The lived experiences of youths who have lost a parent to AIDS in Wannune, Nigeria : a descriptive phenomenological study.

Master of Nursing.Although the advent of the antiretroviral therapy is changing the morbidity and mortality of HIV and AIDS epidemic into a chronic manageable disease; it is still the leading cause of death among age group 15-59 years who are in their productive and reproductive years. The HIV and AIDS epidemic has therefore orphaned over 17 million young people worldwide but 90 percent of these orphans are residents of Sub Saharan Africa. This study explores and describes the lived experiences of youths who have lost a parent to AIDS in Wannune, Nigeria. Only AIDS orphans below the age of 18 years are eligible for support from governmental and non-governmental organizations in Nigeria. This study is focused on the unsupported AIDS orphaned youths between the ages of 18-24 years. Descriptive phenomenology informed the study design, data collection and analysis of data. Purposive and snowballing sampling was used to obtain a sample of six youths who have lost parents to AIDS related illnesses and who were unaffiliated to any support organizations in Wannune. Each participant was interviewed twice using a pre-prepared interview guide that comprised of open ended questions. The second interview served as a closure and debriefing interviews. The data was analysed using Colaizzi‟s (1978) method of phenomenological data analysis and this methodology facilitated the emergence of themes from the data. Six themes and 13 subthemes emerged from the study and these were grouped under the two objectives of the study. An exploration of the lived experience of youths who have lost parents to AIDS in Wannune demonstrated that participants encounter with AIDS virus started before the actual loss of the parents. The experience of the participants progressed in the following chronological order of experience: disruptive life changes before and after parental AIDS loss; secondary losses such as loss of educational opportunities; premature assumption of parenting roles; exposure to vulnerability and continued grief. The study identified that the participants demonstrated many needs for parenting skills, empowerment, coping skills and need for psychosocial support. This study builds on the existing body of knowledge and demonstrates that the negative adverse effect of AIDS-orphanhood does not abate after orphans become young adults at 18 years. The study concludes with a number of recommendations in relation to policy making and future research

Care, Connection, and Social Distancing:The challenges of baby loss during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand

Problem: The COVID-19 pandemic hindered access to routine healthcare globally,prompting concerns about possible increases in pregnancy loss and perinatal death.Background: PUDDLES is an international collaboration exploring the impact of theCOVID-19 pandemic on parents who experience pregnancy loss and perinatal death in seven countries, including Aotearoa New Zealand.Aim: To explore parents’ experiences of access to healthcare services and supportfollowing baby loss during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa New Zealand.Methods: We conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 26 bereavedparents, including 20 birthing mothers, and six non-birthing parents (one mother and five fathers). Types of loss included 15 stillbirths, four late miscarriages, and oneneonatal death. Participant ethnicities were broadly representative of Aotearoa NewZealand’s multi-ethnic society. Data were analysed using Template Analysis.Findings: Analysis revealed five themes relating to pandemic impact on bereavedparent’s experiences. These were: ‘Distanced and Impersonal care’; ‘NavigatingHospital Rules’; Exclusion of Non-birthing Parents; ‘Hindered Access to SocialSupport’; and ‘Continuity of Relational Care’.Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated isolation of bereaved parentsthrough perceived impersonal care by healthcare professionals and restrictions onmovement hindered access to social and cultural support. Compassionate bending ofthe rules by healthcare professionals and community postnatal visits by continuity ofcare midwives following the bereavement appeared to be mitigating factors.Conclusion: Social isolation is an added challenge for parents experiencing baby lossduring a pandemic, which may be mitigated by flexible and compassionate care fromhealthcare professionals, especially continuity of care midwives

Modelling of Pollutants Dispersion from Open Burning of Solid Waste Using AERMOD

This study evaluates the air quality impact of open burning of solid waste activities in Ilorin, Nigeria. An emission inventory was carried out to quantify the emitted CO, NOx and SOx from 2016- 2020 into the study area. Their ground level concentrations were computed with the Industrial Source Complex – American Meteorological Society (AMS) and United State Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulatory Model (AERMOD) dispersion model and compared with standards to determine their impacts on ambient air quality. The average hourly, daily and annual concentrations were 25,267 µg/m3, 4,609 µg/m3, 447 µg/m3 for carbon monoxide (CO); 4,700 µg/m3, 730 µg/m3, 130 µg/m3 for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and 954 µg/m3, 144 µg/m3, 24 µg/m3 for oxides of sulphur (SOx) respectively. The hourly air quality for CO were within the World Bank standard for all the receptor communities except at Abe-Emi with 2.17 folds, while the daily air quality was within the Federal Ministry of Environment (FMEnV) limit. However, the 1-h, 24-h and annual air quality for NOx exceeded the FMEnV and World Bank standard for all the receptor communities. Similarly, the hourly and daily air quality for SOx exceeded the FMEnV and World Bank standard for all the receptor communities

Shifts in social support: A phenomenographic study of Nigerian women who have had a stillborn baby

Each year in Nigeria 314,000 mothers lose their babies to stillbirth. This study investigates the implications of these stillbirths for Nigeria’s Yoruba women, especially in relation to their social networks. The study is theoretically framed within the theory of social capital and the research methodology is phenomenography, a qualitative approach that concerns itself with difference in relation to experience. Twenty mothers of stillborn babies were purposefully recruited from Saki, a Yoruba community in South-west Nigeria. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participants’ drawings and a focus group discussion. The transcribed data were analysed according to the principles of phenomenography. This yielded four broad categories: (1) relationships change; (2) relationships matter; (3) material support makes a difference; and (4) health professionals neither help nor support. These findings indicated that stillbirth interfered with the social networks of the participants, leading to a decline in their social networks and an emergence of the family as the primary source of support. The participants gained encouragement and empathy through their relationships with others but received minimal material support, even though it was badly needed. The participants expressed distrust in health professionals due to a lack of compassionate care. This study contributes to the understanding of stillbirth bereavement in three different ways. First, culture really matters in how mothers of stillborn babies express their grief, how they are supported and how they would want to be supported. Second, there is still a deficit of kind, compassionate and skilled nursing care for mothers of stillborn babies. Third, support becomes smaller, but more intense for mothers after suffering a stillbirth. This study, therefore, adds to the ongoing global conversations about how better bereavement care can become more realistic for mothers of stillborn babies by extending the theory of social capital and the methodological approach of phenomenography to the issue of stillbirth bereavement. The study concludes with recommendations for nursing, for research and for policy

COVID-19’s missing heroes: Nurses’ contribution and visibility in Aotearoa New Zealand

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Nurses’ Lived Experiences of Caring for Patients with COVID-19 in Nigeria

Introduction Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses have been on the frontline providing care for patients with COVID-19. Caring for patients with COVID-19 can be a rewarding experience for nurses, but research also suggests that nurses experience numerous challenges on the frontline. Objectives This study aims to explore the experiences of frontline nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in Nigeria Methods Ten nurse volunteers working in a COVID-19 isolation center were purposively recruited. Data were collected with a semi-structured interview guide, and a template analysis approach was used to analyze the transcribed interviews. Results The participants volunteered at the isolation center for safety reasons, professional gain, and concern for humanity. Working at the isolation center was accompanied by changes in working hours, work dynamics, care context and care tools. These changes resulted in personal, professional, and work-related challenges for nurses. However, team spirit, positive patient outcomes, gratitude and family support helped the nurses cope with the challenges. Conclusions This research highlighted that working on the frontline of COVID-19 is associated with multiple and complex challenges that can impact nurses’ personal and professional life. Thus, a tailored approach to support is needed to address the challenges faced by frontline nurses

Exploring the Social Networks of Women Bereaved by Stillbirth: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

The loss of a baby to stillbirth is a traumatic experience and can lead to secondary losses, such as the loss of social relationships. In Nigeria, stillbirths are a common public health problem. However, limited attention has been given to the social ramifications of stillbirths. This study describes the social networks of women who have experienced a stillbirth and the factors influencing their social networks. Interviews and social network diagrams were used to collect data from 20 women about their social networks before and after stillbirth. Findings suggest that the experience of shame, unmet expectation of support, and a lack of trust led to relationship changes after stillbirth. Most participants met bereavement needs with their existing social networks before stillbirth, but many participants also experienced relationship losses (even among family networks). Information from social network analysis can reveal the risks and strengths inherent in social networks, which can be helpful for the provision of tailored/personalized bereavement care

Transaction cost factors affecting the economic life of smallholder paddy farmers in Tanzania

Smallholder farmers (SHFs) constitute more than half of the world’s undernourished people and the majority of people living in absolute poverty. Due to high transaction costs, lack of access to financial services, inaccessibility to more remunerative markets, and immediate cash needs, many sell their harvest when prices are low, then buy when prices are high for lack of household stock. Though numerous studies exist on the effects of transaction costs on smallholder farmers, many do not focus on how these affect smallholder paddy farmers. The objective of this study was to enumerate market factors affecting smallholder farmers and investigate those that influence the transaction costs of smallholder farmers. The study used multi-stage sampling techniques consisting of purposive sampling based on paddy productivity, knowledge of market, etc. and simple random sampling of balloting to select the five key informants and 315 smallholder paddy farmers with an average of nine persons per group thereby constituting about 30% of the total  1021 population. The study observed the market participation requirements of respondents and found that 82.5% stated that it is difficult while only 19% see the market size as large. Further, 72.4% have their customers as small quantity buyers, and 62.2% reportedly rated market prices as poor. The results show that most of the customers are small quantity buyers, which buttresses the fact that inadequate access to markets for smallholder farmers is one of the key factors affecting reduction of transaction cost, a challenge currently prevailing in the sub-Saharan African agricultural sector.Keywords: Smallholder Farmers, Transaction Cost, Market Factors, Paddy Productivit

Green Prescriptions And Therapeutic Landscapes: A New Zealand Study

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Exploring the Social Networks of Women Bereaved by Stillbirth: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

The loss of a baby to stillbirth is a traumatic experience and can lead to secondary losses, such as the loss of social relationships. In Nigeria, stillbirths are a common public health problem. However, limited attention has been given to the social ramifications of stillbirths. This study describes the social networks of women who have experienced a stillbirth and the factors influencing their social networks. Interviews and social network diagrams were used to collect data from 20 women about their social networks before and after stillbirth. Findings suggest that the experience of shame, unmet expectation of support, and a lack of trust led to relationship changes after stillbirth. Most participants met bereavement needs with their existing social networks before stillbirth, but many participants also experienced relationship losses (even among family networks). Information from social network analysis can reveal the risks and strengths inherent in social networks, which can be helpful for the provision of tailored/personalized bereavement care