Socio‑demographic Characteristics and Workplace Safety Practices of Panel Beaters: A Comparative Study of Roadside and Organized Sectors in Enugu State, Nigeria

Background: Human resources and their safety are central to occupational health practices. Understanding the sociodemographic characteristics and safety practices of workers helps in workplace interventions. This study aimed at comparing the sociodemographic characteristics and safety practices among roadside and organized panel beaters in Enugu metropolis, Enugu State, Nigeria. Methodology: This was a comparative cross-sectional study. Amultistage sampling method was used to select 428 panel beaters in Enugu metropolis. A semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data was entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 20. Comparative analysis was done using Chi‑square and the level of significance was set at 5%. Results: The mean ages (standard deviation) were 31.1 ± 10.3 years and 37.9 ± 12.1 years for roadside and organized panel beaters, respectively. The majority of respondents, (70.6%) and (56.5%), from the roadside and organized sectors, respectively, had secondary education. About 59.8% of the roadside panel beaters were single compared to about two-thirds (63.1%) of organized panel beaters who were married. More than two-thirds (72.9%) of roadside workers earn more than N 35,000 monthly, while half of the organized workers earn more than N 35,000. The differences in sociodemographic characteristics and monthly income were statistically  significant. Environmental sanitation was the most common safety and hygiene practices engaged by respondents. Very few   respondents, more among the organized sector, noted that their workplaces were monitored or checked. The use of personal protective equipment was found to be generally deficient, in addition to poor health and safety training. Conclusion: There was a statistically significant difference in the sociodemographic characteristics between the roadside and organized sectors panel beaters with poor safety practices. Routine and improved health education and safety training on basic preventive measures would be necessary to prevent occupational hazards in the workplace. Keywords: Panel beaters, sociodemographic characteristics, workplace safety measure

Primary Health Care under One Roof: Knowledge and Predictors among Primary Health Care Workers in Enugu State, South East, Nigeria

Background: The concept of “Primary Health Care Under One Roof” (PHCUOR) is a new governance reform to improve primary health care (PHC) implementation and integration. This study aimed at assessing the level of knowledge of this concept and its predictors among PHC Workers. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of PHC workers in Enugu State. Respondents were selected using systematic sampling method. Data were collected with self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using IBM-SPSS version 25. Levelof statistical significance was set at 5% and confidence interval (CI) of 95%. Results: A total of 292 responses out of 337 questionnaires were retrieved, giving a response rate of 86.6%. Majority of the respondents were female (257, 88.0%) and greater than half were in the age range of 41–50 years (151, 51.7%). Most of the respondents had overall good knowledge of PHCUOR (210, 71.9%) but there was poor understanding of some concepts. Bivariate analysis showed that having good knowledge of PHCUOR was associated with duration of practice (χ2= 6.013, P = 0.018) and age (χ2 = 4.495, P = 0.036) but on binary logistic regression, males were found to be 2.8 times more likely to have good knowledge of the concept compared to females (adjusted odds ratio = 2.763.; 95% CI = 1.022–7.469, P = 0.045). Conclusion: There was overall good knowledge of PHCUOR but the knowledge of rationale, gateway, and minimum service package (MSP) was poor. Males were approximately 2.8 times more likely to have good knowledge compared to females. Regular training of PHC workers on the concepts of PHCUOR especially the rationale, gateway, and MSP is needed to improve their knowledge and service delivery. Keywords: Enugu, knowledge, predictors, primary health care under one roof&nbsp

Comparison of knowledge of occupational hazards of lead exposure and blood lead estimation among roadside and organized panel beaters in Enugu metropolis, Nigeria

Introduction: occupational practices continuously exposes workers to hazards of lead. This study aimed to compare the knowledge of occupational hazards associated with lead exposure, and blood lead estimation among roadside and organized panel beaters in Enugu metropolis, Nigeria. Methods: this was a cross-sectional study. Multistage sampling method was used to select 428 panel beaters in Enugu metropolis. Samples were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrometer at 283.3 wavelengths. Data were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science 20. Comparative analysis were done using chi - square, T-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, logistic regression and level of significance was set at 5%. Results: the majority of respondents on both roadside (59.8%) and organized (73.4%) sectors had poor knowledge of hazards of lead exposure. The difference was significant using χ² (P<0.05). The median blood lead levels were 3.0µg|dl and 16.0µg|dl for roadside and organized panel beaters respectively. The difference was significant with Mann-Whitney U test (P<0.001). The prevalence of elevated blood lead at 10µg|dl were 36.9% (roadside sector) and 64.5% (organized sector). The duration of working hours (OR = 4.34, CI = 1.729 – 10.338) was found to be the predictor of elevated blood lead levels. Conclusion: there were general poor knowledge of hazards of lead exposure and high prevalence of elevated lead levels which were more among organized panel beaters. Advocacy on standard organizational structures that support improved occupational health practices is needed and routine outreach by research institutions for health education and safety training

Assessment of Knowledge and Practice of Disease Surveillance and Notification among Health Workers in Private Hospitals in Enugu State, Nigeria

Background: Disease surveillance and notification (DSN) has been recognized as an effective strategy for prevention and control of diseases, particularly epidemic-prone diseases. Aim: This study assessed the knowledge and practice of DSN activities in private health facilities(PHFs) in Enugu metropolis. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, utilizing mixed methods. Multistage sampling method was used to select the PHFs and the respondents. Respondents were health-care workers (HCWs) in charge of DSN in PHFs within Enugu metropolis and the state epidemiologist. Chi-square test and multivariate analysis using binary logistic regression were used for analysis. Results: Being a medical doctor (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 6.567; confidence interval [CI]: 1.250–34.502) was found to be a predictor of good knowledge. Facilities having more than ten patients daily (AOR: 0.012; CI: 0.085–0.739) and poor knowledge of Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system (AOR: 0.135; CI: 0.028–0.660) were predictors of poor IDSR practice. Four major themes emerged from the key informant interview: the level of involvement of state with DSN in PHFs, support available to PHFs, challenges in assessing DSN data in PHFs, and measures to improve DSN activities in PHFs. Conclusion: The HCWs in charge of DSN had good knowledge of IDSR system, but the practice was poor. There is a need for regular training with supportive supervision of the HCWs to ensure they translate knowledge into practice