Women and the Upsurge of ‘‘Baby factories’’ in Southeastern Nigeria: Erosion of Cultural Values or Capitalism?

The erection and proliferation of baby factories constitute one of the major injustices directed at women especially teenage girls in southeastern Nigeria. Under this arrangement, women are incarcerated for the purpose of procreation alone. A litany of scholarly works has been written on this subject, placing the blame for this impunity, in Nigeria on the capitalist system. This paper insists that beyond capitalism, there is a need to interrogate the cultural erosion of values mostly responsible for this scourge. To achieve this, newspapers, interviews, archival materials and other extant secondary sources have been used for data collection, analysis and for the interpretation of results. The paper employs the qualitative method of analysis

Perception of Sister Health Professionals about Radiography Profession in Nigeria

Objective To investigate the perception of sister professional groups in Nigeria towards radiography profession. Methods: Questionnaires were used to survey the opinions of 160 healthcare professionals from five professional groups. The respondents scored radiographers on some characteristics of professional occupations. Results: Only in education was radiography scored 70.0 % and above by respondents. The range of scores in other areas was 55 – 65 %. Conclusion: Nigerian radiographers need to strive harder to improve public perception on many indices.     &nbsp

Targeting systems not individuals:Institutional and structural drivers of absenteeism among primary healthcare workers in Nigeria

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) can only be achieved if people receive good quality care from health workers, yet in Nigeria, as in many other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), many health workers are absent from work. Absenteeism is a well-known phenomenon but is often considered as the self-serving behaviour of individuals, independent from the characteristics of health systems structures and processes and the broader contexts that enable it. We undertook a qualitative inquiry among 40 key informants, comprising health facility heads and workers, community leaders and state-level health policymakers in Nigeria. We employed a phenomenology approach to examine their lived experiences and grouped findings into thematic clusters. Absenteeism by health workers was found to be a response to structural problems at two levels –midstream (facility-level) and upstream (government level) – rather than being a result of moral failure of individuals. The problems at midstream level pointed to an inconsistent and unfair application of rules and regulations in facilities and ineffective management, while the upstream drivers relate mainly to political interference and suboptimal health system leadership. Reducing absenteeism requires two-pronged interventions that tackle defects in the upstream and midstream rather than just focusing on sanctioning deviant staff (downstream).</p

Targeting systems not individuals:Institutional and structural drivers of absenteeism among primary healthcare workers in Nigeria

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) can only be achieved if people receive good quality care from health workers, yet in Nigeria, as in many other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), many health workers are absent from work. Absenteeism is a well-known phenomenon but is often considered as the self-serving behaviour of individuals, independent from the characteristics of health systems structures and processes and the broader contexts that enable it. We undertook a qualitative inquiry among 40 key informants, comprising health facility heads and workers, community leaders and state-level health policymakers in Nigeria. We employed a phenomenology approach to examine their lived experiences and grouped findings into thematic clusters. Absenteeism by health workers was found to be a response to structural problems at two levels –midstream (facility-level) and upstream (government level) – rather than being a result of moral failure of individuals. The problems at midstream level pointed to an inconsistent and unfair application of rules and regulations in facilities and ineffective management, while the upstream drivers relate mainly to political interference and suboptimal health system leadership. Reducing absenteeism requires two-pronged interventions that tackle defects in the upstream and midstream rather than just focusing on sanctioning deviant staff (downstream).</p

Evaluating the production potential of six Combretum species in the biomimetic synthesis of silver nanoparticles

Existing research has shown that plants are best suited for the ecofriendly green synthesis of nanoparticles. This study reported novel findings on the biomimetic synthesis of silver nanoparticles using the aqueous leaf extract of six medicinal plant species in the genus, Combretum (C. paniculatum, C. dolichopetalum, C. platypterum, C racemosum, C. bauchiense, and C. demeusei). It was concerned with the characterization, phytochemical screening, antimicrobial and cytological evaluation of the synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The novelty of this study lies in the creation of a nanoparticle production index (NPPI) of the species based on their crystalline sizes (in nm) and yield (in mg/l) of AgNPs. This NPPI can be defined as a measure of the quantity of particles produced with respect to the experimental species.  The study also investigated whether these species would produce similar results since they belong to the same genus. It was observed that the smaller the size of the nanoparticles, the higher the production index. The highest production index was observed in C. paniculatum (18.75 nm, 144. 6 mg/l), and the least in C. demeusei (0 nm, 6.3 mg/l). The AgNPs were characterized using various standard analytical techniques. The X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the species showed 2 theta values in the 40° range, all corresponding to miller indices of (200). The synthesized AgNPs showed varying but significant antimicrobial activities. Also, majority of the species showed a high NPPI. The study heralds a system, “phytonanotaxonomy”, the classification of plants of the same taxa based on their NPPI

Opinion and use of contraceptives among medical students of the University of Nigeria, Enugu campus

Background: Non-use or poor usage of any form of contraception increases the chances of unwanted pregnancies, abortion and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS occurring with attendant problems. The knowledge of, and the appropriate use of contraceptives will reduce the prevalence of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe induced abortion as well as limit incidence of STIs and associated complications.Objectives: Determination of the opinion and use of contraceptives; to examine the socio-demographics, knowledge and attitude towards contraception and contraceptive use among medical undergraduates in the University of Nigeria, Enugu campus.Methodology: A cross-sectional study. Stratified probability sampling technique was employed using the different medical classes as strata. Individuals were subsequently chosen at random until a statistically determined sample size was achieved. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20) software was utilized for data analysis.Results: Our study found a statistically significant relationship between sex and contraceptive use. It was also statistically deduced that knowledge of possible contraceptives failure negatively impacts on opinion with regards to contraceptive use.Conclusion: Positive opinion towards contraceptives will go a long way to encourage proper and effective contraceptives use. This can be achieved by utilizing counseling by health workers.Keywords: Opinion, use, contraceptives, medical students

Where Do We Start? Building Consensus on Drivers of Health Sector Corruption in Nigeria and Ways to Address It

Background: Corruption is widespread in Nigeria’s health sector but the reasons why it exists and persists are poorly understood and it is often seen as intractable. We describe a consensus building exercise in which we asked health workers and policy-makers to identify and prioritise feasible responses to corruption in the Nigerian health sector.Methods: We employed three sequential activities. First, a narrative literature review identified which types of corruption are reported in the Nigerian health system. Second, we asked 21 frontline health workers to add to what was found in the review (based on their own experiences) and prioritise them, based on their significance and the feasibility of assessing them, by means of a consensus building exercise using a Nominal Group Technique (NGT). Third, we presented their assessments in a meeting of 25 policy-makers to offer their views on the practicality of implementing appropriate measures.Results: Participants identified 49 corrupt practices from the literature review and their own experience as most important in the Nigerian health system. The NGT prioritised: absenteeism, procurement-related corruption, under-the-counter payments, health financing-related corruption, and employment-related corruption. This largely reflected findings from the literature review, except for the greater emphasis on employment-related corruption from the NGT. Absenteeism, Informal payments and employment-related corruption were seen as most feasible to tackle. Frontline workers and policy-makers agreed that tackling corrupt practices requires a range of approaches. Conclusion: Corruption is recognized in Nigeria as widespread but often seems insurmountable. We show how a structured approach can achieve consensus among multiple stakeholders, a crucial first step in mobilizing action to address corruption

Did an Intervention Programme Aimed at Strengthening the Maternal and Child Health Services in Nigeria Improve the Completeness of Routine Health Data Within the Health Management Information System?

BACKGROUND: During 2012-2015, the Federal Government of Nigeria launched the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme, a health system strengthening (HSS) programme with a Maternal and Child Health component (Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme [SURE-P]/MCH), which was monitored using the Health Management Information Systems (HMIS) data reporting tools. Good quality data is essential for health policy and planning decisions yet, little is known on whether and how broad health systems strengthening programmes affect quality of data. This paper explores the effects of the SURE-P/MCH on completeness of MCH data in the National HMIS. METHODS: This mixed-methods study was undertaken in Anambra state, southeast Nigeria. A standardized proforma was used to collect facility-level data from the facility registers on MCH services to assess the completeness of data from 2 interventions and one control clusters. The facility data was collected to cover before, during, and after the SURE-P intervention activities. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with purposefully-identified health facility workers to identify their views and experiences of changes in data quality throughout the above 3 periods. RESULTS: Quantitative analysis of the facility data showed that data completeness improved substantially, starting before SURE-P and continuing during SURE-P but across all clusters (ie, including the control). Also health workers felt data completeness were improved during the SURE-P, but declined with the cessation of the programme. We also found that challenges to data completeness are dependent on many variables including a high burden on providers for data collection, many variables to be filled in the data collection tools, and lack of health worker incentives. CONCLUSION: Quantitative analysis showed improved data completeness and health workers believed the SURE-P/MCH had contributed to the improvement. The functioning of national HMIS are inevitably linked with other health systems components. While health systems strengthening programmes have a great potential for improved overall systems performance, a more granular understanding of their implications on the specific components such as the resultant quality of HMIS data, is needed

EFFECT OF YOGURT INTAKE ON PLASMA GLUCOSE AND SERUM LIPID PROFILE IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY STUDENTS OF COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES, NNEWI, ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of oral intake of yogurt on plasma glucose and serum lipid profile levels (total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein) in apparently healthy students. A total of 30 subjects (16 males and 14 females) were recruited to serve as both test and control groups. Each subject was advised to abstain from milk and similar probiotic food consumption for three weeks. Baseline samples (after an overnight fast and 2 hours postprandial after oral intake of carbohydrate meal) were collected from both males and females at day 0 as control samples, and levels of glucose and lipid profile were evaluated. Subsequently, in addition to their normal diet, each of the subjects received 100ml of yoghurt daily for 21 days. After an overnight fast, post research (test 1stand 2nd) samples (fasting blood sample and 2 hours postprandial after oral intake of carbohydrate meal) were collected on days 11 and 22 respectively and the levels of glucose and lipid profile were re-evaluated. Blood glucose and lipid concentrations were determined using standard methods. There were a significant increase in mean serum triglyceride (TG) value 11days following yogurt intake (intermediate consumption) when compared to the baseline level (0.63±0.15 Vs 0.53±0.19; p&lt;0.05). Also, there was a significant decrease in mean serum TG value 21 days following yogurt intake (post-consumption) when compared to baseline and intermediate levels (0.50±0.19 Vs 0.53±0.19 and 0.50±0.19 Vs0.63±0.15; p&lt;0.05) respectively. There were a significant increase in mean serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) value 21days following yogurt intake when compared to day 11 (intermediate consumption) and baseline levels (1.36±0.34 Vs 1.14±0.24 and 1.36±0.34 Vs 0.99±0.19; p&lt;0.05) respectively. Also, there was a significant increase in mean serum total cholesterol (TC) value 21 days following yoghurt intake when compared to day 11 and baseline levels (p&lt;0.05) respectively. The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level remained unchanged 11 and 21 days following yoghurt intake (p&gt;0.05). There was a significant increase in the mean blood glucose level (p&lt;0.05). In conclusion, this study has shown that the lipid profile and blood glucose levels in individuals consuming yogurt may experience significant alterations which may have important clinical implications in the management of diabetes. Further studies may be necessary for understanding the mechanism behind these effects. Keywords: Yogurt; Probiotics; Diabetes mellitus; Cardiovascular disease; Glucose; Lipid profile

EFFECT OF YOGURT INTAKE ON PLASMA GLUCOSE AND SERUM LIPID PROFILE IN APPARENTLY HEALTHY STUDENTS OF COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES, NNEWI, ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA.

This study was designed to investigate the effect of oral intake of yogurt on plasma glucose and serum lipid profile levels (total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein) in apparently healthy students. A total of 30 subjects (16 males and 14 females) were recruited to serve as both test and control groups. Each subject was advised to abstain from milk and similar probiotic food consumption for three weeks. Baseline samples (after an overnight fast and 2 hours postprandial after oral intake of carbohydrate meal) were collected from both males and females at day 0 as control samples, and levels of glucose and lipid profile were evaluated. Subsequently, in addition to their normal diet, each of the subjects received 100ml of yoghurt daily for 21 days. After an overnight fast, post research (test 1stand 2nd) samples (fasting blood sample and 2 hours postprandial after oral intake of carbohydrate meal) were collected on days 11 and 22 respectively and the levels of glucose and lipid profile were re-evaluated. Blood glucose and lipid concentrations were determined using standard methods. There were a significant increase in mean serum triglyceride (TG) value 11days following yogurt intake (intermediate consumption) when compared to the baseline level (0.63±0.15 Vs 0.53±0.19; p&lt;0.05). Also, there was a significant decrease in mean serum TG value 21 days following yogurt intake (post-consumption) when compared to baseline and intermediate levels (0.50±0.19 Vs 0.53±0.19 and 0.50±0.19 Vs0.63±0.15; p&lt;0.05) respectively. There were a significant increase in mean serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL) value 21days following yogurt intake when compared to day 11 (intermediate consumption) and baseline levels (1.36±0.34 Vs 1.14±0.24 and 1.36±0.34 Vs 0.99±0.19; p&lt;0.05) respectively. Also, there was a significant increase in mean serum total cholesterol (TC) value 21 days following yoghurt intake when compared to day 11 and baseline levels (p&lt;0.05) respectively. The low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level remained unchanged 11 and 21 days following yoghurt intake (p&gt;0.05). There was a significant increase in the mean blood glucose level (p&lt;0.05). In conclusion, this study has shown that the lipid profile and blood glucose levels in individuals consuming yogurt may experience significant alterations which may have important clinical implications in the management of diabetes. Further studies may be necessary for understanding the mechanism behind these effects. Keywords: Yogurt; Probiotics; Diabetes mellitus; Cardiovascular disease; Glucose; Lipid profile