HEALTH COMMUNICATION ANALYSIS OF DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP AND PATIENTS’ HEALTH BEHAVIOUR IN SOUTH WEST NIGERIA

Communication in doctor-patient relationship has undergone a transition over time from doctor-dominance to patient-centred approach. Unfortunately, the patient-centred approach adopted today has not positively influenced the health behaviour of patients. For this, health communication scholars wonder if there is any difference between patient-centred and the doctor-dominance approach. The study adopted the descriptive survey research method, using two sets of questionnaires for data collection from patients and doctors. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 120 respondents for the study. Data collected were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and chi-square technique. Communication in doctor-patient relationship had significant influence on patients’ follow-up appointments (χ2 = 112.867) and compliance to prescribed drugs (χ2 = 48.333).   Communication in doctor-patient   relationship had significant influence on patients’ choice of the hospital (χ2= 44.083) and  consumption of balanced or specific diet (χ2 = 61.350). Communication in doctor-patient relationship had significant influence on patients’ exercising regularly (χ2 =18.80).The study concluded that doctor-patient relationship in health communication influences patients’ health behaviour in South West Nigeria. It is therefore recommended that doctors should apply an integrated/ synergetic approach in communicating with their patients and that audience-specific social media platforms should be utilized to complement the doctor-patient communication for more effective result. &nbsp

Movement Behaviour of Traditionally Managed Cattle in the Eastern Province of Zambia Captured Using Two-Dimensional Motion Sensors

Two-dimensional motion sensors use electronic accelerometers to record the lying, standing and walking activity of cattle. Movement behaviour data collected automatically using these sensors over prolonged periods of time could be of use to stakeholders making management and disease control decisions in rural sub-Saharan Africa leading to potential improvements in animal health and production. Motion sensors were used in this study with the aim of monitoring and quantifying the movement behaviour of traditionally managed Angoni cattle in Petauke District in the Eastern Province of Zambia. This study was designed to assess whether motion sensors were suitable for use on traditionally managed cattle in two veterinary camps in Petauke District in the Eastern Province of Zambia. In each veterinary camp, twenty cattle were selected for study. Each animal had a motion sensor placed on its hind leg to continuously measure and record its movement behaviour over a two week period. Analysing the sensor data using principal components analysis (PCA) revealed that the majority of variability in behaviour among studied cattle could be attributed to their behaviour at night and in the morning. The behaviour at night was markedly different between veterinary camps; while differences in the morning appeared to reflect varying behaviour across all animals. The study results validate the use of such motion sensors in the chosen setting and highlight the importance of appropriate data summarisation techniques to adequately describe and compare animal movement behaviours if association to other factors, such as location, breed or health status are to be assessed

Stigma, medication adherence and coping mechanism among people living with HIV attending General Hospital, Lagos Island, Nigeria

Background: People living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) experience some form of stigma which could lead to poor medication adherence.Objectives: This study assessed the various domains of stigma experienced by PLWHAs attending an HIV clinic at General Hospital, Lagos Island, their medication adherence patterns and their coping mechanisms for ensuring adherence to antiretroviral therapy.Method: A cross-sectional study design with a sample size of 200 was used. Respondents were selected using systematic random sampling. Interviewers administered structured questionnaires were used to collect information on the domains of stigma. Data was analysedusing EPI info©. This was followed by a focus group discussion (FGD) with seven participants at the clinic using an interview guide with open-ended questions.Results: Overall, stigma was experienced by 35% of the respondents. Within this group, 6.6%, 37.1%, 43.1% and 98.0% of the respondents reported experiencing negative self image stigma, personalised stigma, disclosure stigma and public attitude stigma respectively. Almost 90% of the respondents were adherent. The FGD revealed that disclosure was usually confined to family members and the coping mechanism for achieving adherence was to put antiretroviral (ARVs) in unlabelled pill boxes.Conclusion: This study found that stigma was low and that the most common domain of stigma experienced was public attitude stigma. Medication adherence of respondents was good as a result of the coping mechanism, which involves putting ARVs in unlabelled pill boxes