Knowledge of spacer device, peak flow meter and inhaler technique (MDIs) among health care providers: an evaluation of doctors and nurses.

Background: Metered dose inhalers are cornerstone in effective management of bronchial asthma when correctly used. Most studies hitherto have focused on assessing patient’s knowledge of inhaler technique. We sought to assess the knowledge of inhaler technique, spacer device and peak flow meter among doctors and nurses in a tertiary healthcare institution in Nigeria.Method: A cross sectional survey of nurses and doctors from emergency department, family and internal medicine; who were attending a continuous professional development lecture, was carried out. From a total of 100 questionnaires administered, we retrieved 87 of which 75 were completed, giving a response rate of 75%. It was a selfadministered questionnaire. Data was analysed with SPSS version 21.0. Descriptive statistics were done. Associationwas examined using chi-square test.Result: Mean age of respondent was 35.8 years ± 8.7, 47(62.7%) were < 40 years, 33(44%) were male, nurses were 30(40.0%). Only 28(37.3%) had ever used a peak flow meter. Only 4(14.3%) used peak flow meter frequently, while 12(26.7%) checked patient’s inhaler technique often. Only 9 out of the 75 (12%) participants all of who are doctors knew at least 3 essential steps of the techniques in using the metered dose inhaler correctly. None of the participants got all the steps for the use of pMDI totally correct.Conclusion: Knowledge regarding the use of the metered dose inhaler and spacer device was poor. Health practitioners should have constant reminders in the form of continuous medical education to update their knowledge regarding correct inhaler technique.Funding: self-fundedKeywords: asthma, inhalers, knowledge, doctors, nurse

Pulverized Calcined Clay and Carbide Waste as Alternative Binder in Concrete and Mortar Applications for Sustainable Construction

Portland cement (PC) based concrete is the world’s most consumed man-made material and this consequently puts lots of demand on cement as a binder. The CO2 gas emission during cement clinker production has placed this important material into non-environmental-friendly classification with quest for greener alternatives being on the rise. A recent study showed combination of Pulverized Calcined Clay (PCC) and Calcium Carbide Waste (CCW) as possible alternative for total PC replacement with resulting appreciable mortar strength but delayed setting times and lower strength than PC mortars. This paper reports on effects of PCC-CCW as alternative binder on strength properties of mortars. The mortar mixes had superplasticizers added to reduce water/binder ratio while the CCW was treated to reduce impurities with a view to improving the strength development and a bid to mitigate the observed setbacks of earlier study. The pozzolanic activity indices of the PCC was determined via X-Ray Fluorescence(XRF) and strength determination (strength activity index). The PCC was combined with Purified CCW to determine the binder’s strengths at varying PCC:CCW replacements to determine the prescribed mix combination for optimum strength. Improved optimised mortar strength of 13.11MPa was achieved compared to 11.89MPa in the previous stud

IMPACT OF ELECTRONIC BANKING TECHNOLOGY ON CUSTOMERS’ SATISFACTION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN NIGERIA

Various researchers have studied the impact of e-banking on banks’ performance, banks’ profit, and e-banking challenges, but this study is looking at its impact on both customers’ satisfaction and economic growth. The methodology employed for testing the hypotheses is a statistical parametric test called Pair Sample t-test through the use of SPSS statistical package. The study rejects both null hypotheses which mean that ebanking has improved both customers’ satisfaction and caused economic growth in Nigeria. The study recommends adequate legislation on all aspects of e-banking so that both the operators of the system and the public can be adequately protected. Also, banks should charge low or no fees for e-banking services in order to motivate their customers to take advantage of e-banking services

Knowledge of School Health Programme among Public Primary School Teachers in Oyo State, South-Western Nigeria: A Rural- Urban Comparative Study

Teachers are in a vantage position to facilitate positive health among school-age children through the School Health Programme (SHP). Lack of basic knowledge of the programme among them will hinder its effective implementation. Studies to gauge teachers’ knowledge of SHP are needed to improve the current suboptimal level of implementation in Nigeria. This study was conducted to assess and compare the knowledge of SHP among public primary school teachers in rural and urban areas of Oyo State, South-west Nigeria. A comparative cross-sectional survey was conducted among teachers in selected rural and urban public primary schools using a 2-stage cluster sampling technique. Knowledge scores were computed giving minimum and maximum obtainable scores of 0 and 33 respectively. Respondents were reported as having inadequate knowledge if aggregate score was <16.5 and adequate if ≥16.5. Associations were tested using Chi-square and t-test for qualitative and quantitative variables respectively at p=0.05. Majority (84.6%) of the teachers had inadequate knowledge of SHP with similar proportions in the rural (84.2%) and urban (84.9%) schools. Higher proportions of those aged ≥40 years, that were ever married and had 2 qualifications had adequate knowledge compared with their counterparts (p<0.05). Majority of the teachers had inadequate knowledge of SHP. Further study to assess teachers’ training in SHP is needed. This may inform training intervention to upgrade their knowledge of the programme in the study area. (Afr J Reprod Health 2015; 19[3]: 55-60). Keywords: School-age children, Effective implementation, Adequate knowledge, Positive health Les enseignants sont dans une position avantageuse pour faciliter la santé positive chez les enfants d'âge scolaire par le biais du programme de santé à l’école (PSE). Le manque de connaissances de base sur le programme parmi eux va entraver sa mise en oeuvre effective. Il faut des études pour jauger les connaissances des enseignants de PSE à fin d’améliorer le niveau sous-optimal de la mise en oeuvre actuelle au Nigeria. Cette étude a été menée pour évaluer et comparer la connaissance de PSE au sein des enseignants des écoles primaires publiques dans les zones rurales et urbaines de l'État d'Oyo, au sud-ouest du Nigeria. Une étude comparative transversale a été menée auprès des enseignants dans les écoles primaires publiques rurales et urbaines sélectionnées à l’aide d’une technique d’échantillonnage en grappes à 2 étages. Les scores de connaissance ont été calculés, ce qui a donné des scores obtenus minimaux et maximaux de 0 et 33, respectivement. Les interviewés ont été considérés comme ayant une connaissance insuffisante si le score total était de <16,5 et adéquate s’il est de ≥16.5. Les associations ont été analysées à l'aide du chi carré et l’analyse t pour les variables qualitatives et quantitatives respectivement à p = 0,05. La majorité (84,6%) des enseignants avait une mauvaise connaissance du PSE avec des proportions semblables dans le milieu rural (84,2%) et (84,9%) des écoles urbaines. Des proportions plus élevées de personnes âgées de 40 ans et, qui aient jamais été mariés et ont eu 2 qualifications avaient une connaissance suffisante par rapport à leurs homologues (p <0,05). La majorité des enseignants avaient une connaissance insuffisante du PSE. Il faut une étude plus approfondie pour évaluer la formation des enseignants dans le PSE. Cela peut justifier l'intervention de la formation afin d'améliorer leurs connaissances du programme dans la zone d'étude. (Afr J Reprod Health 2015; 19[3]: 55-60).Mots-clés: enfants d'âge scolaire, mise en oeuvre efficace, connaissance adéquate, santé positiv

Utilisation of a community-based health facility in a low-income urban community in Ibadan, Nigeria

Background: Primary healthcare is established to ensure that people have access to health services through facilities located in their community. However, utilisation of health facilities in Nigeria remains low in many communities. Aim: To assess the utilisation of community-based health facility (CBHF) amongst adults in Ibadan, Nigeria. Settings: A low-income community in Ibadan North West Local Government Area of Oyo State.Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a simple random sampling technique to select one adult per household in all 586 houses in the community. A semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect information on respondents’ sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge and utilisation of the CBHF. Data analysis included descriptive statistics and association testing using the Chi-square test at p = 0.05. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 46.5 ± 16.0 years; 46.0% were men and 81.0% married; 26% had no formal education and 38.0% had secondary-level education and above; traders constituted 52.0% of the sample; and 85.2% were of low socioeconomic standing; 90%had patronised the CBHF. The main reasons for non-utilisation were preference for general hospitals (13.8%) and self-medication (12.1%). Respondents who had secondary education and above, were in a higher socioeconomic class, who had good knowledge of the facility and were satisfied with care, utilised the CBHF three months significantly more than their counterparts prior to the study (p < 0.05). However, only satisfaction with care was found to be a significant predictor of utilisation of the CBHF. Conclusion: The utilisation of the CBHF amongst adults in the study setting is high, driven mostly by satisfaction with the care received previously. Self-medication, promoted by uncontrolled access to drugs through pharmacies and patent medicine stores, threatens this high utilisation

Awareness and perception of the state tobacco control law prohibiting smoking in public places among selected stakeholders in Ekiti State, Nigeria

Background Tobacco smoking in public places is prevalent in Nigeria despite global recognition of its deleterious effects. Ekiti State is one of the few states in Nigeria that has enacted the law prohibiting smoking in public places without decline in the practice. This study was conducted to assess awareness and perception of State tobacco control law prohibiting smoking in public places among selected stakeholders and the factors influencing adherence to the law in Ekiti State. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative approach. Respondents were selected stakeholders who were directly involved with tobacco control law within the State. Respondents' perception and attitude towards the tobacco control law was assessed using standardized scales. The qualitative survey employed key informant interview (KII) using KII guide. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square at p=0.05 while qualitative data were analyzed using thematic approach. Results The mean age of respondents was 39.9 ± 7.7 years and 55.5% were males. Majority (73.0%) were aware of the state tobacco control law, had good perception (86.0%) of and positive attitude towards the law (93.4%). More of the older age groups were aware of the law compared to the younger (p=0.018). The qualitative findings revealed there was little or no compliance with the law prohibiting tobacco smoking in the public in the State. Some identified reasons for non-compliance by most respondents were poor level of information dissemination and awareness and lack of political will. Conclusions This study revealed high level of awareness, good perception and positive attitude but poor adherence to the law prohibiting tobacco smoking in public places among stakeholders in Ekiti State. Concerted efforts are required by the government to address identified bottlenecks against compliance for effective implementation and enforcement of the law in the State

Knowledge of malaria prevention among pregnant women and female caregivers of under-five children in rural southwest Nigeria

Introduction. The morbidity and mortality from malaria are still unacceptably high in the developing countries, especially among the vulnerable groups like pregnant women and under-five children, despite all control efforts. The knowledge about the preventive measures of malaria is an important preceding factor for the acceptance and use of malaria preventive measures like Insecticide Treated Nets (ITN) by community members. Therefore, this study assessed the knowledge of malaria prevention among caregivers of under-five children and pregnant women in a rural community in Southwest Nigeria.Methodology. This is part of a larger malaria prevention study in rural Southwest Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among pregnant women and caregivers of under-five children in Igbo-Ora, a rural town in Southwest Nigeria using a semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Information was obtained on knowledge of malaria prevention, and overall composite scores were computed for knowledge of malaria prevention and ITN use. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Associations between variables were tested using a Chi-square with the level of statistical significance set at 5%.Results. Of the 631 respondents, 84.9% were caregivers of under-five children and 67.7% were married. Mean age was 27.7 ± 6.3 years with 53.4% aged between 20 and 29 years. Majority (91.1%) had at least primary school education and 60.2% were traders. Overall, 57.7% had poor knowledge of malaria prevention. A good proportion (83.5%) were aware of the use of ITN for malaria prevention while 30.6% had poor knowledge of its use. Respondents who were younger (<30 years), had at least primary education and earn <10,000/per month had significantly poor knowledge of ITN use in malaria prevention. Majority (60.0%) respondents had poor attitude regarding use of ITNs.Conclusion. This study showed that the knowledge of malaria prevention is still low among under-five caregivers and pregnant women in rural Southwest Nigeria despite current control measures. There is a need for concerted health education intervention to improve the knowledge of rural dwellers regarding malaria prevention, including the use of ITN. This will go a long way to improving the reported low level of ownership and utilization of ITN in the rural areas

Profile and correlates of functional status in elderly patients presenting at a primary care clinic in Nigeria

Background: Assessing the functional status of elderly patients is central in measuring their health outcome. Little is known about the functional status of elderly patients attending our primary care clinic in Nigeria. Objective: To assess the correlates of functional status in elderly patients presenting at the General Outpatient Clinic of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Method: A cross-sectional study of 360 randomly selected patients aged 60 years and above was undertaken to assess their functional status by scoring their basic activities of daily living (BADL) using the Modified Bathel Index. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain the socio-demographic data, anthropometric measurements and morbidities of each patient. Results: The mean age was 69.1 ± 6.6 years with a female-to-male ratio of 1.9: 1. The prevalence of overall functional disability (defined as when assistance was sought in the performance of at least one of the components of BADL) was 88.3%. The highest prevalence of functionaldisability was experienced in the area of personal hygiene and grooming (95.3%) and transferring from bed to chair (95.3%). Overall functional disability significantly increasedwith increasing age (χ2 for trend=14.004, p < 0.0001), living in a polygamous family unit (p = 0.025), and lack of formal education (p = 0.020). Conclusion: Functional disability was high amongst the elderly in this setting. Age, education, and living in a polygamous type of family unit had significant influence on the functional status. High premium should, therefore, be placed on considering these factors in reducing functional disability in the elderly