Digital habits and use of the internet as source of sexual and reproductive health information among undergraduates in northern Nigeria

Background: Surfing the internet and networking via social media have evolved at a startling pace. Objectives: To determine internet and social media habits and identify predictors of their use as sexual and reproductive health resource among Bayero University students. Study Design: A cross section of 385 students was interviewed using pre-tested anonymous structured self-completed questionnaires. Results: Nearly all students 98.4% (n=377) had accessed the internet and most 96.3% (n=363) had visited social media sites. Face book 57.3% (n=208), Twitter 22.3% (n=81) and Blackberry Messenger 8.8% (n=32) were the most popular among students. Of those with internet access,51.2%,46.2%, 39.2% and 38.5% mainly searched for information on HIV/AIDS, STI, sexual activities and menstrual problems respectively. There was more than two-fold likelihood of accessing online sexual information among female students compared to males, adjusted Odds ratio (aOR=2.52); 95% Confidence Interval (95%CI= 2.41-4.86). Similarly, ever-married students had more than twice the chance relative to single students (aOR=2.2, 95%CI=1.17-4.28). Furthermore, younger students (<20 years) were twice more likely to have used online resources compared to their older colleagues (≥30 years) (aOR=2.12, 95%CI=1.32-4.17). Conclusion: Undergraduate students are increasingly turning to the internet for sexual and reproductive health information. This presents an opportunity for programming.Key words: Internet, Social media, Reproductive, Sexual health, information source

DITrust Chain: Towards Blockchain-Based Trust Models for Sustainable Healthcare IoT Systems

© 2013 IEEE. Today, internet and device ubiquity are paramount in individual, formal and societal considerations. Next generation communication technologies, such as Blockchains (BC), Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing, etc. offer limitless capabilities for different applications and scenarios including industries, cities, healthcare systems, etc. Sustainable integration of healthcare nodes (i.e. devices, users, providers, etc.) resulting in healthcare IoT (or simply IoHT) provides a platform for efficient service delivery for the benefit of care givers (doctors, nurses, etc.) and patients. Whereas confidentiality, accessibility and reliability of medical data are accorded high premium in IoHT, semantic gaps and lack of appropriate assets or properties remain impediments to reliable information exchange in federated trust management frameworks. Consequently, We propose a Blockchain Decentralised Interoperable Trust framework (DIT) for IoT zones where a smart contract guarantees authentication of budgets and Indirect Trust Inference System (ITIS) reduces semantic gaps and enhances trustworthy factor (TF) estimation via the network nodes and edges. Our DIT IoHT makes use of a private Blockchain ripple chain to establish trustworthy communication by validating nodes based on their inter-operable structure so that controlled communication required to solve fusion and integration issues are facilitated via different zones of the IoHT infrastructure. Further, text{C}mathrm {sharp } implementation using Ethereum and ripple Blockchain are introduced as frameworks to associate and aggregate requests over trusted zones

Influence of Birth Preparedness, Decision-Making on Location of Birth and Assistance by Skilled Birth Attendants among Women in South-Western Uganda

Introduction: Assistance by skilled birth attendants (SBAs) during childbirth is one of the strategies aimed at reducing maternal morbidity and mortality in low-income countries. However, the relationship between birth preparedness and decision-making on location of birth and assistance by skilled birth attendants in this context is not well studied. The aim of this study was to assess the influence of birth preparedness practices and decision-making and assistance by SBAs among women in south-western Uganda

SPARC 2017 retrospect & prospects : Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

Welcome to the Book of Abstracts for the 2017 SPARC conference. This year we not only celebrate the work of our PGRs but also the 50th anniversary of Salford as a University, which makes this year’s conference extra special. Once again we have received a tremendous contribution from our postgraduate research community; with over 130 presenters, the conference truly showcases a vibrant PGR community at Salford. These abstracts provide a taster of the research strengths of their works, and provide delegates with a reference point for networking and initiating critical debate. With such wide-ranging topics being showcased, we encourage you to exploit this great opportunity to engage with researchers working in different subject areas to your own. To meet global challenges, high impact research inevitably requires interdisciplinary collaboration. This is recognised by all major research funders. Therefore engaging with the work of others and forging collaborations across subject areas is an essential skill for the next generation of researchers

SPARC 2018 Internationalisation and collaboration : Salford postgraduate annual research conference book of abstracts

Welcome to the Book of Abstracts for the 2018 SPARC conference. This year we not only celebrate the work of our PGRs but also the launch of our Doctoral School, which makes this year’s conference extra special. Once again we have received a tremendous contribution from our postgraduate research community; with over 100 presenters, the conference truly showcases a vibrant PGR community at Salford. These abstracts provide a taster of the research strengths of their works, and provide delegates with a reference point for networking and initiating critical debate. With such wide-ranging topics being showcased, we encourage you to take up this great opportunity to engage with researchers working in different subject areas from your own. To meet global challenges, high impact research inevitably requires interdisciplinary collaboration. This is recognised by all major research funders. Therefore engaging with the work of others and forging collaborations across subject areas is an essential skill for the next generation of researchers

A Survey of Weight Perception and Social Desirability of Obesity

BACKGROUND: Obesity and its complications are emergent health challenges in developing countries including Nigeria.  We determined the concordance of perceived with measured weight and assessed the social desirability of obesity among adults in Kano metropolis in northern Nigeria.METHODS: A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among 400 adults using structured interview questionnaires.  RESULTS: Among 386 respondents, 58 (84.1%) of underweight adults, 106 (46.2%) of healthy weight adults, 46 (66.7%) of overweight adults and 16 (84.2%) of obese adults incorrectly perceived their weight category. Sixty (15.5%) participants considered obesity as socially desirable and a sign of good living and affluence. Older respondents (≥40 years) (P=0.0001), Igbo or Yoruba ethnicity (P=0.0035) and non-formal or primary education (P<0.0001) were significantly associated with positive view of obesity. However, only ethnicity; Yoruba-Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) =1.60, 95% Confidence Interval (95% CI)  (1.20-2.86), P=0.018, Igbo (aOR=3.22, 95% CI (1.64-6.3), P=0.005 and educational status; non-formal (aOR=4.61, 95% CI (1.62-16.9), P=0.01; primary (aOR=4.95, 95% CI(1.4-17.8), P=0.015 remained significant predictors after adjusting for confounding.  CONCLUSION: The discordance between perceived and measured weight is worrisome but the low social desirability of obesity should be encouraged. Weight control using periodic weight measurements, nutritional education and physical exercise are paramount.KEY WORDS: Weight, perception, obesity, social desire, Nigeri