“Being fat is not a disease but a sign of good living”: The Political Economy of Overweight and Obesity in Nigeria

Increasing overweight and obesity rates have accompanied economic development in recent years. This twofold health issue has become increasingly worrisome and is currently receiving academic interest and government attention.  A growing volume of studies has examined the demographic, socio economic, environmental and cultural risk factors of overweight and obesity in Nigeria where fatness is culturally revered. However, information on large scale factors associated with economic development shaping the geographical distribution of overweight and obesity is sparse. From the political economic standpoint, the central question of this paper is: ‘Does the spatial pattern of overweight and obesity correspond with the varying levels of economic development in Nigeria? The study relied on secondary data from published sources.  Linear regression models were estimated to determine the impact of economic development variables on overweight and obesity. Results reveal that percent population with white collar jobs had a significant positive effect on overweight whereas poverty, gross domestic product (GDP) and degree of urbanization were significantly related to obesity. The paper concludes that the spatial patterns of overweight and obesity follow the pathways of economic development in Nigeria

Geospatial Analysis of Road Traffic Accidents, Injuries and Deaths in Nigeria

RTAs in Nigeria are very high and have become progressively important because of their heavy health and financial burden. The few geographic studies on RTAs in Nigeria are limited to their mere spatial distribution and associated risk factors, with very little attention given to their spatial clustering patterns and the detection of hotspots. With the aid of Global Moran’s I and Local Getis, the study found some evidence of significant positive spatial autocorrelation, and consistent clustering of RTAs, RTIs and RTDs in the southwest from 2002 to 2007 which suggested the presence of an accident belt in the southwestern region, which has been accounted by poor road infrastructure, relatively high level of economic development and high vehicular movements. The study recommends the deployment of road safety officials to the accident belt, strict enforcement of safety belts and helmets, and periodic road maintenance

A geographical analysis of ethnic distribution of jaw ameloblastoma in Nigerians

Introduction: Ameloblastoma is the most common odontogenic tumour in Nigeria. A definite geographic variation has been observed in the frequency of odontogenic tumors from different parts of the world. However, there is no study on the regional variations in Nigeria. Hence, this study was designed to document the ethnic and geographical distribution of jaw ameloblastoma in Nigeria.Methods: Archival data on ameloblastoma from 10 health facilities were obtained. Global Moran’s I detected geographic clustering in its distribution while Local Getis Ord indicated the location of ameloblastoma clusters. Chi-square tested associations between variables at 0.05 level of significance.Results: A total of 1,246 ameloblastoma cases were recorded in Nigeria. Besides substantial state variations, a South-North gradient was noticed in its distribution. Significant positive spatial autocorrelation was observed in the three major groups while ameloblas- toma hotspots were found in the SouthWestern and Northwestern Nigeria. The Igbos had a higher prevalence of ameloblastoma outside their home region than within.Conclusion: The study hypothesized that the geographical distribution of ameloblastoma in Nigeria is the result of all or one of the following:  the country’s tropical climate, migration patterns and health seeking behavior. Hopefully, these claims should lead to further enquiry on the underlying causes.Keywords: Ameloblastoma, ethnicity, spatial analysis, Nigeria

Professional development in teaching and learning for early career academic geographers: Contexts, practices and tensions

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Journal of Geography in Higher Education on 16th May 2011, available online: doi: 10.1080/03098265.2011.563380This paper provides a review of the practices and tensions informing approaches to professional development for early career academic geographers who are teaching in higher education. We offer examples from Britain, Canada, Nigeria and the USA. The tensions include: institutional and departmental cultures; models that offer generic and discipline-specific approaches; the credibility of alternative settings for professional development in teaching and learning; the valuing of professional development and of teaching in academic systems of reward and recognition; and the challenges of balancing professional and personal life. We summarize concepts of good practice and suggest opportunities for future research

A geographical analysis of ethnic distribution of jaw ameloblastoma in Nigerians

Introduction: Ameloblastoma is the most common odontogenic tumour in Nigeria. A definite geographic variation has been observed in the frequency of odontogenic tumors from different parts of the world. However, there is no study on the regional variations in Nigeria. Hence, this study was designed to document the ethnic and geographical distribution of jaw ameloblastoma in Nigeria. Methods: Archival data on ameloblastoma from 10 health facilities were obtained. Global Moran\u2019s I detected geographic clustering in its distribution while Local Getis Ord indicated the location of ameloblastoma clusters. Chi-square tested associations between variables at 0.05 level of significance. Results: A total of 1,246 ameloblastoma cases were recorded in Nigeria. Besides substantial state variations, a South-North gradient was noticed in its distribution. Significant positive spatial autocorrelation was observed in the three major groups while ameloblastoma hotspots were found in the SouthWestern and Northwestern Nigeria. The Igbos had a higher prevalence of ameloblastoma outside their home region than within. Conclusion: The study hypothesized that the geographical distribution of ameloblastoma in Nigeria is the result of all or one of the following: the country\u2019s tropical climate, migration patterns and health seeking behavior. Hopefully, these claims should lead to further enquiry on the underlying causes. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ahs.v19i1.44 Cite as: Adisa AO, Osayomi T, Effiom OA, Kolude B, Lawal AO, Soyele OO, et al. A geographical analysis of ethnic distribution of jaw ameloblastoma in Nigerians. Afri Health Sci. 2019;19(1). 1677-1686. https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ ahs. v19i1.4

Small-area variations in overweight and obesity in an urban area of Nigeria: The role of fast food outlets

Overweight and obesity are two related health issues of epidemic proportions. In Nigeria, these health conditions have been emerging only recently. The extant literature shows inter-city variations in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Nigeria. However, they say little about intra-city variations of these health problems in Nigerian urban centres. Thus, the focus of the study was to determine the small-area variations in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in an urban area of Nigeria and its association with socio-economic, environmental, dietary and lifestyle risk factors. With the aid of a questionnaire, information on the demographic, socio-economic, lifestyle, household and neighbourhood characteristics of respondents was obtained from respondents. Overweight and obesity were computed based on the self-reported height and weight of respondents, using the Body Mass Index (BMI) formula. A simple linear regression model was estimated to determine the individual and collective effects of risk factors. Findings showed that there were noticeable spatial variations in the prevalence of overweight and obesity which result from the varying contextual and compositional characteristics among the political wards of the Ibadan North LGA. Physical proximity to fast food outlets was the only significant factor driving the spatial pattern of obesity (b = 0.645; R2 = 0.416). The paper suggests that government and health officials should formulate area-specific obesity prevention and control plans to curb this growing epidemic in Nigeria

A retrospective cross-national examination of COVID-19 outbreak in 175 countries: a multiscale geographically weighted regression analysis (January 11-June 28, 2020)

Article is a study that retrospectively examined the health and social determinants of the COVID-19 outbreak in 175 countries from a spatial epidemiological approach

Biological profile of ameloblastoma and its location in the jaw in 1246 Nigerians

OBJECTIVES: Ameloblastoma is a benign, slow-growing, locally invasive epithelial tumor of odontogenic origin, with unlimited growth capacity and a strong tendency to recur. This multicentric study analyzed ameloblastoma diagnosed in Nigeria among different ethnic groups. STUDY DESIGN: This retrospective study included ameloblastoma cases diagnosed from 1964 to 2017 at 10 hospitals or medical centers in Nigeria. Age, sex, tribe, and location of the ameloblastoma in the jaw were analyzed. Associations between variables were tested by using χ2 and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: A total of 1246 ameloblastoma cases were recorded (mean patient age 32.51 ± 14.54 years; range 4-86 years; male-to-female ratio 1.2:1). Approximately 60% of ameloblastoma cases occurred in young adults (age range 18-40 years). Ninety-eight lesions were located in the maxilla and 1103 in the mandible; the posterior mandible was the most common site (31.3% on the right and 26.5% on the left, respectively), followed by the anterior (26.0%) mandible. No significant differences were noted in the distribution of ameloblastoma within the tribes with respect to age (P = .92) and sex (P = .71). CONCLUSIONS: The mandible is a common site of ameloblastoma in patients in Nigeria, and in most cases, it occurs in young adults. Early presentation, diagnosis, and treatment are important to reduce postoperative disfigurement and morbidity.status: publishe