Family variables and its influence on malaria prevention practices among households in Ife east local government area, Osun state, Nigeria

Background: An understanding of the family variables that influence malaria prevention practices (MPPs) is valuable in endemic communities with  implications for family health. The study aim was to determine the family variables influencing MPPs among households in Ife East Local Government  Area of Osun state.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional survey that used a pre-tested interviewer-administered questionnaire. Chi-square test was used to  determine the relationship between family variables and MPPs. Binary logistic regression was used to identify family variables influencing MPPs.Results: Among 272 households, 52.6% had good MPPs. Family variables influencing good MPPs include monogamous family (OR = 2.02, 95% CI = 1.10 –  3.71, p = 0.023), less than 5 family size (OR = 2.42, 95% CI = 1.39 – 4.22, p = 0.002) and primary level of education (OR = 5.78, 95% CI = 2.01 – 16.61, p = 0.001).Conclusion: Among the households, use of MPPs was fair and it was significantly influenced by some family variables. These findings highlight the need  to take cognizance of family variables in the design of programs for malaria intervention

The design of a hybrid model-based journal recommendation system

There is currently an overload of information on the internet, and this makes information search a challenging task. Researchers spend a lot of man-hour searching for journals related to their areas of research interest that can publish their research output on time. In, this study, a recommender system that can assist researchers access relevant journals that can publish their research output on time based on their preferences is developed. This system uses the information provided by researchers and previous authors' research publications to recommend journals with similar preferences. Data were collected from 867 respondents through an online questionnaire and from existing publication sources and databases on the web. The scope of the research was narrowed down to computer science-related journals. A hybrid model-based recommendation approach that combined Content-Based and Collaborative filtering was employed for the study. The Naive Bayes and Random Forest algorithms were used to model the recommender. WEKA, a machine learning tool, was used to implement the system. The result of the study showed that the Naïve Bayes produced a shorter training time (0.01s) and testing time (0.02s) than the Random forest training time (0.41) and testing time (0.09). On the other hand, the classification accuracy of the Random forest algorithm outperformed the naïve Bayes with % correctly classified instance of 89.73 and 72.66; kappa of 0.893 and 0.714; True Positive of 0.897 and 0.727 and ROC area of 0.998 and 0.977, respectively, among other metrics. The model derived in this work was used as a knowledge-base for the development of a web-based application, named "Journal Recommender" which allowed academic authors to input their preferences and obtain prompt journal recommendations. The developed system would help researchers to efficiently choose suitable journals to help their publication quest. © 2020 ASTES Publishers. All rights reserved

Factors associated with sarcopenia among older patients attending a geriatric clinic in Nigeria

Context: Aging is characterized by progressive and generalized loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength called sarcopenia which causes poor health and  disability. There is paucity of data on this syndrome of public health importance among older Nigerians. Aim: This study determined the prevalence and factors associated with sarcopenia among persons aged 60 years and above at a geriatric center in Nigeria.Materials and Methods: A cross‑sectional study of 642 persons aged ≥60 years who attended the geriatric center between March and July 2014. Sarcopenia was diagnosed using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People criteria. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were carried out using SPSS 20. Alpha was set at 0.05.Results: The mean age ± standard deviation of the respondents was 69.1 ± 7.2 years, and 378 (60.6%) were females. The point prevalence of sarcopenia was 5.4% which was significantly higher among the females compared with the males (7.1% vs. 2.8%) P = 0.02. Low muscle mass and low gait speed were found in 10.9% and 36.1%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis showed age (odds ratio [OR] =1.090; 95% confidence interval [CI] =1.034–1.149, P = 0.01), having no formal education (OR = 2.810; 95% CI = 1.043–7.573, P = 0.04), malnutrition (OR = 5.817; 95% CI = 1.471–23.434, P = 0.01), and female gender (OR = 3.068; 95% CI = 1.068–8.817, P = 0.04) to be the predictors of sarcopenia.Conclusion: Older people in this setting are at risk of developing sarcopenia,  especially the females. Healthcare workers should address the social and health‑related factors which could lead to sarcopenia.Keywords: Geriatric clinic, Nigeria, older patients, sarcopeni

Family characteristics and childhood predictors of overweight and obesity in adults attending general outpatient clinic, Ibadan

Background: The World Health Organization has reported that there is an increasing rate of overweight and obesity and this has reached an epidemic proportion. Parental influence during childhood and family routine characteristics are been proposed as contributing factors for overweight and obesity. Objective: The study therefore sought to determine the relationship between familycharacteristics, childhood predictors and overweight/obesity.Methodology: This was a case-control study amongst adult patients aged 18 -60 years. Cases were respondents with Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 ; they were age and sex matched with controls (BMI 18.5 < 25 kg/m2 ), in ratio 1:1 (N=342). Interviewer administered questionnaires were applied to consenting patients to gather information on socio-demography, parental influence during childhood, family routine characteristics. The pattern of family meals was assessed with the Family Ritual Questionnaire dinnertime scale. Data was analysed with SPSS version 22. McNemar Chi-square and logistic regression were used to draw inferences at p<0.05 level of significance. Result: The mean BMI of the case and control groups was 30.08(±4.25) kg/m2 and 21.74(±2.35) kg/m respectively. Amongst thecases, 102 (59.6%) were overweight while 69(40.4%) were obese. There was no significant difference in the socio-demographicprofiles of the groups. Having a self-reported history of childhood/adolescent obesity, family history of obesity, desire for large bodysize and having a poor family mealtime routine were statistically associated with overweight and obesity with p-value < 0.05.Respondents with history of obesity in childhood/adolescent and family history of obesity were 3.6 and 3 times respectively morelikely to be overweight or obesity than if there was no such history.Conclusion: Childhood/adolescent obesity and family history of obesity are predictors of obesity. Involving the family as a unit inweight loss control may be beneficial for both the identified patient and his/her (immediate) family members who are at increased riskof becoming overweight and obese themselves. Keywords: Family characteristics, Childhood Predictors, Overweight and Obesit

Socio-demographic predictors of job-related stress among all cadres of health care workers in a Tertiary Health Institution, South western Nigeria: A need for holistic approach

No Abstrac

Pattern of intestinal helminthiasis among under five children and their family members in Ilesa West Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria

Background: Intestinal helminthiasis is one of the most common infestations worldwide, especially among the poorest communities of the developing world. The disease burden of intestinal helminthiasis is as great as those of tuberculosis (34.7 million Disability Adjusted Life Years - DALYs) and malaria (46.5 million DALYs). It has significant adverse impact on the growth and cognitive development of children especially those less than five years who make up 10 to 20 percent of the two billion people who are infested with helminths. A number of studies have identified some of the risk factors for helminth infestation among school-aged children but relatively little work has been done on helminth infestation among children aged less than five years. It was therefore necessary to embark on this study, with the aim of studying the pattern of intestinal helminthiasis among under five children and their family members in Ilesa West Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria.Methods: A descriptive cross sectional survey of 340 children under five years, and their caregivers was conducted in Ilesa with a pretested interviewer administered structured questionnaire. Stool specimens were examined using the kato-katz technique.Results: Stool was positive for helminths among 81 (23.8%) study subjects and in 73 (21.5%) families, another family member was helminth infected. Majority (44, 54.3%) of infected children were females. Children in the age group 12 – 24 years (24, 29.6%) were the most affected. Intensity of infection was light (less than 1000 eggs per gram of stool) among study subjects and their family members. Ascaris lumbricoides occurred most frequently among study subjects (82.7%) and their family members (86.3%). Surprisingly, there was no mix infection in the study. Majority of the studied families belong to the higher socioeconomic class (228, 67.1%). Most mothers reported that they washed their hands before eating (99.1%), after using the toilet (94.4%) and after toileting for their children (79.4%).Conclusion: The frequency of helminth infection was found to be high among children under five years and their family members.Keywords: intestinal; helminthiasis; under-five; children; famil

A descriptive study of the morbidity pattern of older persons presenting at a Geriatric Centre in Southwestern Nigeria

Context: Rapid population ageing is a demographic reality in most countries of the world. Old age is associated with changes which may culminate in health problems, necessitating provision of appropriate preventive, curative, and rehabilitative services. However, reports from many low- and middle-income countries have shown lack of preparedness to cater for the healthcare needs of older persons.Aim: This study described the morbidity profile and its determinants among persons aged 60 years and above who presented at an established geriatric centre in southwestern Nigeria.Materials and Methods: Data were obtained from electronic health records of 4886 patients aged ≥60 years who visited the facility between 1st January 2013 and 31st December 2014. Data were analyzed using Stata version 13 (Texas, USA). Frequency distributions were used for descriptive analysis, and chi-square test was used to test associations.Results: More than a half, 2919 (59.7%), of the respondents were females and almost three quarters 3501 (71.7%) were aged between 60 and 74 years. Mean number of morbidities was 1.81 ± 0.9, and less than half, 1097 (42.0%), presented with only one morbidity, most commonly, hypertension. There were significant age-related differences for musculoskeletal (P = 0.001), endocrine (P = 0.01), and psychological problems (P = 0.01). In addition, gender differences were observed as a significantly higher proportion of females presented with general symptoms (P = 0.02) and musculoskeletal problems (P = 0.0001) than men.Conclusion: The most common presenting morbidities at this geriatric health centre were mostly noncommunicable diseases. Information obtained will be useful in  in the design of similar facilities in other parts of the country and region at large.Keywords: Morbidity pattern, Nigeria, older person

Knowledge of screening and management strategies for gestational diabetes mellitus among primary health care providers in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

No AbstractKeywords: Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, Knowledge, Screenin