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Introduction: Antenatal care (ANC) services play a crucial role in safeguarding the health of pregnant women during their reproductive years. This study aimed to evaluate the primary factors influencing the utilization of ANC among women of childbearing age in Isari town, Jigawa State. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 400 mothers of childbearing age, selecting them using a simple random sampling method. Data were collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. The statistical analyses performed were descriptive analysis, Pearson's chi-square test, and binary logistic regression analysis. Results: The majority of respondents (92.5%) indicated awareness of ANC, with a significant proportion expressing the necessity of ANC services (85.7%). 57.8% of the respondents indicated attending ANC services at least four times during pregnancy. Furthermore, the number of visits has a significant relationship with age (P < 0.001), educational level (P = 0.003), occupation (P = 0.043), mother's knowledge of pregnancy danger signs (P = 0.001), and husband's support for ANC (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Enhancing ANC utilization will necessitate focusing on women residing in rural areas and those with limited educational attainment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The influence of social determinants of health (SDH) on sustainable development goals (SDG) has gained attention in recent years. However, there is a scarcity in the availability of valid and reliable instruments to assess the multiple aspects of SDH. Hence, this study was conducted to develop a brief self-reported measure for assessing SDH. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among university undergraduate students in Nigeria. The study consisted of 300 participants in the EFA (males 55.7%, females 44.3%) and 430 participants in the CFA (males 54.0%, females 46.0%). Participants were selected using a convenience sampling approach to assess their perceptions regarding SDH. Content Validity Index (CVI), Face Validity Index (FVI), Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Composite Reliability (CR), Average Variance Extracted (AVE), Cronbach's alpha, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) were computed to determine the psychometric properties of the newly developed SDH scale. Results: In the EFA, two factors were extracted (structural determinants of SDH and intermediary determinants of SDH), with all 20 items retained. The total variance explained by the EFA model was 61.8%, and the factor correlation was 0.178. The Cronbach's alpha values of the two factors were 0.917 and 0.939. In the CFA, the initial model did not fit the data well based on fit indices. After several re-specification of the model, the final re-specified measurement model demonstrated adequate fit factor structure of the SDH scale with two factors and 20 items (CFI = 0.943, TLI = 0.930, SRMR = 0.056, RMSEA = 0.053, RMSEA p-value = 0.220). The CR was 0.797 for structural determinants of SDH and 0.794 for intermediary determinants of SDH. The ICC was 0.938 for structural determinants of SDH and 0.941 for intermediary determinants of SDH. Conclusion: The findings indicate that the SDH scale has adequate psychometric properties and can be used to assess the perceived level of SDH. We recommended that this tool be tested in other populations with diverse age groups and other demographic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the mediating effect of psychological factors in the structural relationships between social and physical environmental factors and the amount of physical activity among undergraduate students at Universiti Sains Malaysia. The sample consisted of 422 students with a mean age of 20.2 years (SD = 1.27). The majority of the students were female (69.7%) and Malay (81.3%). Standardized scales were used to measure the total amount of physical activity and all the study variables. The final SEM had a good fit to the data: CFI = 0.968, TLI = 0.948, SRMR = 0.036, RMSEA (90%CI) = 0.046 (0.025, 0.065), RMSEA p-value = 0.609 with 11 paths relationships. Family support had a significant effect on perceived benefits and perceived barriers. The effect of friend support on physical activity was significantly mediated by perceived benefits, self-efficacy, and psychological needs satisfaction. The effect of the availability of exercise facilities on physical activity was significantly mediated by perceived benefits and psychological needs satisfaction. Furthermore, psychological needs satisfaction mediated the effect of perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and self-efficacy on physical activity. The study findings illustrated that the application of the social-ecological model and psychological factors is important in order to understand and promote positive physical activity behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The environmental determinants of health (EDH) have a significant impact on people's physical, mental, and social wellbeing. Everyone needs access to environmental resources of all types, including food, materials, and energy, to survive. Currently, no valid and reliable instrument exists for evaluating individuals' perceived levels of EDH. Hence, the purpose of this study was to develop and validate the environmental determinants of health questionnaire (EDH-Q) among undergraduate students in Nigeria., Method: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among undergraduate students in Nigeria to assess the psychometric properties of the newly developed Environmental Determinants of Health Questionnaire (EDH-Q). Respondents were selected using a convenience sampling approach to evaluate their perceptions of environmental determinants of health. The Content Validity Index (CVI) and Face Validity Index (FVI) were calculated to ascertain the scale's content validity and response process validity, respectively. Additionally, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), composite reliability (CR), average variance extracted (AVE), Cronbach's alpha, and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were computed to assess the scale's construct validity., Results: The study involved 300 respondents in the EFA (males 55.7%, females 44.3%) and 430 respondents in the CFA (males 54.0%, females 46.0%). In the EFA, two constructs were identified (the natural environment and the built environment). The EFA model was able to explain 63.57% of the total cumulative variance, and the factor correlation was 0.671. The whole scale Cronbach's alpha value was 0.947, while the two constructs' Cronbach's alpha values were 0.918 (natural environment) and 0.935 (built environment). In the CFA, six pairs of error covariances were included between items within the same construct to improve the fit indices of the initial proposed measurement model. The final re-specified measurement model showed that the EDH-Q, which has two constructs and 18 items, has adequate construct validity (CFI = 0.948, TLI = 0.938, SRMR = 0.046, RMSEA = 0.052, and RMSEA p-value = 0.344). The CRs were 0.845 (natural environment) and 0.854 (built environment). The ICCs were 0.976 (natural environment) and 0.970 (built environment)., Conclusion: The results show that the newly created EDH-Q has sufficient construct validity and may be utilized to assess participants' perceptions of their level of EDH. Researchers should examine this instrument in populations with different age ranges and other demographic characteristics, as the present study only applied it to undergraduate students who may share similar characteristics., (© 2024. The Author(s).)