Assessment of knowledge, attitude and risky practices regarding HIV/AIDS infection among secondary school students in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria

This descriptive cross sectional study involving a total of 250 secondary school students of Ambrose Alli University was designed to assess the knowledge, attitude and risky practices regarding HIV infection among secondary school students in Ekpoma, Edo State, Nigeria; in comparison with findings from other locations in Nigeria. A pretested structured questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions focusing on socio-demographic characteristics; knowledge on HIV/AIDS; and attitude and risky practices was used for data collection, while descriptive statistical tools were used for data analysis. The results obtained showed indicators signifying clearly that HIV/AIDS awareness among the students, were comparatively high and there was an overwhelming support for early sex education. The results revealed also that the main risky behavior amongst the study population was unprotected sex; suggesting that active sexual relationships among young secondary school students is a phenomenon that can no longer be considered as ‘mere speculation’. Thus, concerted efforts must be made towards checking the severe ‘socio-cultural erosion’ ravaging our value and thought systems; considering its negative impact on HIV/AIDS prevention.Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Secondary students, Risky practices, Ekpom

Assessment of knowledge and sexual behaviour among undergraduates in a Nigerian tertiary institution

Background and introduction: The achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly goals 5 and 6, is strongly underpinned by the progress that can be made on sexual and reproductive health education of young adults.The large population of young single adults in tertiary institutions in Nigeria and the present dearth of human resources for health necessitates that interventions for this group of individuals are tailored to meet identified gaps in awareness and sexual behaviour.This study sets out to assess the sexual behaviour and practice among single-undergraduates in a tertiary institution in Nigeria.Method: A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out among 410 consenting students selected through a multistage sampling method. Data was collected using a structured self- administered questionnaire and analysed using Statistical Package for Scientific Solutions (SPSS) version 16.0.Results: Mean age of respondents was 20 + 4.4 years, 228 (55.6%) were females and 182 (44.4%) males.The respondents' awareness of contraceptive devices was 81.7% (335) for condoms and less than 20% knew about other forms of contraception such as intrauterine device, tubal ligation and vasectomy.Over 65.7% (270) opined abstinence and use of condom to be the ideal methods for prevention of HIV/AIDS/ STI transmission. The overall mean age at first sexual contact was 14.0+1.4((14.2+1.6) in males and (13.8 +1.2) in females). A Very high proportion of sexually active respondents (93.6%) volunteered they do not routinely use condom in their sexual encounter.Undesired pregnancies occurred in about 11% of females.Recommendations: There is an urgent need for the establishment of specially designated youth friendly centres in the tertiary institutions in the country, manned with staff appropriately trained in the delivery of reproductive health information and services.Keywords: Sexual Behaviour,Undergraduates,Tertiary Institution,Nigeri

Knowledge and application of infectious diseases control measures among Primary Care workers in Nigeria: The Lassa fever example

The objective of this study was to investigate the knowledge and practice of Lassa fever control among primary care health workers. The study was a cross-sectional survey of health workers in 34 primary care centres in Esan West and Esan Central Local Government Areas. The LGAs were selected from Lassa fever-endemic areas in the state and studied with 231 self-administered semi-structured questionnaires. The knowledge of respondents was assessed using a ten-question scoring system. Data was analyzed and presented in tables and figures. All respondents were aware of Lassa fever and 77.9% of them had good knowledge of the control of the disease while 9.1% had poor knowledge. There was no significant association between level of knowledge and designation of the health worker (χ2=8.99, df =4, p>0.05). Only 13.0% and 16.9% of them regularly practiced barrier-nursing and hand washing, respectively, as means of containing the spread of the infection. The level of general knowledge about Lassa fever was high. However, there was poor compliance with standard preventive practices. Therefore, sustained education and re-training of Health workers at the primary care level is required to curtail nosocomial transmission of the disease.Key words: Lassa fever, health worker, infection, disease control

Knowledge, attitude and behaviour on salt intake and its association with hypertension in the Malaysian population: findings from MyCoSS (Malaysian Community Salt Survey)

Background: High blood pressure or hypertension has become one of the main health problems, worldwide. A number of studies have proven that an increased intake of salt was related to an increased prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. Of late, its relationship with high salt intake has received a lot of attention. Studies in Malaysia have shown both rising hypertension over time as well as high salt consumption. Actions to reduce salt intake are essential to reduce hypertension and its disease burden. As such, we carried out a study to determine associations between knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards salt intake and hypertension among the Malaysian population. Methods: Data obtained from the Malaysian Community Salt Survey (MyCoSS) was used partially for this study. The survey used a cross-sectional two-stage sampling design to select a nationally representative sample of Malaysian adults aged 18 years and above living in non-institutional living quarters (LQ). Face-to-face interviews were done by trained research assistants (RA) to obtain information on sociodemography, medical report, as well as knowledge, attitude and behaviour of the respondents towards salt intake and blood pressure. Results: Majority of the respondents have been diagnosed with hypertension (61.4%) as well as knowledge of the effects of high salt intake on blood pressure (58.8%). More than half of the respondents (53.3%) said they controlled their salt intake on a regular basis. Those who knew that a high salt diet could contribute to a serious health problem (OR=0.23) as well as those who controlled their salt intake (OR=0.44) were significantly less likely to have hypertension. Conclusion: Awareness of the effects of sodium on human health, as well as the behaviour of controlling salt intake, is essential towards lowering the prevalence of hypertension among Malaysians