Nutritional Status of Primary School Children in Ilorin-West LGA, Kwara State, Nigeria

Background: Malnutrition in children remains a global health problem in developing countries including Nigeria. Nearly half of all under-five deaths in Africa and South-East Asia can be traceable to malnutrition. The nutritional status of primary school children in Ilorin-West Local Government Area of Kwara State is not known, therefore the study set out to determine this and its associated factors.Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out between February and May 2016 across 16 primary schools in Ilorin-West LGA. Four hundred and eighty school children aged 6-12 years were recruited into the study through a multi-stage sampling technique. Anthropometry was taken following standard procedures; weight was measured with a digital bathroom weighing scale (Camry, Model: EB9323H, China), while height was measured with a stadiometer (Seca Model: 213, USA). Anthropometric indices were determined. Data collected was analysed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Tm version 20.0 for windows.Results: The prevalence of underweight, stunting, wasting and obesity were 3.0%, 5.0%, 4.4% and 1.0%, respectively. Stunting was more prevalent among female pupils, pupils attending the public primary schools and children of mothers with no formal education, while obesity was more prevalent in the private primary schools.Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity recorded in this study confirms the emerging concept of ‘the double burden of malnutrition,’ and poses a public health challenge to policy makers. It is recommended that community nutrition enlightenment campaigns be strengthened and possibly school meals be re-introduced to both private and public schools. Keywords: Nutritional status; School-aged; Stunting; Wasting; Obesit

Haematological changes associated with porcine haemoparasitic infections in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

The study was carried out between January and July 2016. Blood samples were obtained from 153 pigs by venipuncture and jugular severance at slaughter. The blood samples were examined for all known hemoparasites detectable by light microscopic examination. Haematimetric indices, complete blood cell count and leukocyte differentials were determined. The level of parasitaemia and changes in blood indices were subjected to statistical analysis across seasons. Trypanosoma brucei and Eperythrozoon suis were the only hemoparasites detected in the blood of pigs during the period of sampling. The prevalence of haemoparasitic infections in sampled pigs was 5.23%. T. brucei contributed 3.9% while E. suis contributed 1.31% to the prevalence. Anaemia (PCV<32) was a consistent and significant finding in all parasitemic samples. Eperythrozoon suis caused more severe anaemia (20±9.89) when compared with Trypanosoma brucei (27±3.03). The anaemia caused by E. suis was mostly microcytic normochromic while T. brucei mostly caused normocytic normochromic anaemia. Mild leucopenia was observed in eperythrozoonosis while a moderate lymphocytosis was observed in T. brucei infections. It was observed that in spite of intense chemoprophylaxis and other control measures employed, we still have persistent infections with Eperythrozoon sp and Trypanosomes in our pig population. Further studies should be carried out to detect the possibility of drug resistance by some of these circulating hemoparasites in the pig industry. Attempts should also be made to control the vectors of these parasites which are usually abundant during the rainy season and may be responsible for the higher prevalence recorded during this period.Keywords: Porcine, Infection, Haemoparasites, Haematological changes, Nigeri

Knowledge and perception of widowhood rites among adults in Ilorin, Kwara State

Widowhood rites vary from one community to another and some of these rites violate a woman's human rights. In some communities, discussion of intimate topics such as widowhood rites are considered as taboos, thus allowing for little research in the aspect of widow abuse in Africa. This study determined the knowledge and perception of widowhood rites among adults in Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was used. Interviewer administered questionnaires were used to collect information from 450 respondents who were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Majority (79%) of the respondents had fair knowledge regarding widowhood rites. Knowledge of widowhood rites was not shown to be influenced by age, gender, religion, tribe and marital status of respondents. However, the level of education and occupation was shown to significantly influence the knowledge of widowhood rites (p<0.05). A total of 170 (39.7%) respondents perceived widowhood rites as gender-based violence while 67.6% opined that widowhood rites violate a woman’s basic human rights. There is a need to create more awareness and sensitization on widowhood rites through the mass media in order to improve knowledge of widowhood rites.Keywords: knowledge, perception, widowhood rites, Nigeri