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Determinants of Healthcare Choice in Kontagora Town
Full text linkThis study examined the determinants of healthcare choice in Kontagora town. The objective was to investigate the factors that influence the choice of healthcare providing facility in the study area and to ascertain the extent at which the available healthcare facilities are accessible to the residents of the area. Data were retrieved through self interviewer-administered questionnaires involving 100 consenting participants selected through a random sampling technique. The study utilised the multiple regression equation. The study revealed that gender, marital status, education, and religion arep significant factors that influence the choice of healthcare. The study also revealed that most respondents (about 45.7%) used the public health service. In comparison, only 38% preferred private healthcare services, indicating a growing trend towards private healthcare facilities as a choice of medical services among the people of Kontagora. The selection of healthcare service was attributed to cost and quality service, effective treatment, nearness of the facility, and waiting time. The study recommended that government and stakeholders play a significant role in increasing community-based health education, creating awareness, and improving access to information through public discussions and local media. 
Boko haram insurgency and women vunerabilities in northern Nigeria: 2009-2014
No full textSince the turn of civilian regime from 1999 till date, women have been at the receiving end of violence in Nigeria. The Nigeria watch data base provided the opportunity to validate the extent to which women have been victims of homicide and manslaughter. Some factors are responsible for violence against women for example, domestic violence, rape, and sorcery, with domestic violence as high number of cases. The paper draws the conclusion that regions in the south seem to have a high degree of lethal violence against women because violence against women is less reported in the north, the security threat caused by Boko Haram insurgent, is an onslaught and this has reshape socio-economic development in Nigeria. The challenges of this sect have become a national security threat despite lip service from government to curb this menace. This paper addresses an aspect of Boko Haram’s activities on gender-based violence and its target on women. However, 2013 marked an evolution of this sect with series of actions like kidnapping anchored on women folk. This provides shift from their operation to include women to increase incessant pressure on male folk. It generated rationale for women within Boko Haram framework to appreciate gender factor ingroup’sviolence.It is the opinion of this paper that security avails the opportunity for socio-economic development and recommends that government should awake to its responsibilities and ensure adequate funding and training of security agencies, and fortify security agents with sophisticated weapons that will effectively outwitthe fire power of this terrorist. The border areas should be tightened to checkmate the high influx of people into its territory collectively. The deployment of vigilante and neighborhood watch would serve as complimentary effort to the machinery of government to identify and locate the sect for such a time as this. Nigeria can only achieve sustainable development through firm prioritization of national security in their development agenda
Respecifying DeLone and McLean Information Systems Success Model for Measuring ERP Post-implementation Success
Full text linkThe emergence of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) has guided organizations to focus on ensuring their competitive advantages by utilizing its capabilities. This study proposes a theoretical model for measuring ERP post-implementation success and presents empirical findings using a conceptual model derived from the Delone and Mclean Information Systems (IS) success model. Four of the model’s dimensions were identified to measure ERP system postimplementation success namely: ERP system Quality, ERP Information Quality, ERP Service Quality, and ERP Post Implementation Benefits. The three quality dimensions of Delone and Mclean’s model were used as independent variables to assess the effects on ERP postimplementation success. A total of 233 questionnaires were collected from ERP users at the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia and the data was analyzed using Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) techniques. Results show positive relationships between the model constructs, and the model explained 59.31% of the variance in ERP system postimplementation success
EDITORIAL: The language enigma: Two decades of quality assuring language assessment in South Africa
No full textNo Abstract
Examining the maternal health services-seeking behaviour among adolescent urban refugees in Kampala, Uganda
No full textBackground: Reproductive health is a key concern during crisis situations and improving maternal health is crucial. In Uganda, refugees living in urban areas are expected to be self-reliant and this makes the adolescents who get pregnant vulnerable.
Objective: To investigate the maternal health services seeking behaviour of the adolescent refugees in Kampala.
Methods: This study examined the experiences of twenty refugee girls who got pregnant and delivered babies from the ages of 10 to 19, while living in Kampala. This was done through in-depth interviews. Thematic content analysis was used to interpret, code and analyze the data.
Results: This study found that many of the refugee girls get pregnant as a result of sexual violence. The girls seek maternal health services from the public and private facilities around Kampala, but face barriers to access and utilization like poverty, language barrier, health worker’s attitudes, and overcrowded facilities and therefore many received suboptimal care.
Conclusion: The urban refugee adolescents who get pregnant face several challenges to utilize maternal health services. Increased funding, favourable policies and programs are needed to support these girls to access comprehensive maternal health services because they face multiple vulnerabilities.
Keywords: Adolescent health; refugees; maternal health services
The effect of short-term vitamin D on the antioxidant capacity following exhaustive aerobic exercise
No full textBackground: Exhaustive Aerobic Exercise (EAE) increases the production of free radicals and oxidative stress in the body. One of the most effective approaches to reduce EAE-induced oxidative stress is antioxidant supplementation.
Objectives: Therefore, the present study investigated the effect of short-term Vitamin D (Vit D) supplementation on antioxidant capacity in inactive men following an EAE session.
Methods: In this clinical trial, 24 non-athlete men were randomly divided into Experimental (Exp; n = 12) and Control (C; n =12) groups. Exp received 2,000 IU of Vit D daily for six weeks (42 days), while C received a lactose placebo daily with the same color, shape, and warmth percentage. EAE sessions were performed on a treadmill before and after six weeks of supplementation.
Results: The results showed that EAE increased antioxidant capacity and Vit D (P<0.05). Compared with C, six weeks of Vit D supplementation significantly increased superoxide dismutase (P=0.001), glutathione peroxidase (P=0.011), catalase (P=0.018), peroxidase (P=0.001), and Vit D (P=0.001), in the Exp at the Post 2 stage.
Conclusion: Finally, short-term Vit D supplementation could be recommended to non-athlete men deciding to participate in EAE to prevent oxidative damage.
Keywords: Exhaustive Aerobic Exercise; Overweight; Vitamin D; Antioxidant Capacity
Mise en place d’une consultation de neurologie a l’hopital de Tivaouane, dans la region de thies au Senegal : Que retenir apres presque quatre ans d’activite ? Setting up a neurology consultation at the Tivaouane hospital, in the thies region of Senegal : What to retain after almost four years of activity ?
No full textIntroductionLa neurologie est la spécialité médicale qui étudie les maladies du système nerveux (central et périphérique). Au Sénégal, elle a été pendant longtemps cantonnée à Dakar. L’avènement de l’UFR Santé a favorisé la mise en place d’une consultation de neurologie à l’hôpital de Tivaouane depuis 2014. L’objectif de notre travail était de faire le bilan de cette activité après presque quatre ans.MéthodologieA partir du registre de consultation, nous avons collecté et analysé les données sociodémographiques et les motifs de consultation des patients entre Avril 2014 et Janvier 2018.Résultats1112 patients ont été consultés durant la période dont 59% de femmes. La tranche d’âge la plus représentative était 35-70 ans avec 47,9%. Les principaux motifs de consultation étaient représentés par les lombosciatalgies (25%), les crises comitiales (11,2%), les céphalées (9,3%), l’hémiplégie (5,5%), des paresthésies (5%), les lombalgies 2,5 %, le syndrome parkinsonien (1,8%), les cervicalgies (1,7%), les vertiges (1,3%).Discussion et conclusionNos résultats montrent donc qu’il y a une grande diversité des motifs de consultation neurologique à Tivaouane chez des patients qui, pour l’essentiel sont des adultes jeunes. Ils nous permettent aussi d’avoir, dans un premier temps, une vision panoramique des motifs de consultation et, dans un deuxième temps, d’envisager des études ciblées, notamment pour les motifs les plus fréquents comme les lombosciatalgies, les crises comitiales et les céphalées par exemple.
Background and purposeNeurology is the medical specialty that studies diseases of the nervous system (central and peripheral). In Senegal, it was for a long time confined to Dakar. The advent of the UFR Santé has favored the establishment of a neurology consultation at the Tivaouane hospital since 2014. The objective of our work was to present the results of this activity after almost four years.MethodFrom the consultation register, we collected and analyzed the socio-demographic data and the reasons for consulting patients between April 2014 and January 2018. 1112 patients were consulted during the period, 59% of whom were women. The most representative age group was 35-70 years old with 47.9%. The main reasons for consultation were represented by lumbosciatalgia (25%), seizures (11.2%), headaches (9.3%), hemiplegia (5.5%), paresthesias (5%), low back pain 2.5%, parkinsonian syndrome (1.8%), neck pain (1.7%), dizziness (1.3%).Discussion and ConclusionOur results therefore show that there is a great diversity of reasons neurological consultation in Tivaouane for patients who, for the most part, are young adults. They also allow us to have, initially, a panoramic vision of the reasons for consultation and, secondly, to consider targeted studies, in particular for the most frequent reasons such as lumbosciatalgia, seizures and headaches for example
A retrospective evaluation of pregnant adolescents presenting to an emergency department
No full textThe purpose of this study was to evaluate demographic features, presenting complaints and outcomes of adolescent pregnancies admitted to the emergency department of a Turkish State hospital. The study sample included 1187 pregnant adolescents admitted to the emergency department of a state hospital. Data were collected with a form created by the researchers from the emergency department records and forensic records of the hospital. The pregnant adolescents presented to hospital with a wide range of complaints. The most frequent three reasons of presenting to the emergency department were abdominal pain, supervision of normal pregnancy and vaginal bleeding. More than half of them were discharged after their evaluation in the emergency department. In the study, it was determined that the use of the emergency department for non-emergency indications is widespread among adolescent pregnant women. These findings indicate that pregnant adolescents have unmet needs for reproductive health, especially antenatal care.
Cette étude a pour but d'évaluer les caractéristiques démographiques des adolescentes enceintes ayant consulté le service des urgences, ainsi que les raisons et les résultats de leur admission au service des urgences. L'échantillon de l'étude se composait de 1187 adolescentes enceintes se présentant au service des urgences d'un hôpital public. Les données ont été recueillies en examinant le registre des urgences et le registre médico-légal de l'hôpital à l'aide de la fiche de collecte de données préparée par les chercheurs. Les adolescentes enceintes se présentent au service des urgences avec un large éventail de plaintes. Les trois motifs les plus fréquents d'admission aux urgences sont respectivement les douleurs abdominales, le suivi normal de la grossesse et les saignements vaginaux. Suite aux évaluations effectuées au service des urgences, une bonne moitié des adolescentes enceintes ont été renvoyées chez elles. L'étude a permis de déterminer que le recours abusif au service d'urgence était fréquent chez les adolescentes enceintes. Ces résultats montrent que les femmes enceintes adolescentes ont des besoins non satisfaits en matière de services de santé reproductive, notamment en matière de soins prénataux
Teachers’ reflections on menstrual management among urban and rural schoolgirls in South Africa
No full textMenstruation affects all aspects of an adolescent schoolgirl’s life, including her educational journey. Experiences of menstruation within the school environment can either positively or negatively affect a girl’s schooling career. The purpose was to investigate the role of teachers in the school setting regarding addressing young girls’ experiences with menstruation in Cape Town, South Africa. We conducted a qualitative, exploratory study to purposively select six teachers from three, two urban and one rural. Six individual interviews were conducted by the researcher per school and data was transcribed and refined into themes. The main findings included, school attendance, culture, experiences and perceptions of teachers, and recommended key resources. Findings illustrate that there is a direct association between menstruation and school attendance. Challenges such as a dearth of sanitary products create a barrier for school attendance of adolescent girls. An improved understanding of culture and the challenges that menstruating adolescent schoolgirls face is needed to provide proper and adequate support. A language barrier may exist between teachers and learners, including a cultural unwillingness to speak openly about menstruation. Educational policies are needed to address the need for sanitary resources in schools to establish best practice for teachers in dealing with menstruating young schoolgirls.
Les menstruations affectent tous les aspects de la vie d'une écolière adolescente, y compris son parcours scolaire. Les expériences de menstruation dans l'environnement scolaire peuvent affecter positivement ou négativement le parcours scolaire d'une fille. L'objectif était d'étudier le rôle des enseignants dans le cadre scolaire en ce qui concerne les expériences des jeunes filles en matière de menstruation au Cap, en Afrique du Sud. Nous avons mené une étude qualitative et exploratoire pour sélectionner délibérément six enseignants parmi trois, deux urbains et un rural. Six entretiens individuels ont été menés par le chercheur par école et les données ont été transcrites et affinées en thèmes. Les principaux résultats comprenaient la fréquentation scolaire, la culture, les expériences et les perceptions des enseignants, et les ressources clés recommandées. Les résultats montrent qu'il existe une association directe entre les menstruations et la fréquentation scolaire. Des défis tels que la pénurie de produits sanitaires créent un obstacle à la fréquentation scolaire des adolescentes. Une meilleure compréhension de la culture et des défis auxquels les écolières adolescentes menstruées sont confrontées est nécessaire pour fournir un soutien approprié et adéquat. Une barrière linguistique peut exister entre les enseignants et les apprenants, y compris une réticence culturelle à parler ouvertement des menstruations. Des politiques éducatives sont nécessaires pour répondre au besoin de ressources sanitaires dans les écoles afin d'établir les meilleures pratiques pour les enseignants face aux jeunes écolières menstruées
Psychiatric morbidity among patients admitted with suicide attempt at a teaching hospital in western Kenya
No full textBackground: Suicide is a global health problem that has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to announce Mental Health Action to reduce suicide rates. Suicide attempt is a major risk for subsequent suicide, hence a psychiatric emergency.
Objective: To determine the patterns of psychiatric morbidity, methods of suicide employed and predisposing factors for attempted suicide.
Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study conducted between August 2019 and July 2021 among 154 adult patients admitted with a current history of attempted suicide. A validated Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Version 7.0 was employed in screening for mental disorders. Categorical data were reported descriptively as frequencies with corresponding proportions. Pearson chisquare and Fisher’s exact tests were performed using STATA version 14.
Results: 109 (70.8%) participants were below 35 years of age while two thirds 107 (69.5%) were male. The most frequently adopted method for attempting suicide was organophosphate ingestion among 110 (71.4%) participants, followed by prescription drug overdose in 14 (9.1%). Prevalent mental disorders were Major depressive disorder (MDD) in 60 (39.0%), alcohol use disorder (AUD) among 50 (32.5%), psychotic and bipolar disorders in 27 (17.5%) and 26 (16.9%) participants respectively. Male participants had a four-fold significantly increased likelihood (AOR = 3.99; 95% CI: 1.59, 11.30; p=0.005) of AUD compared to females.
Conclusion: The leading psychiatric morbidities were MDD and AUD. Organophosphate poison ingestion and prescription drug overdose were the most employed patterns of attempted suicide. Young male adults (below 35 years) with AUD were vulnerable to attempting suicide.