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Background : Increased morbidity and mortality of tuberculosis have been blamed on neglect of the human dimension of tuberculosis control. One of such factors included in human dimension is non-compliance, a behavioural parameter, which has led to the emergence of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis, and poor treatment outcome. Objective : To explore the impact of directly observed therapy (DOT) on compliance and the factors influencing it. Design : A retrospective study. Setting : Chest clinic of Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Methods : Directly observed therapy (DOT) was employed. Records of the socio-demographic characteristics, treatment categories, complications developed, results of investigations, level of compliance and treatment outcome for the patients were kept. The data for the patients seen between May 1996 and April 1997 were retrieved and analysed. Those that complied were compared with those that did not comply. Results : One hundred and ninety nine patients comprising ninety one males and 108 females, were seen during the period .They were mostly between the ages of 16 years and 45 years(mean ± SD = 31.7±14.98). One hundred and fifty eight (73%) complied and all of them were cured. The only factor that significantly influenced rate of compliance was proximity to the chest clinic. Conclusion : DOT improves the rate of compliance. No socio-demographic factors considered significantly influenced the rate of compliance under DOT, and as such they are not reliable predictive factors. Locating chest units in the existing primary health care facilities will improve the rate of compliance with antituberculosis therapy. More attention should be paid to behavioural aspect of tuberculosis control.

Objective: To investigate the occupational effects of Arc-welding on small scale welders in Modakeke, Ik-Ife, Nigeria. Design: A community-based, cross-sectional study. Setting: A semi-urban area Modakeke, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Populatian: A semi-urban area with a population of about 300,000 (three hundred thousand). Shrdypopulation: Forty four Arc-welders in Modakeke, Ile-Ife and fifty age andsex-matched controls working in the Maintenance Department of Obaferni Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Intervention: Structured questionnaires adapted from the Medical Research Council, UK respiratory questionnaire with some modifications were administered to all subjects and controls. Physical examination and lung function tests were also carried out on all subjects and controls. Main outcome measures: Occupational-related symptoms of welders and controls were compared. Ventilatory function of welders and controls were also compared using the Student's %'-test. Chi-square was adopted to test the strength of relationship between smoking and lung function abnormalities. Results: The most frequent symptomsfound among the subjects wereeyeirritation (95.43%), rhinitis (50.09%) and skin irritation (43.19%). The arc-welders were found to have characteristically tower lung function parameters than controls (p