Perception and Healthcare seeking practices regarding dysmenorrhea among public secondary school students in Lagos, Nigeria

Objectives: Dysmenorrhea is an important health problem which may have a negative impact on female health, school activities and psychological status. This study assessed the prevalence, knowledge, perception and healthcare seeking practices of dysmenorrhea among secondary school students in Lagos State, Nigeria. The pattern of management of dysmenorrhea among respondents was also assessed. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 420 adolescents in public secondary schools in Ikeja Local government area of Lagos State, Nigeria. Respondents were interviewed using a structured pretested questionnaire. Data was analyzed with SPSS Version 22.0. The level of statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Results: Mean ± SD age at menarche was 12.3±1.3 years. The prevalence of dysmenorrhea among respondents was 75.2%. About one-quarter 106(25.2%) had good knowledge and 209(49.8%) had good perception of dysmenorrhea. Only 10% had ever sought health care for dysmenorrhea. A statistically significant association was found between the knowledge of respondents and healthcare-seeking behavior towards dysmenorrhea (p = 0.004). Conclusion: The prevalence of dysmenorrhea was high and majority of respondents had poor knowledge. Improving adolescents’ knowledge of dysmenorrhea through health education could positively influence their health care-seeking behavior

Malaria prevention in pregnancy among traditional birth attendants in rural Lagos, Nigeria

Background: Malaria accounts for approximately 1 million deaths annually and about 300,000 deaths in Nigeria alone. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to adverse consequences of malaria. The National Malaria Policy has adopted the use of Intermittent Preventive Treatment and Insecticide Treated Net for prevention of malaria in pregnant women. This study therefore determined the knowledge and practice of Traditional Birth Attendants regarding prevention of malaria in pregnancy in 2 rural Local Government Areas of Lagos State, Nigeria.Method: A cross sectional, descriptive study design was adopted and a total of 68 Traditional Birth Attendants were studied. Data was collected using a structured, interviewer administered questionnaire. Analysis was done with EPI info 2008 and WinPepi statistical softwares.Results: Age range of respondents was 20-75 years and the mean age was 46.4±8.7 years. Most (67.7%) of the respondents were not aware of Intermittent Preventive Treatment. However, most(81.8%) of the respondents who were aware got the information from the health workers, while only 31.6% of those that aware knew the right drugs to be used.Conclusion: Overall knowledge of malaria prevention with Intermittent Preventive Treatment in pregnancy was poor. The knowledge and practice of malaria prevention in pregnancy among the Traditional Birth Attendants in Ikorodu and Badagry Local Government Areas was poor. It is therefore recommended that a sensitization and training of the Traditional Birth Attendants be carried out since a good number of women still patronize them.Keywords: Malaria, Pregnancy, Traditional Birth, Attendants, Rural, Lagos, Nigeri

Knowledge, Attitude and Willingness to Participate in Gamete Donation for Artificial Insemination among Undergraduate Students in Lagos

Background: Infertility affects one-fifth to one-sixth of couples of reproductive age. Gamete donation is one option for managing infertility, but it is relatively unknown in the developing world. Objectives: To assess Nigerian undergraduate students' knowledge, attitude and willingness to participate in gamete donation for artificial insemination. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 160 undergraduate students using a semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. The respondents were recruited using a multi-stage sampling technique. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 21.5±3.2 years, with a range of 18-32 years. The majority (89.4%) of the respondents were single and were in the first year of study (56.3%). Almost all the respondents (96.3%) had heard about the practice of gamete donation, but only (38.7%) had overall good knowledge about it. Almost half (46.9%) of respondents had an overall positive attitude towards gamete donation, while only 37.5% were willing to participate. The class level of the respondents (p = 0.03) was significantly associated with poor knowledge of gamete donation, while age (p = 0.01) and gender (p < 0.001) were associated with a negative attitude. Age (p<0.001) was also significantly associated with poor willingness to participate. Conclusion: The respondents' awareness of gamete donation was high, but their knowledge was poor, leading to a negative attitude and poor willingness to participate. Public enlightenment on gamete donation for artificial insemination should be intensified

Prevalence and predictors of postpartum depression among postnatal women in Lagos, Nigeria

Background: Globally, postpartum depression is one of the most common but often unrecognized complications of childbirth, yearly affecting about 10\u201315% of postnatal women. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of postpartum depression and its predictors among postnatal women in Lagos. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 mothers in Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria, attending six Primary Health Care centers for infant immunization at six weeks post-delivery. Data was collected using a pretested semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire which included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. Analysis was carried out using SPSS version 23TM. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to determine associations and predictive relationships between various factors and the presence of postpartum depression. The level of significance was set at <0.05. Results: The prevalence of postpartum depression was 35.6%. Multiparity, delivery by cesarean section, mother being unwell after delivery, and not exclusively breastfeeding the baby were the factors linked with postpartum depression. Following multiple logistic regression, having postpartum blues (p=0.000; OR=32.77; 95%CI=7.23-148.58)., not getting help with caring for the baby (p=0.008; OR=2.64; 95%CI=1.29-5.42), experiencing intimate partner violence (p=0.000; OR=5.2; 95%CI=2.23-11.91) and having an unsupportive partner (p=0.018; OR=2.6; 95%CI=1.17-5.78) were identified as predictors of postpartum depression. Conclusion: This study revealed a high prevalence of postpartum depression, identifying both the obstetric and psychosocial predictors. Social support for women both in the pre- and postnatal periods and routine screening of women for postpartum depression should be encouraged for early detection and immediate intervention

Smokeless tobacco: Knowledge, attitudes and use among adults in Lagos, South-West, Nigeria

Background: Smokeless tobacco (SLT) use leads to nicotine addiction and is associated with several health problems. However, it may be perceived as a safe alternative to cigarettes resulting in a potential for increased use among smokers and non-smokers alike. We assessed the pattern of smokeless tobacco use, as well as, the knowledge and attitudes towards SLT among adult residents in Lagos, South West Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study, carried out among 437 respondents selected by a multi-stage sampling method. A modified version of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey Questionnaire was administered to participants by trained research assistants. Data was analyzed using Epi-info statistical software version 3.5.1. Univariate and bivariate analyses were carried out at 5% level of significance (p&lt;.05).Results: The results showed that 47 (10.8%) of the respondents had ever used any form of tobacco. Of these, 29 (6.6% of the total sample and 61.7% of tobacco users) had ever used SLT. Majority of those who had ever used SLT progressed to current use (75.8%). Up to 81.8% of current SLT users were daily users.&nbsp; SLT use was more common among males (77.3% of current users). Snuff was the most common form of SLT used (81.8% of current SLT users), followed by chewed tobacco (18.2%). Gender and marital status were statistically significant with the current use of SLT (p&lt;.05). However, no significant association was found between knowledge, attitude and SLT use in this study. Many of the respondents knew that SLT is harmful to health (65.4%); causing health issues like discolouration of the teeth (62.2%). However, a much higher proportion of respondents did not know that SLT use was associated with gum disease (50.3%), cancers of the lip (58.8%), tongue (57.4) and gums (58.6%). Overall, only 29.5% had a good knowledge of the health risks associated with SLT use. More than half (66.9%) felt that SLT use was socially acceptable, though 54.7% felt SLT use would be a waste of their money. Overall, 95.1% of respondents had good attitude. SLT use was more among men and those who were divorced/separated or widowed (p&lt;.05). However, respondents knowledge or attitudes was not associated with SLT use.Conclusion: Though SLT use appears relatively low in this environment, the majority of the users used it daily. Progression from initiation to current use was also high. Though the respondents were aware of the general risks associated with SLT use, a significant proportion was unaware of the specific health risks. SLT use was however unrelated to the knowledge of its health risks. Efforts to reduce SLT initiation and progression to current and daily use should be prioritized. A focus on males with marital issues should be considered. Future studies may focus on understanding the underlying reasons for initiation and progression of the SLT use in this environment.</p

Application of Mammalian Erythrocytes as Indicators for Newcastle Disease Virus Haemagglutination- Haemagglutination Inhibition Tests

In this study, the potential of heterologous erythrocyte indicator systems for detecting Newcastle Disease (ND) antibodies was investigated using donkey, horse, dog and pig erythrocytes while guinea pig erythrocyte served as the control for comparison. Previous research had shown that guinea pig erythrocyte is useful as an alternative indicator in Newcastle disease virus haemagglutination inhibition (NDV-HI) titre determination. The haemagglutination and haemagglutination inhibition tests were employed using a constant 1% concentration for all erythrocyte indicators. A total of 91 birds of different age groups (6, 9 and 12 weeks) were bled and their NDV antibody titer determined using erythrocyte from the mammals as indicator. Results showed that donkey erythrocyte is not useful as an alternative indicator in NDV-HI titre determination and its haemagglutination (HA) value or HA unit (HAU) is zero. Horse, dog, pig and guinea pig erythrocyte however gave varying haemagglutination (HA) and haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) titre. It is thus recommended that the horse erythrocyte be used as an alternative in HA test and is also suitable for HI test in birds up to 9 weeks of age. When birds are up to 12 weeks old, erythrocyte from guinea pig will serve as a better indicator. The potential of these indicators are discussed in this study