The prevalence of overweight and its risk factors among adolescents in an Urban city in Edo State

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Intestinal helminthiasis and nutritional status of children living in orphanages in Benin City, Nigeria

Background: Intestinal helminths are often associated with poor growth and reduced physical activities, and may worsen already compromised nutritional status of children living in orphanages.Aims: To determine the relationship between intestinal helminthiasis and nutritional status of children living in orphanages in Benin City, Nigeria.Setting and Design: A cross sectional study carried out from January to April 2011 in orphanages in Benin City, Nigeria.Materials and Methods: Fresh stool samples from 140 children (0-17 years) living in 10 orphanages in Benin City, were analyzed using the Kato.Katz technique for the detection of ova of helminths between January and April 2011. Physical growth of the children was classified as stunted, wasted, and under.weight using height for age Z.score, weight for height Z.score, and weight for age Z.score below . 2 standard deviation of the reference median, respectively, in the World Health Organization growth chart.Statistical Analysis: The data obtained was entered into spread sheet using the Microsoft Excel 2007 and the analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software versions 11.0 and 16.0 (SPSS Inc Chicago, IL, USA).Results: Prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis was 20.7% and was observed highest in children aged 12.17 years. Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura were the intestinal helminths isolated. Nearly all infected subjects had significant stunted growth (P = 0.014) and another one.quarter were significantly under.weight (P = 0.021) when compared with noninfected subjects.Conclusion: Intestinal helminthiasis is associated with under.weight and stunted growth.Key words: Growth, helminths, nutrition, orphanag

Prevalence and intensity of intestinal helminthiasis in children living in orphanages in Benin City, Nigeria

Background. Orphans may be envisaged to have sub-optimal care and may be predisposed to high worm burden. This study was under- taken to determine prevalence and intensity of intestinal helminthi- asis in children living in orphanages in Benin City, Nigeria. Methods. Fresh stool samples from 150 children (0-17 years) living in 10 orphanages in Benin City, were analyzed using the Kato-Katz technique for the detection of ova of helminths between January and April, 2011. Results. The subjects consisted of 62 (41.3%) males and 88 (58.7%) females; mean age (± standard deviation SD) 7.0 ± 4.6 years, and mean (± SD) years lived in the orphanage was 4.0 ± 3.7 years. Prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis was 20.7% and this prevalence was highest in children ages 12-17 years, children who had lived longer years in the orphanages and in orphanages with poor child/care-giver ratio (orphanage F = 12.0: 1 and orphan- age H = 7.3: 1). Mean (± SD) age (8.7 ± 4.5 years) of infected subjects was significantly higher than (6.6 ± 4.5 years) observed in non-infected subjects (p = 0.023). Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura were the intestinal helminths isolated. Inten- sity of intestinal helminths was light in 24/31 (77.4%) and moder- ate in 7/31 (22.6%) infected subjects. Median egg per gram was 999 eggs per gram and range was 48-8000. Conclusion. Improved child/care-giver ratio in orphanages will reduce worm burden in orphanages in Benin City

Prevalence, pattern and determinants of domestic violence among ante-natal clinic attendees in a secondary health facility in Benin City, Edo State

Background: Domestic Violence is a serious, preventable public health problem that affects millions of people. The abuse of women has serious ramifications because of its implications on their sexual and reproductive health as well as their overall well being and that of their households.Objective: To assess the prevalence, patterns and determinants of domestic violence among antenatal attendees in Central Hospital, Benin City, Edo state.Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study among antenatal attendees selected using systematic sampling technique. Pre-tested structured, interviewer administered questionnaire patterned after the WHO multi-country study questionnaire was the tool for data collection. Data was analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20.0 software. Bivariate analysis between socio-demographic variables and presence of domestic violence was done. Binary logistic regression was also done to determine significant predictors of domestic violence. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05.Results: Four hundred antenatal attendees with mean age of 29.8 ± 4.4 years participated in the study. The prevalence of domestic violence among the respondents in the past 1 year was 53.3% and of these, 55.4% experienced it in the current pregnancy. A higher proportion of respondents (41.5%) suffered physical violence followed by those who suffered sexual violence (34.0%) and emotional violence (31.3%). There was no significant association between socio demographic variables of the respondents and the experience of domestic violence.Conclusion: Prevalence of domestic violence in the studied group was high. Implementation of programmes geared towards the prevention and elimination of domestic violence is advocated.Keywords: Prevalence, Domestic violence, Benin City, Ante-nata

Risks of intestinal helminthiasis in children living in orphanages in Benin city, Nigeria

Background: Risk factors of intestinal helminthiasis include poor personal hygiene/care, and behavioural aberrations such as finger sucking, nail biting and pica which had been found to enhance intestinal ova transmission.Objectives: To determine risk factors of intestinal helminthiasis in children living in orphanages in Benin City, Nigeria.Subjects and Methods: Fresh stool samples from 140 children (0 – 17 years) living in 10 orphanages in Benin City, were analyzed using the Kato-Katz technique for the detection of ova of helminths between January-April, 2011.Results: Prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis was 20.7%. Children ages 12 – 17 years had highest prevalence of intestinal helminths. Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura were the intestinal helminths isolated. Behavioural aberrations were represented more in infected subjects than the noninfected children (χ2 = 3.94, p = 0.047, O.R = 2.3). Nail biting and use of common towel were the most significant independent predictors of intestinal helminthiasis (p = 0.017 and 0.028 respectively). Hand washing with water and soap after defeacation was significantly associated with decreased prevalence of intestinal helminthiasis (p = 0.016).Conclusion: Behavioural modification, good personal hygiene and provision of towels for each child living in the orphanage should be integral part of intestinal helminths control in orphanages

Attitude And Practice Of Antenatal HIV Screening Among Pregnant Women Attending A Secondary Health Facility In Benin-city

To assess the awareness, attitude and practice ofHIVtesting among antenatal clients in Benin-city. Across-sectional, descriptive study was carried out among 200 pregnant women. Respondents were selected at the weekly booking clinic using systematic sampling technique. Pre-tested, semi-structured and researcher-administered questionnairewas tool for data collection. All the respondentswere aware ofHIVtesting.Majority (85.5%) supported antenatal HIV testingwith a higher proportion supporting mandatory testing (51.0%). About 25.0% of the respondents had undergone HIV testing and only 27.5% of them were counseled. Previous HIV testing was associated with higher educational status (p = 0.0443) and a higher parity (p = 0.0191).About 59.1% of those who had not been tested werewilling to undergo the test. Predictors ofwillingness to testwere a positive reaction to a positive test result (p = 0.0015) and support for mandatory testing (p = 0.0021). Age, educational status and parity were not associated with willingness to test. (p > 0.05) The practice of HIV testing was low and indicates the need to increase public enlightenment programmes on voluntaryHIVtesting and its benefits. Keywords: Awareness, Attitude, Practice, VCCT, HIV/AIDS. Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Vol. 11 (4) 2008: pp. 324-32

Prevalence of Rheumatic Heart Disease among Primary School Pupils in Mid-Western Nigeria

Objective: To determine the prevalence of RHD among primary school pupils in Egor Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State of Nigeria.Design: A cross sectional studySetting: The study was carried out among selected primary pupils in three public and six private schools in Egor LGA, (the smallest governmental unit) in mid-Western Nigeria.Subjects: Using a multistage sampling technique, pupils were selected from public and private primary schools in Egor LGA. They were clinically screened for evidence of RHD by auscultating for significant murmurs. The pupils with significant murmurs then had echocardiographic evaluation to confirm the presence of RHD.Main outcomes: Pupils with significant murmurs and pupils with echocardiographically confirmed RHD.Results: Of the 1764 pupils recruited, 900 (51.02%) were females while 864 (48.98%) were males. The mean age of the pupils was 8.86 ± 2.14 years. 1065(60.37%) and 699(39.63%) respectively were recruited from public and private schools. Of the 1764 pupils, six (0.34 %) had significant murmur. Only one of the six had RHD, giving a prevalence of 0.57/1000 pupils. The pupil with RHD was a male, from public school and in the low socioeconomic class.Conclusion: The prevalence of RHD in this study is low compared to similar studies conducted outside the country. The true prevalence may be  underestimated since higher prevalence is obtained from  echocardiographic based screening compared to clinical screening

Blood pressure percentiles in a group of Nigerian school age children

Background: Determination of abnormal blood pressure (BP) in children is dependent on comparison with normal percentile values. The commonly used National Institute of Health (NIH) standard is generated from childrenoutside of Africa.Objective: To develop BP percentile values for Nigerian childrenbased on BP cuff width 40% to 50% of arm circumference.Methods: Subjects were pupils from nine primary schools in Midwestern Nigeria recruited using a multi-stage sampling technique. Their BP was measured using a cuff width of 40 to 50% of arm circumference and cuff length of at least 80% of arm circumference respectively. The mean of two BP readings were taken. Hypertension was defined as systolic and or diastolic BP >95th percentile of the study population.Results: There were 1549 subjects, aged 5 to 15 years, of which 757 (48.9%) were males. Prevalence of hypertension was 2.6%. Only age and weight were independent predictors of both elevated systolic and diastolic BP. The 5th, 10th, 50th, 90th and 95th percentiles of Systolic and diastolic BP were generated for both males and females pupils.Conclusion: BP Percentiles have been generated using BP cuff width 40 to 50% of the arm circumference for Nigerian children.Keyword: Blood pressure; hypertension; childhood; percentil

Prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control of hypertension in Nigeria in 1995 and 2020: A systematic analysis of current evidence

Improved understanding of the current burden of hypertension, including awareness, treatment, and control, is needed to guide relevant preventative measures in Nigeria. A systematic search of studies on the epidemiology of hypertension in Nigeria, published on or after January 1990, was conducted. The authors employed randomeffects meta-analysis on extracted crude hypertension prevalence, and awareness, treatment, and control rates. Using a meta-regression model, overall hypertension cases in Nigeria in 1995 and 2020 were estimated. Fifty-three studies (n = 78 949) met our selection criteria. Estimated crude prevalence of pre-hypertension (120-139/80-89 mmHg) in Nigeria was 30.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.0%-39.7%), and the crude prevalence of hypertension (≥140/90 mmHg) was 30.6% (95% CI: 27.3%-34.0%). When adjusted for age, study period, and sample, absolute cases of hypertension increased by 540% among individuals aged ≥20 years from approximately 4.3 million individuals in 1995 (age-adjusted prevalence 8.6%, 95% CI: 6.5-10.7) to 27.5 million individuals with hypertension in 2020 (age-adjusted prevalence 32.5%, 95% CI: 29.8-35.3). The age-adjusted prevalence was only significantly higher among men in 1995, with the gap between both sexes considerably narrowed in 2020. Only 29.0% of cases (95% CI: 19.7-38.3) were aware of their hypertension, 12.0% (95% CI: 2.7-21.2) were on treatment, and 2.8% (95% CI: 0.1-5.7) had at-goal blood pressure in 2020. Our study suggests that hypertension prevalence has substantially increased in Nigeria over the last two decades. Although more persons are aware of their hypertension status, clinical treatment and control rates, however, remain low. These estimates are relevant for clinical care, population, and policy response in Nigeria and across Africa