Effect of nutrition education on knowledge of nutrition in relation to prevention of stomach cancer among undergraduates in South-West, Nigeria

Stomach cancer is one of the common cancers worldwide including developing countries and is identified as one of the most lethal among the diet related cancers. In Nigeria, there is paucity of data and information about the prevalence of stomach cancer and without doubt this disease is on the increase. Youth engage in the consumption of western diets which have been identified in the literature as one factor that is closely associated with cancers. This shift to western diets by most youth maybe due to lack of nutritional knowledge on the health consequences of their eating habits. In years to come, there may be an increase in the incidence of diet-related cancers and other chronic diseases if nutrition education is not put in place especially among the youth. Not many studies in Nigeria have focussed on nutrition education of the youth in relation to the prevention of chronic diseases; prominent among which is stomach cancer. This study is aimed at providing nutrition related education touniversity undergraduates in order to create awareness about nutrition with a view to preventing a rise in the incidence of stomach cancer and other chronic diseases. A quasi-experimental design was used for this study. Multi-stage sampling was used to select 436 male and female undergraduates between 16-25 years old from two universities in south-west Nigeria (one control and one experimental). The intervention consisted of lectures on nutritional factors of stomach cancer one hourweekly for 8 weeks and a placebo lecture on HIV/AIDS stigmatization for the control group. A validated self-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data for the pretest and posttest. Demographic characteristics were analyzed with percentages; variables were analyzed using t-test and ANCOVA set at 95% confidence interval. Nutrition education improved knowledge of nutrition in the participants (p<0.00). The experimental group displayed higher nutrition knowledge compared to control. Level of study affected participants’ nutrition knowledge; students of lower level study performed better (p<0.00). Gender also affected participants’ nutrition knowledge; females performed better than males (p<0.00). More nutrition education should be encouraged in school settings to improve knowledge of nutrition in order to prevent a possible dietary risk of stomach cancer and other chronic diseases

Experiences of Girls with Hearing Impairment in Accessing Reproductive Health Care Services in Ibadan, Nigeria

Delivery of health services to people with hearing impairment is poorly understood in Nigeria and limited research has been done to throw more light on the process involved. This study described experiences of 167 girls with hearing impairment in accessing reproductive health services in Ibadan using a validated questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Almost 95.0% of respondents had ever visited health facility for reproductive health issues. Of these 6.2% and 4.6% went for treatment of STIs and pregnancy termination respectively; 36.7% were embarrassed to ask questions in the presence of an interpreter, communication (40.5%) and cost (10.8%) were key barriers to access and 85.6% would use facility if hearing impairment-friendly services are provided. Respondents who were currently working were 20 times more likely to receive services they wanted (OR=20.29, CI=1.05-392.16). Availability of certified interpreters and ensuring confidentiality are key to effective service delivery for the hearing impaired.RésuméLa prestation des services de santé aux personnes atteintes de déficience auditive est mal comprise au Nigéria et il n’y a pas eu assez de recherche faite pour jeter plus de lumière sur le processus impliqué. A l’aide d’un questionnaire validé, cette étude décrit les expériences de 167 filles atteintes de déficience auditive, face à l'accès aux services de santé de la reproduction, à Ibadan. Les statistiques descriptives et de régression logistique binaire ont été utilisées pour analyser les données. Près de 95,0% des interviewées avaient déjà visité un établissement de santé pour les questions de santé de la reproduction. Parmi elles, 6,2% et 4,6% sont allées pour le traitement des ISTs et l'interruption de grossesse, respectivement; 36,7% étaient gênées de poser des questions à la présence d'un interprète ; la communication (40,5%) et le coût (10,8%) étaient les principaux obstacles à l'accès et 85,6% se serviront des établissements de santé si les services adaptés à la déficience auditive sont assurés. Les interviewées qui travaillent actuellement étaient 20 fois plus susceptibles de recevoir des services qu'ils voulaient (OR = 20,29, IC = 1,05 à 392,16). La disponibilité des interprètes certifiés et l’assurance de la confidentialité sont essentielles à la prestation efficace des services pour les personnes atteintes de déficience auditive.Keywords: disability, reproductive health, health care access, hearing impaired girl

Cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the Yoruba version of the Health Literacy Questionnaire

Background. Health literacy is an important multidimensional concept of public health concern and a determinant of health outcomes and access to healthcare which requires robust measurement. The objective of this study was to culturally adapt and establish the psychometric properties of the Yoruba version of the Health Literacy Questionnaire. Methods. A cross-sectional survey of Nigeria Yoruba speaking adults was conducted with the Health Literacy Questionnaire following its translation and adaptation. Data were subject to psychometric evaluation (confirmatory factor analysis, composite reliability, Cronbach’s alpha, intra class correlation) and association with sociodemographic variables. Results. A total of 258 adults with mean age 26.7 years participated in the study. The easiest scale to score highly was ‘Actively managing my health’ and hardest was ‘Ability to find good health information’ and ‘Navigating the healthcare system’. Six one-factor models fitted well without correlated residuals but the other three had a good fit after model modification. Composite reliability and Cronbach’s α of ≥0.7 were observed for all scales, suggesting good internal consistency of the scales. Test-retest reliability of the Yoruba translation of the Health Literacy Questionnaire was moderate to good in all scales, intra class correlation ranging from 0.66 to 0.76. Conclusion. The Health Literacy Questionnaire was successfully translated and culturally adapted and demonstrated good content and construct validity and high composite reliability. The Yoruba translation of the Health Literacy Questionnaire has the potential of being a useful clinical tool for the assessment of health literacy, especially among Yoruba speaking community of Nigeria. Thereby helping to improve the health outcomes through access to healthcare

Translation and psychometric evaluation of the Yoruba version of the STarT Back tool among persons with longterm non-specific low-back pain

Background. Translating questionnaires into local languages is essential as it aids easy accessibility and understanding of such questionnaires by patients and their health caregivers. The STarT Back Tool (SBT), validated tool used to classify subgroups of persons with Low-Back Pain, has few translated versions. We translated the STarT Back Tool into the Yoruba language and established its psychometric properties among patients with long-term non-specific Low-Back Pain. Methods. Following the Lenz protocol, the SBT was successfully cross-culturally adapted into the Yoruba language. One hundred consenting patients (mean age = 57.0±11.43 years, 55% females) took part in the validation phase, while 53 of them participated in the test-retest phase. Psychometric indices of the Y-SBT assessed showed internal consistency, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), ceiling and floor effects and divergent validity. Results. The sub and total Cronbach’s α score for Y-SBT was 0.704 and 0.857, respectively. The test-retest reliability of the sub and total scores of the Y-SBT yielded an ICC of 0.82 (95% CI: 0.74 - 0.87) and 0.89 (95% CI: 0.84 - 0.93), respectively. The divergent validity for sub and total-scores of the Y-SBT based on Quadruple Visual Analogue Scale score for on-going pain was r = 0.374 (p = 0.001) and r = 0.432 (p = 0.001), respectively. The Y-SBT had no ceiling or floor effects. Conclusion. The Y-SBT have acceptable psychometric properties. It is recommended for use among Yorub speaking patients with LB

Changes in mediators of inflammation and pro-thrombosis after 12 months of dietary modification in adults with metabolic syndrome.

Objective: This study evaluated the effects of a 12-month dietary modification on indices of inflammation and pro-thrombosis in adults with metabolic syndrome (MS). Materials and methods: This longitudinal study involved 252 adults with MS recruited from the Bodija market, Ibadan and its environs. Participants were placed on 20%, 30% and 50% calories obtained from protein, total fat and carbohydrate respectively and were followed up monthly for 12 months. Anthropometry and blood pressure were measured using standard methods. Fasting plasma glucose (FPG), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), fibrinogen, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)], interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) were measured using spectrophotometric methods and ELISA as appropriate. Data was analysed using ANCOVA, Student\u2019s t-test, Mann-Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: After 6 months of dietary modification, there was a significant reduction in waist circumference (WC), while the levels of HDL-C, fibrinogen and PAI-1 were significantly increased when compared with the corresponding baseline values. However, WC and fibrinogen reduced significantly, while HDL-C and IL-10 significantly increased after 12 months of dietary modification as compared with the respective baseline values. Conclusion: Long-term regular dietary modification may be beneficial in ameliorating inflammation and pro-thrombosis in metabolic syndrome

Mineral and Heavy Metal Contents of some Shellfish in Bonny River, Rivers State, Nigeria: Public Health Implication

Background: Shellfish serve as sources of food nutrients to the consumers and provide means of livelihood, especially to riverine people. As much as important these values are, consumption of shellfish can also present health hazards to consumers, especially if the water where they live is contaminated with industrial wastes. The level of minerals and heavy metal content of shellfish from Bonny River in Niger Delta region of Nigeria has not been fully explored. Objective: This study was aimed at providing public health information on mineral and heavy metal contents of shellfish from Bonny River and compared the values with Provisional Tolerable level set by the Joint FAO/WHO Codex Committee on Contaminants in Foods. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive and analytical study. Randomly selected samples of the five most commonly consumed fresh shellfish from Bonny River, which included prawns, crabs, periwinkles; oysters and cockle were purchased from local sellers in all the riverside markets. Standard methods of analysis, using the AOAC were adopted. Selected minerals and heavy metals content were determined using Flame Photometer and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Data were analyzed using frequency counts and student t-test for inferential statistics. Results: The ranges of minerals and heavy metals contents from all the samples were: sodium 178.6-280.5mg/100g, potassium 399.5-600.7mg/100g, calcium 8.0-9.2mg/100g, magnesium 4.7-5.1mg/100g, iron 1.4-1.6mg/100g, zinc 5.9-6.5mg/100g and chromium 0.5-0.6mg/100g; whereas the range values of heavy metals include: arsenic (0.04-0.10mg/100g), lead (0.22-0.33mg/100g), mercury (0.04-0.08mg/100g) and cadmium (0.07-0.10mg/100g). The concentration of analyzed heavy metals exceeded the permissible international standards, with the exception of cockles, which did not exceed the maximum level of cadmium. High levels of heavy metal in the flesh of these shellfish may be linked with the level of these metals in Bonny River. Conclusion: These findings signify potential public health problem for the consumers. Awareness should be created through community-based health education approaches on dangers associated with the consumption of shellfish from this river

Effect Of Nutrition Education On Knowledge Of Nutrition In Relation To Prevention Of Stomach Cancer Among Undergraduates In South-West, Nigeria

Stomach cancer is one of the common cancers worldwide including developing countries and is identified as one of the most lethal among the diet related cancers. In Nigeria, there is paucity of data and information about the prevalence of stomach cancer and without doubt this disease is on the increase. Youth engage in the consumption of western diets which have been identified in the literature as one factor that is closely associated with cancers. This shift to western diets by most youth may be due to lack of nutritional knowledge on the health consequences of their eating habits. In years to come, there may be an increase in the incidence of diet-related cancers and other chronic diseases if nutrition education is not put in place especially among the youth. Not many studies in Nigeria have focussed on nutrition education of the youth in relation to the prevention of chronic diseases; prominent among which is stomach cancer. This study is aimed at providing nutrition related education to university undergraduates in order to create awareness about nutrition with a view to preventing a rise in the incidence of stomach cancer and other chronic diseases. A quasi-experimental design was used for this study. Multi-stage sampling was used to select 436 male and female undergraduates between 16-25 years old from two universities in south-west Nigeria (one control and one experimental). The intervention consisted of lectures on nutritional factors of stomach cancer one hour weekly for 8 weeks and a placebo lecture on HIV/AIDS stigmatization for the control group. A validated self-structured questionnaire was used to collect the data for the pretest and posttest. Demographic characteristics were analyzed with percentages; variables were analyzed using t-test and ANCOVA set at 95% confidence interval. Nutrition education improved knowledge of nutrition in the participants (p<0.00). The experimental group displayed higher nutrition knowledge compared to control. Level of study affected participants’ nutrition knowledge; students of lower level study performed better (p<0.00). Gender also affected participants’ nutrition knowledge; females performed better than males (p<0.00). More nutrition education should be encouraged in school settings to improve knowledge of nutrition in order to prevent a possible dietary risk of stomach cancer and other chronic diseases