Chemical Composition of Wet Precipitation in Ibadan, Nigeria

Rainwater samples were collected for four two-weekly periods at nine sampling points in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria, during May-July, 1999, and analysed for pH, sulphate, nitrate, chloride, phosphate, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. The rainwater was predominantly neutral with pH values ranging between 5.8 and 7.0, and averaging 6.60.3. Average concentrations (eq/L) for all the sampling points and sampling periods were: SO42- (4622), NO3- (1.60.3), Cl- (1113), PO43- (3.21.8), Na (11.77.9), K (5.64.4), Ca (3026), and Mg (1.28.8). Concentrations of the various ions in the rainwater decreased slightly with the progress of the sampling period. The deposition flux (kg km-2 month-1) was estimated as: SO42- (390), NO3- (16.8), Cl- (67.6), PO43- (17.5), Na (46.6), K (37.9), Ca (104), and Mg (21.5). (Bulletin of The Chemical Society of Ethiopia: 2002 16 (2): 141-148

Roll out of a successful antimicrobial stewardship programme in Lagos University Teaching Hospital Nigeria using the Global-Point Prevalence Survey

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become a public health emergency with increasing rates and spread globally. Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) has been advocated to reduce the burden of antimicrobial resistance, promote rational and appropriate use of antibiotics and improve clinical outcomes. Education and training are one of the AMS interventions to improve antimicrobial use. We present the roll out of a successful AMS programme with education and training using the Global-PPS as data collection tool to measure AMS interventions and impact.Methodology: This was a cross sectional study on the implementation of an AMS programme at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. Global PPS was conducted in 2015 to collect baseline data which was used to identify targets for quality improvement in AMS and was repeated in 2017 and 2018 to measure impact of AMS interventions. AMS interventions included education, feedback of Global-PPS result and writing of the hospitalwide antibiotic policy based on the baseline data.Results: Out of the 746 inpatients surveyed, 476 (68.3%) had received at least one antimicrobial on the days of Global-PPS. The antimicrobial prescribing rates reduced significantly over the three time periods. In 2015, 82.5% were placed on antimicrobials, 65.5% in 2017 and 51.1% in 2018 (p<0.00001). The documentation of indication for treatment significantly improved from 53.4% in 2015 to 97.2% in 2018 (p<0.0001). Stop review date also significantly improved from 28.7% to 70.2% in 2018 (p<0.00001). Surgical prophylaxis for more than 24 hours reduced significantly from 93.3% in 2015 to 65.7% in 2018 (p=0.002) even though the prevalence was still high. The three most commonly administered antimicrobial groups were third generation cephalosporins, imidazole derivatives and quinolones. The most commonly prescribed antibiotics for surgical prophylaxis were ceftriaxone and metronidazole in 2015 and ceftriaxone in 2017.Conclusion: The use of education and training as AMS intervention in a limited resource setting clearly made impact on antimicrobial prescribing patterns in the hospital. Global-PPS is useful to set quality improvement targets and for monitoring, evaluation and surveillance of an AMS programme. Keywords: Antibiotic, Stewardship, Resistance, Education, Global-PP

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden

Parental monitoring and substance use among youths: A survey of high school adolescents in Lagos State, Nigeria

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Obesity among civil servants: the knowledge, attitudes, prevalence and risk factors among workers at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria

Background: The burden of obesity is rising globally. However, developing countries like Nigeria who may be adopting western cultures are particularly at risk. Civil servants may have an increased risk of obesity due to the sedentary nature of their work.Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the awareness, attitudes, prevalence, and the factors associated with obesity among civil servants at the Lagos state secretariat Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos state.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among civil servants at the Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa. A multistage sampling method was used to select 350 respondents drawn from seven randomly selected ministries in the Lagos State Secretariat. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge, attitude and lifestyle characteristics of the respondents. Anthropometric measurements were taken to determine the prevalence of obesity using body mass indices, Waist measurements and waist hip ratios. Data was analysed using SPSS version 17 statistical software.Results: About half (52.4%) of the respondents were female. The mean age of the respondents was 39.49 ± 9.3 years. Majority (68.3%) were of Yoruba ethnicity. Most of respondents were married (59.2%) and had undergone tertiary education (79%). Majority (81.1%) of the respondents had poor knowledge about obesity however, 74.3% of the respondents had a positive attitude towards obese people and obesity intervention programs. Using BMI as a means of classification, 39.3% of the respondents were overweight while 32% of the respondents were obese. The waist circumference showed that 39.6% of the respondents were above the standard limits while based on waist to hip ratio measurements only 5.9% of the respondents were obese. A bivariate analysis showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between obesity and sex, age, marital status and level at civil service. However, in the multivariate analysis, the factors independently associated with obesity were sex i.e. being female (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.56-4.40,) and increasing age (OR 1.45, 95%CI 1.16-1.80). Single respondents were less likely to be obese than their non-single counterparts (OR - 0.348, 95%CI -0.19-0.65).Conclusion: There was a relatively high prevalence of obesity among the civil servants. The overall knowledge of  obesity among the population was poor. However, most of the respondents had positive attitudes towards obesity. It is recommended that the Lagos state government should institute measures for the prevention and control of obesity among its workers with emphasis on older female workers.Keyword: Obesity, civil servants, knowlege, attitude, prevalence, risk factors, Lago

<b>Chemical composition of wet precipitation in Ibadan, Nigeria</b>

Rainwater samples were collected for four two-weekly periods at nine sampling points in the city of Ibadan, Nigeria, during May-July, 1999, and analysed for pH, sulphate, nitrate, chloride, phosphate, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. The rainwater was predominantly neutral with pH values ranging between 5.8 and 7.0, and averaging 6.6 plus or minus 0.3. Average concentrations (&mu;eq/L) for all the sampling points and sampling periods were: SO₄^2- (46 plus or minus 22), NO₃^- (1.6 plus or minus 0.3), Cl^- (11 plus or minus 13), PO₄^3- (3.2 plus or minus 1.8), Na (11.7 plus or minus 7.9), K (5.6 plus or minus 4.4), Ca (30 plus or minus 26), and Mg (1.2 plus or minus 8.8). Concentrations of the various ions in the rainwater decreased slightly with the progress of the sampling period. The deposition flux (kg km^-2 month^-1) was estimated as: SO₄^2- (390), NO₃^- (16.8), Cl^- (67.6), PO₄^3- (17.5), Na (46.6), K (37.9), Ca (104), and Mg (21.5)

Oral lesions among male tobacco users in a sub-urban Nigerian community

Background: Tobacco use in different forms is one of the greatest threats to global health. It is a major preventable cause of premature death and disease and has now become a global epidemic. Limited data exists on the prevalence of oral lesions among tobacco users in Nigeria.Objective: To determine the prevalence of oral mucosal lesions among tobacco users in Mushin Local Government Area (LGA) of Lagos Stateandassess the knowledge of health risks associated with tobacco use among the users and their attitudes towards tobacco use.Materials and Methods: This was a community-based descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among tobacco users from identified pockets of areas in the Local government area famous for tobacco use. Data collection tools included interviewer administered questionnaires and clinical examination.Results: Respondents were aged between 22-62years; the mean age was 35.51years [SD-8.5]. Prevalence of oral lesions was 34%, of these 5% were premalignant. Chronic periodontitis was the most common oral lesion [24.3%] while Leukoplakia was the least common [2.8%]. Majority (89.8%) of respondents agreed that tobacco was dangerous to health; however, the knowledge of the specific diseases associated with tobacco was low. Almost all (91%) respondents support a ban on smoking in public places.Conclusion: Prevalence of oral lesions was relatively high while knowledge of specific diseases associated with tobacco use was low. Targeted health education initiatives should be developed for tobacco users and regular dental visits to aid early detection of premalignant lesions is also recommended.Keywords: Oral lesions, Tobacco users, Nigeri

Effect of solid waste landfill on underground and surface water quality at ring road, Ibadan, Nigeria

The effect of the municipal solid waste landfill a Ring Road Ibadan on the quality of the underground water in the surrounding area and adjacent surface water was investigated. Samples of water from these sources were analyzed for the following physico-chemical parameters: Ph , conductivity, total solid, dissolved solid, suspended solid, total hardness, chloride, phosphate, sulphate phenol and the metals, Na, K, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe and Al. Results showed the landfill to be a source of inorganic and organic pollution since most of these parameters showed increased concentrations over those from control sites. Comparison with WHO guidelines (1991) indicate that most of the water samples are not suitable for human consumption. Keywords: Landfill, groundwater, surface-water, pollution. [Global Jnl Environ Sci Vol.1(1) 2002: 43-52

HIV Related Stigma and Discrimination: The Attitudes and Behavior of Workers in Insurance Companies in Lagos State

One of the greatest health problems threatening the human race is the HIV/AIDS pandemic. HIV/AIDS stigma and its related discrimination is a major constraint to the prevention and control of HIV. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has had a selective impact on young men and women who constitute the main stay of the workforce. This study aims to assess the opinion of workers in a corporate setting regarding HIVrelated stigma and discrimination and their attitudes towards HIV positive persons in the workplace. A cross sectional descriptive study was carried out. Asemi-structured, self-administered pre-tested questionnaire was filled by four hundred workers in three randomly selected insurance companies in Lagos State. All workers present at work on the day of the survey were given the questionnaires to fill. All questionnaires were filled independently and collected immediately after they had been filled. Data was collated and analyzed using Epi info software version 6. Most of the respondents (83%) were of the opinion that HIV positive persons were being unfairly treated in the society and almost all of them (93%) believed that they did not deserve such treatment. However up to 25% of them felt that an employer had the right to deny a person employment solely based on his/her HIV status and up to 15% believed that HIV positive persons should be isolated. Fortyfour percent of respondents would not share an office computer with a known HIV positive coworker, 47.7% would not share the same eating utensils and 55.9% would not share the same toilet with a known HIV positive co-worker. Similarly, up to 64% felt that there should be separate dining facilities for HIV positive persons and almost 60% felt that there should be separate toilet facilities for HIV positive persons. This was despite the fact that over 95% of the respondents were aware that HIV could not be transmitted by such means. Almost a quarter (23.5%) of the respondents would not openly associate with known HIV positive persons. There was no statistically significant relationship between sex, income, ethnicity or religion and the decision to openly associate with HIV positive persons. (p>0.05) however educational level was found to be significantly associated with the decision to openly associate with HIV positive persons. (

Sexually transmitted infections knowledge, practices and treatment: assessing facility treatment gap among female sex workers in Lagos, Nigeria

Background:  Globally as significant progress was made in reducing new cases of viral STI specifically HIV and HPV, new strains of antibiotic resistant STI causing organisms emerged. Key population having high burden of bacterial STI also have high prevalence and incidence of HIV. This study was carried out to assess knowledge about STI, HIV and HCT as well as to identify prevention and treatment practices for STI among brothel based female sex workers in two urban communities in Lagos state.Materials and Method: A cross sectional descriptive study design was used; sample size of 300 was calculated. The study population is females who sell sex in brothels in two communities in Lagos. Simple random sampling was used to select 15 brothels from the list of brothels compiled in each local government through community mapping. The rooms in the brothel were the unit of sampling, 10 female sex workers were interviewed in each of the brothels using a pre tested questionnaire. Data analysis was done with IBM SPSS statistics version 20. Frequencies percentages and means were generated. Relationship was demonstrated using Chi square at p&lt;0.05Results: The mean age was 27.77 + 6.16, majority were less than 30years of age (72.0%), single (75.7%), from the southsouth zone of Nigeria (57.0%) and had at least a secondary school education (51.7%). Three quarters of the single FSW had steady sexual partners. A high proportion of the respondents still have misconceptions about routes of transmission and prevention of HIV. About half (53.3%) had good knowledge of HIV/AIDS, 90.0% knew that Ebola Virus Disease can be sexually transmitted and 62.0% had good knowledge of the symptoms of STI. A high proportion reported symptoms of STI (25.0% genital itching, 14.7% genital discharge). Treatment was obtained mostly from the chemist (44.0%) followed by self-medication (42.7%) and health facility (38.7%). Over two thirds have been tested for HIV. All the respondents reported condom use with paying and non-paying casual partners but consistent use was higher with paying partners. A high proportion (77.0%) reported burst condom which was treated by using antibiotics. FSW who were single (p=0.002) and those from the South South-zone of Nigeria (p=0.010) were more likely to be knowledgeable about STI symptoms. Young FSW (&lt;24years) were more likely to use female condoms (p=0.023) and get tested for HIV (p=0.008).Conclusion: FSW in this study had high burden of STI and poor treatment practices. A high proportion also had poor knowledge of HIV and STI. Health workers did not play a major role in giving information about HIV/HCT and STI or in providing treatment. There is a need to promote referrals, linkages and contact between healthcare workers and this vulnerable group to ensure access to correct information and appropriate treatment.Keywords: STI, Female Sex Workers, Lago