Effect of a road safety education intervention on road safety knowledge of university drivers in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: It is essential for drivers employed in the formal sector to have good knowledge of road safety in order to safeguard their lives and those of the staff they are employed to drive. The study was conducted to determine the effect of a road safety education intervention on road safety knowledge of drivers employed in the University of Ibadan, Nigeria.Methods: A quasi-experimental study of 98 intervention and 78 control drivers selected using a cluster sampling technique was conducted. The intervention comprised a two-day training on road safety and first aid. The drivers’ knowledge of road safety was measured at baseline, immediately and 4-months postintervention. Aggregate scores of road safety knowledge were computed giving minimum and maximum obtainable scores of 0 and 16 respectively. Change in mean scores over the three measurement periods was assessed using Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Independent t-test was used to compare the scores between intervention and control drivers at each of the assessment periods. Twenty-nine drivers did not complete the study (attrition rate = 16.5%).Results: At baseline, mean road safety knowledge scores for the intervention and control drivers were 12.7±2.2 and 12.9± 2.3 (p = 0.510) respectively. Immediately and four months post intervention, the scores of the intervention drivers were 13.8±1.9 and 12.8±1.6; while scores for the controls were 13.3±2.0 and 13.2±1.8. Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the increase in knowledge over the three assessment periods was not statistically significant.Conclusions: The intervention resulted in an initial increase in road safety knowledge of the intervention drivers. However, this was not sustained to the forth month post-intervention. This finding suggests periodic refresher trainings to sustain the knowledge acquired.Keywords: Road safety knowledge; University drivers, Fleet safety, Road safety educatio

Psychosocial skills intervention for substance use amongst street children in a Local Government Area in South west Nigeria

Introduction: The unrestrained exposure to the street and its associated lifestyles make the street child vulnerable to substance use. However, the effectiveness of psycho-social skills intervention on the knowledge and use of these substances among street children in transitional communities has not been fully investigated, hence the need for this study.Methods: A community interventional study was conducted with a total sample of 360 street children allocated to the intervention and control clusters. The  knowledge of and psychosocial correlates of substance use were assessed and an interactive psycho-social skills intervention package implemented for the  intervention group while the control group had an HIV/AIDS health education programme.Results: The mean age was 16 ± 1.2 years and 16 ± 1.3 years for the intervention and control groups, respectively, 54% of intervention group were males compared to 62.8% in control group. For children fully on the street, baseline current substance use was 58.7% and 69.7% in intervention and control groups, respectively. Mean knowledge scores increased from 8.6 ± 3.9 at baseline to 17.3 ± 2.9 at 12 weeks post intervention in the intervention group compared to the control group, where it increased slightly from 8.0 ± 5.1 at baseline 8.7 ± 4.1 at the 12 weeks post  intervention period, (p<0.005). Post intervention, there was a statistically   significant reduction in the current use of hypno-sedatives, tobacco, pawpaw leaves, solvents, and ethanol but not stimulant. In the control group, there was a general increase in the current use of the substances at the 12 weeks post intervention.Conclusions: An interactive psychosocial package may be effective for reducing psychoactive substance use amongst street children. However, further research will be needed to address stimulant use which was not affected by our intervention.Keywords: Street children, Psycho-social skills intervention, Substance use,

Prevalence and Predictors of Adverse Childhood Experiences among Youths in Rural communities of Oyo State, South-west, Nigeria

Background: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are traumatic events a child is exposed to early in life. It is a global problem that constitutes a public health concern. However, few studies have been conducted on ACEs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Nigeria. This study assessed the prevalence and predictors of ACEs among youths in rural communities in Oyo State, South-west, Nigeria.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 575 youths selected by multistage sampling technique. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on exposure to ACEs; abuse, neglect and household dysfunctions among respondents. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 21.0. Associations were explored with chi-square test and logistics regression analysis. Level of significance was set at 5%.Results: The mean age (SD) of respondents was 26.3 (4.9) years. Three hundred and forty-two (59.5%) respondents were males, 252 (43.8%) had secondary education and 276 (24.5%) were classified into the lowest wealth quintiles. Most respondents 529 (92%) reported they had experienced ACEs. Most prevalent ACEs were psychological neglect 247 (42.9%), physical neglect 236 (41.0%), psychological abuse 231 (40.2%) and household substance abuse 223 (38.8%). The predictors of experiencing ACEs were having a mother with primary education and below (AOR=2.61; CI=1.383.51) and being in the lowest wealth quintile (AOR=1.53 CI=1.24-2.87).Conclusion: Poor education and poverty contributed to the high occurrence of ACEs among youths in rural south-west. Strategic interventions by government/organizations to improve parental education and ameliorate poverty may be beneficial in reducing ACEs and ensure optimal child development. Keywords: Adverse childhood experiences; Predictors; Youths; Rural; Nigeri

Effect of training on knowledge and attitude to standard precaution among workers exposed to body fluids in a tertiary institution in south-west Nigeria

Introduction: Standard precaution in the workplace reduces the risk of occupational hazards among workers exposed to body fluids of humans and animals. Training on standard precaution has been recommended as a strategy to improve knowledge, attitude and  compliance to these guidelines. This study therefore determined the effect of training on knowledge and attitude to standard precaution among workers exposed to body fluids of humans and animals in the University of Ibadan, South-west, Nigeria.Methods: This was an interventional study among workers exposed to body fluids of humans and animals. A total survey of all faculties where staff and student come in contact with human and animal body fluid was done. Selected staff were trained for two days on standard precaution. A self-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic information, knowledge and  perception of staff on standard precaution. The maximum obtainable knowledge and attitude scores were 27 and 6 points respectively. The mean knowledge and attitude score were determined at pretest and post-test. Frequency, proportion, mean and standard deviation were used for summary statistics and an independent t-test was performed to test for association. Statistical significance was set at 5%.Results: A total of 136 and 123 responses were obtained at pre-test and posttest respectively. A little over half of the respondents were females (51.5%) and below 40 years (54.4%). The mean knowledge score among the workers increased from 22.59 ± 3.4 at pre-test to 22.83 ± 3.2 at post-test, but it was not statistically significant. However, the mean post-test attitude score (5.10 ± 1.4) was significantly different from the pre-test attitude score (4.49 ± 1.5).Conclusion: Training improved the knowledge and attitude of workers exposed to body fluids of humans and animals working in the University of Ibadan on standard precaution. Periodic training on standard precaution is therefore recommended to sustain a proper attitude to standard precaution guidelines

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