of life scores among contraceptive users, less than half of the respondents made use of contraceptives. Therefore, the need for more orientation on the use of contraceptives to promote safe sexual practice and birth control is required

Physicochemical assessment and bacteriological studies of hand-dug wells of major markets in south western, Nigeria

Rapid population in developing nations has imposed stress on groundwater resources, thus the need to assess physicochemical and bacteriological impact of microbes on hand-dug wells along some major markets in Ibadan Southwestern Nigeria. Water samples from hand-dug wells were measured sequentially, and total dissolved solute (TDS), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, and temperature were measured in situ. Water samples were analyzed at a Microbiology Laboratory. Most probable techniques used for micro-organism analysis were in three stages: presumptive test used for confirmation of Escherichia coli, confirmed test for total viable bacteria count (TVBC), and complete test to reconfirm the presence of coliform. Presumptive test showed high rate of E. coli in most of the hand-dug wells with (37.5 %). Confirmed test revealed Staphylococcus aureus to be 25 %, followed by Proteus vulgaris (14.6 %), Bacillus species (12.5 %), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (8.3 %), and Klebsiella spp. (2.1 %) respectively. Total viable bacteria counts are 500 to 192,000. Physicochemical results (total dissolved solute (TDS), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), salinity, temperature) when compared with WHO (2006) and SON (2007) revealed all the parameters to be within the permissible limits except pH (5.8 to 9.56), and high values of the parameters were caused by organic matter. High E. coli in the study area revealed influence of human and animal fecal that coul

Prevalence of Cervical Dysplasia and Associated Risk Factors among Women Presenting at a Primary Care Clinic in Nigeria

Background: Cervical cancer is a global burden, with increasing incidence and mortality especially in developing countries where there are no clearly define national protocols or guidelines for effective screening and prompt treatment of cervical dysplasia (precancerous condition of the cervix). Most screening facilities are located in the tertiary hospitals, which are mostly not readily accessible to patients because of fear and bureaucracy of accessing services at these tertiary hospitals. In Nigeria, cervical cancer is the second most common female malignancy after breast cancer and national guidelines on effective screening is not readily available. At the general outpatients’ Clinic, University College Hospital, Ibadan, screening is not well‑established and patients are referred to the gynecology clinic for papanicolaou (Pap) smear, which result in poor compliance as a result of the protocol involved.Aim: To asess the prevalence and risk factors for abnormal cervical cancer screening amongst patients of the Primary Care Clinic at UCH, Ibadan, towards justifying expansion of cervical cancer screening service points in tertiary health institutions in Nigeria.Subjects and Methods: A cross‑sectional study using the self‑administered structured questionnaire on questions relating to the socio‑demographic characteristics and lifestyle behavior including sexual history, after which Pap smear and visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid were performed. Two hundred and eighty consented women aged 20–65 years were interviewed by one of the researchers between June and August 2012 using interviewer‑administered structured questionnaires. The questionnaire sought information on their sociodemographic characteristics, and lifestyle behavior including sexual history, after which Pap smear and visual inspection of the cervix with acetic acid were done, respectively, for all the respondents at no cost. The results were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11. Cross‑tabulation was used to explore statistical associations between categorical variables. Variables were summarized using frequency distribution, means, proportions, and findings were presented in tables, histograms and pie charts. Chi‑square statistic was used to assess the association between categorical variables. The level of significance was set at P < 0.05. Result: The mean age of the women was 42.5 (11.1) years, and their modal age was 30–39 years. The majority, 92.2% (258/280) of the women were Yoruba. Two hundred and twenty‑eight (81.4%) of the women were married with majority 149 (65.4%) in the monogamous union. Two hundred and thirteen (76.1%) of the women had abnormal cervical cytology. One hundred and sixty‑six (77.9%) of the women with abnormal cytology had inflammatory smears, 33 (15.5%) and 6 (2.8%) had mild and moderate dysplasia, respectively, while the remaining 8 (3.8%) had atypical cells. The prevalence of cervical dysplasia among all the women was 13.9% (39/280), with mild dysplasia accounting for 11.8% (33/280) of the total population. Atypical smears were found in 2.9% (8/280) of them. Histological findings suggestive of human papillomavirus (HPV) were found in 22 of the 33 (66.7%) women who had mild dysplasia and 1 of the 6 (16.7%) women who had moderate dysplasia. There was significant association between abnormal cervical cytology and age (P = 0.03), as well as suggested HPV infection findings (P < 0.001). Visual inspection of the cervix with 5% acetic acid revealed that 46 of the 280 (16.4%) women had an aceto white area, while a prevalence of 47 (16.8%) was found with Pap smear, though visual inspection was found not to be as sensitive in detecting dysplasia. The prevalence of cervical dysplasia among the women was 13.9%, with mild dysplasia accounting for 11.8% of the total population. Atypical smears were found in 2.9% of them. There was a significant association between abnormal cervical cytology and increasing age (P = 0.03), as well as histological findings of HPV infection (P < 0.001).Conclusion: Cervical dysplasia was found to be a common health problem among women attending the primary care clinic. This underscores the need for the provision of screening service at the clinic and effective health education to promote preventive practices and inculcate screening culture among women.KEY WORDS: Cervical dysplasia, Ibadan, Nigeria, risk factors, wome

Exploring UK medical school differences: the MedDifs study of selection, teaching, student and F1 perceptions, postgraduate outcomes and fitness to practise

BACKGROUND: Medical schools differ, particularly in their teaching, but it is unclear whether such differences matter, although influential claims are often made. The Medical School Differences (MedDifs) study brings together a wide range of measures of UK medical schools, including postgraduate performance, fitness to practise issues, specialty choice, preparedness, satisfaction, teaching styles, entry criteria and institutional factors. METHOD: Aggregated data were collected for 50 measures across 29 UK medical schools. Data include institutional history (e.g. rate of production of hospital and GP specialists in the past), curricular influences (e.g. PBL schools, spend per student, staff-student ratio), selection measures (e.g. entry grades), teaching and assessment (e.g. traditional vs PBL, specialty teaching, self-regulated learning), student satisfaction, Foundation selection scores, Foundation satisfaction, postgraduate examination performance and fitness to practise (postgraduate progression, GMC sanctions). Six specialties (General Practice, Psychiatry, Anaesthetics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Internal Medicine, Surgery) were examined in more detail. RESULTS: Medical school differences are stable across time (median alpha = 0.835). The 50 measures were highly correlated, 395 (32.2%) of 1225 correlations being significant with p < 0.05, and 201 (16.4%) reached a Tukey-adjusted criterion of p < 0.0025. Problem-based learning (PBL) schools differ on many measures, including lower performance on postgraduate assessments. While these are in part explained by lower entry grades, a surprising finding is that schools such as PBL schools which reported greater student satisfaction with feedback also showed lower performance at postgraduate examinations. More medical school teaching of psychiatry, surgery and anaesthetics did not result in more specialist trainees. Schools that taught more general practice did have more graduates entering GP training, but those graduates performed less well in MRCGP examinations, the negative correlation resulting from numbers of GP trainees and exam outcomes being affected both by non-traditional teaching and by greater historical production of GPs. Postgraduate exam outcomes were also higher in schools with more self-regulated learning, but lower in larger medical schools. A path model for 29 measures found a complex causal nexus, most measures causing or being caused by other measures. Postgraduate exam performance was influenced by earlier attainment, at entry to Foundation and entry to medical school (the so-called academic backbone), and by self-regulated learning. Foundation measures of satisfaction, including preparedness, had no subsequent influence on outcomes. Fitness to practise issues were more frequent in schools producing more male graduates and more GPs. CONCLUSIONS: Medical schools differ in large numbers of ways that are causally interconnected. Differences between schools in postgraduate examination performance, training problems and GMC sanctions have important implications for the quality of patient care and patient safety

The Analysis of Teaching of Medical Schools (AToMS) survey: an analysis of 47,258 timetabled teaching events in 25 UK medical schools relating to timing, duration, teaching formats, teaching content, and problem-based learning

BACKGROUND: What subjects UK medical schools teach, what ways they teach subjects, and how much they teach those subjects is unclear. Whether teaching differences matter is a separate, important question. This study provides a detailed picture of timetabled undergraduate teaching activity at 25 UK medical schools, particularly in relation to problem-based learning (PBL). METHOD: The Analysis of Teaching of Medical Schools (AToMS) survey used detailed timetables provided by 25 schools with standard 5-year courses. Timetabled teaching events were coded in terms of course year, duration, teaching format, and teaching content. Ten schools used PBL. Teaching times from timetables were validated against two other studies that had assessed GP teaching and lecture, seminar, and tutorial times. RESULTS: A total of 47,258 timetabled teaching events in the academic year 2014/2015 were analysed, including SSCs (student-selected components) and elective studies. A typical UK medical student receives 3960 timetabled hours of teaching during their 5-year course. There was a clear difference between the initial 2 years which mostly contained basic medical science content and the later 3 years which mostly consisted of clinical teaching, although some clinical teaching occurs in the first 2 years. Medical schools differed in duration, format, and content of teaching. Two main factors underlay most of the variation between schools, Traditional vs PBL teaching and Structured vs Unstructured teaching. A curriculum map comparing medical schools was constructed using those factors. PBL schools differed on a number of measures, having more PBL teaching time, fewer lectures, more GP teaching, less surgery, less formal teaching of basic science, and more sessions with unspecified content. DISCUSSION: UK medical schools differ in both format and content of teaching. PBL and non-PBL schools clearly differ, albeit with substantial variation within groups, and overlap in the middle. The important question of whether differences in teaching matter in terms of outcomes is analysed in a companion study (MedDifs) which examines how teaching differences relate to university infrastructure, entry requirements, student perceptions, and outcomes in Foundation Programme and postgraduate training

The Analysis of Teaching of Medical Schools (AToMS) survey: an analysis of 47,258 timetabled teaching events in 25 UK medical schools relating to timing, duration, teaching formats, teaching content, and problem-based learning

Background What subjects UK medical schools teach, what ways they teach subjects, and how much they teach those subjects is unclear. Whether teaching differences matter is a separate, important question. This study provides a detailed picture of timetabled undergraduate teaching activity at 25 UK medical schools, particularly in relation to problem-based learning (PBL). Method The Analysis of Teaching of Medical Schools (AToMS) survey used detailed timetables provided by 25 schools with standard 5-year courses. Timetabled teaching events were coded in terms of course year, duration, teaching format, and teaching content. Ten schools used PBL. Teaching times from timetables were validated against two other studies that had assessed GP teaching and lecture, seminar, and tutorial times. Results A total of 47,258 timetabled teaching events in the academic year 2014/2015 were analysed, including SSCs (student-selected components) and elective studies. A typical UK medical student receives 3960 timetabled hours of teaching during their 5-year course. There was a clear difference between the initial 2 years which mostly contained basic medical science content and the later 3 years which mostly consisted of clinical teaching, although some clinical teaching occurs in the first 2 years. Medical schools differed in duration, format, and content of teaching. Two main factors underlay most of the variation between schools, Traditional vs PBL teaching and Structured vs Unstructured teaching. A curriculum map comparing medical schools was constructed using those factors. PBL schools differed on a number of measures, having more PBL teaching time, fewer lectures, more GP teaching, less surgery, less formal teaching of basic science, and more sessions with unspecified content. Discussion UK medical schools differ in both format and content of teaching. PBL and non-PBL schools clearly differ, albeit with substantial variation within groups, and overlap in the middle. The important question of whether differences in teaching matter in terms of outcomes is analysed in a companion study (MedDifs) which examines how teaching differences relate to university infrastructure, entry requirements, student perceptions, and outcomes in Foundation Programme and postgraduate training

Profiles of Problematic Soils and Spatial Distribution: Implication on Foundation Construction in Parts of Kosofe Lagos, Southwestern Nigeria

Geotechnical data were complemented with geophysical investigation and employed to delineate problematic soils in parts of Kosofe Lagos, Southwestern Nigeria. The study area was chosen because of known issues regarding cracks in buildings and differential settlement of infrastructures founded on soils in the area. The aim is to generate profiles and maps of the spatial distribution of the subsurface soils to aid in foundation planning. Forty-eight borehole logs and nine Vertical Electrical Soundings were compiled to delineate the different subsurface lithology which include peat, clay and sand. The results showed that the peat layer has maximum thickness of about 18.25 m but absent in some boreholes. This is underlain by clay unit with thickness ranging between 2.50-28.50 m. Sand unit constitute the third layer delineated with maximum thickness of 14 m. There is a general thickening of peat soils in the northern parts, especially around the streams in the area, which is instructive on the role of stream in the formation of the peat. The clay on the other hand is thickest around the northeastern and southeastern parts. The soil profiles generated reveal that the area is underlain by thick peat and clay having significant lateral, vertical variation and rapidly changing lithological facie over short distances. The extensive occurrence of these poor engineering soils calls for adequate engineering precaution in designs of building foundations

Southwestern Nigeria 1

Petrographic and geotechnical properties of Lateritic Soil

Evaluation of nutrient contents of Gmelina arborea leaves as animal feed in the tropics

An evaluation of chemical and mineral composition different forms of Gmelina arborea (GA) leaves was investigated. Experiment 1 involve the determination of the chemical  composition, mineral and anti-nutrient of green, yellow and brown leaves of GA. In  experiment 2, a free choice intake study was carried out using fifteen adult West African Dwarf Sheep to determine the coefficient of preference (CoP) of the different  leaves.Results revealed that the chemical composition of the leaves varied significantly (p.&lt;0.05). The dry matter ranged from 80.15-91.24 % in green and brown leaves  respectively, while the crude protein ranged from 24.4-26.44 % in brown and green  leaves respectively. The neutral detergent fibre ranged from 60.92-6.77 % in green and brown leaves respectively. Value of all minerals analyzed did not differ significantly, but was within the tolerable limit for sheep consumption. Similar trend was observed for all anti-nutrients investigated. The CoP showed that all the different forms of leaves were accepted, but the green leaves were mostly preferred. These result showed that the different forms of Gmelina arborea leaves can be used as feed supplement for ruminants in the Tropics.Key words: Acceptability, Gmelina arborea, leaves, minerals, nutrients, secondary metabolite

Geophysical evaluation of groundwater potential in part of southwestern Basement Complex terrain of Nigeria

Abstract The geophysical assessment of groundwater in Awa-Ilaporu, near Ago Iwoye southwestern Nigeria was carried out with the aim of delineating probable areas of high groundwater potential. The area falls within the Crystalline Basement Complex of southwestern Nigeria which is predominantly underlain by banded gneiss, granite gneiss and pegmatite. The geophysical investigation involves the very low frequency electromagnetic (VLF-EM) and Vertical Electrical Sounding (VES) methods. The VLF-EM survey was at 10 m interval along eight traverses ranging between 290 and 700 m in length using ABEM WADI VLF-EM unit. The VLF-EM survey was used to delineate areas with conductive/fractured zones. Twenty-three VES surveys were carried out with the use of Campus Ohmega resistivity meter at different location and at locations areas delineated as high conductive areas by VLF-EM survey. The result of VLF-EM survey along its traverse was used in delineating high conductive/fractured zones, it is, however, in agreement with the delineation of the VES survey. The VES results showed 3–4 geoelectric layers inferred as sandy topsoil, sandy clay, clayey and fractured/fresh basement. The combination of these two methods, therefore, helped in resolving the prospecting location for the groundwater yield in the study area