Search

Background: Onchocerciasis is a disease of public health concern due to the devastating consequences of the disease which impacts negatively on the lives of the people. The negative impact of the disease may affect its perception and lead to the adoption of some coping strategies. Therefore, understanding the disease perception, impacts and coping strategies used by onchocerciasis patients will help plan health interventions aimed at improving their general well-being., Methods: This was a community-based study that employed a qualitative method through Key informant interviews (KII) with program managers and focus group discussions (FGD) among people who had Onchocerciasis. Four sessions of FGDs with a total of thirty-two (32) participants and eleven KIIs were conducted to ascertain their in-depth experience in five thematic areas., Results: In these communities, onchocerciasis is perceived to have been caused mainly by the bite of blackflies. Other presumed causes by the patients included drinking polluted water, poor environmental sanitation and witchcraft. The disease had a significant detrimental influence on both the physical and financial aspects of life with limited emotional and social impacts. The long-term clinical manifestations of onchocerciasis triggered pain and insufficient mobility. Thus, onchocerciasis patients experienced impairment in normal daily life activities (farming, etc.), dependency, depression and inability to participate in social events. These manifestations stimulated various coping strategies, mainly, nodulectomy by traditional healers. Others included self-medication, taking an overdose of ivermectin, and the use of alcohol., Conclusion: Misconceptions about the cause of onchocerciasis still exist among people with the disease. The consequences of the disease impact negatively on various aspects of their lives and stimulate various coping strategies. Therefore, health promotion messages to the public should aim at dispelling misconceptions about the disease and promote healthy coping strategies., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Introduction: Onchocerciasis, a neglected tropical disease of public health importance, causes chronic morbidity and severe disability that may impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the infected people. This study assessed the HRQoL and associated factors among onchocerciasis patients in southeast Nigeria., Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional comparative study. Using a multistage sampling technique, 340 onchocerciasis patients were selected and matched for age and gender with the healthy population in the same neighbourhood. The respondents were interviewed using the short-form-36 (SF-36) questionnaire to determine their HRQoL. WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 tool (WHODAS 2.0) was used to assess disability in persons with onchocerciasis. Means were compared with independent student t-test while Chi-square test was used to compare proportions. Also, correlation analysis and logistic regression were used in the analyses., Results: A significantly lower proportion of people living with onchocerciasis had a good quality of life when compared with the healthy subjects (69.4% vs 93.5%, p<0.001). Also, an inverse relationship was seen between disability and quality of life in the onchocerciasis group (r = -0.647, p<0.001). Predictors of poor quality of life among respondents with onchocerciasis were: respondents aged ≥48 years (AOR = 2.5, 95% CI: 1.4-5.0), those with some disability associated with onchocerciasis (AOR = 3.33, 95%CI: 1.4-5.0) and respondents who perceived themselves as a burden to people (AOR = 10, 95%CI: 2.5-20)., Conclusion: Onchocerciasis impacted negatively on HRQoL of persons with onchocerciasis when compared with the healthy population. The quality of life of persons affected with onchocerciasis reduces with increasing disability. There is the need to increase community awareness on onchocerciasis to ensure early diagnosis and prompt treatment as this will reduce disability among those affected with the disease thus enhancing their HRQoL., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Introduction: Tobacco use is a major global public health challenge. It is a risk factor for most leading causes of death, and its health impacts span from conception to adulthood. This study aims to analyse tobacco use data from the 2013 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), assessing the prevalence, pattern, and socio-demographic correlates of tobacco use among Nigerians aged 15-49 years., Methods: A secondary data analysis involving 2013 NDHS was done. Data on 17 322 respondents were extracted from 36 800 participants. This number represents respondents with complete data on outcome variables of interest. Primary Sampling Unit defined on the basis of Enumeration Areas from the 2006 census was used. Head of selected household, all men and women aged 15-49 were studied. Data was collected using questionnaires. A chi-squared test and a binary logistic regression model were used in the analysis., Results: Generally, 6.6% of the respondents smoked cigarettes, 1.7% used snuff, 0.4% smoked pipe, and 0.2% chewed tobacco. Based on gender, 6.6% males and 6.3% females smoked cigarettes, 0.3% males and 0.4% females smoked cigarettes as well as used snuff. Predictors of cigarette use included being in age group 25-34 years (AOR 5.8; 95% CI 4.6-7.2), being ≥35 years (AOR 4.1; 95% CI 4.1-6.8), having attained primary education (AOR 1.4; 95% CI 1.2-1.8), living in north region (AOR 1.3; 95% CI 1.1-1.5), as well as being a Moslem (AOR 0.6; 95% CI 0.5-0.7)., Conclusions: A minor proportion of both genders uses tobacco with the commonest form being cigarettes. The commonest combination was cigarettes and snuff, even on stratification by gender. The identified predictors were age in categories, educational level and religion., Competing Interests: Authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none was reported.

Background: Tobacco use during adolescence is a substantial problem and adolescents are at higher risk of addiction and prolonged use. To reduce the burden of tobacco-related morbidity and mortality, monitoring of adolescent tobacco use is imperative. We aimed to determine the prevalence of tobacco use among adolescents in urban and rural secondary schools in Enugu State, southeast Nigeria., Methods: A cross-sectional study of 4332 adolescents in 8th to 10th grades in 25 urban and 24 rural secondary schools in Enugu, Nigeria was done using Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) methodology. Students were asked about previous and current tobacco use, smoking cessation, and susceptibility to smoking initiation among non-smokers. Geographical, age and sex prevalence differences were examined. Analyses were performed for all adolescents (10-19 years) and for a subset of students, 13-15 years of age for comparison with previous GYTS surveys. All analyses were weighted to account for the complex survey design and for differential non-response at school, class and student levels., Results: About 28.9% of students reported ever smoking cigarettes; 19.4% reported current tobacco use among all adolescents (13.3, 5.8 and 7.8% for cigarettes, other smoked tobacco, and smokeless tobacco, respectively) while 18.6% reported current tobacco use among 13-15 year olds (12.6, 5.2 and 7.5% for cigarettes, other smoked tobacco and smokeless tobacco respectively). Prevalence of all types of tobacco use was higher in rural schools (vs. urban schools), and among boys (vs. girls). Susceptibility to smoking initiation among non-smokers was 9.3% (95% CI: 8.1-10.7) among all adolescents, and 9% (95% CI: 7.6-10.7) among 13-15 year olds. About 88.1% of all adolescent smokers desired to quit and 57.9% of them had never received help to quit smoking., Conclusions: Nearly one in every five school-going adolescents currently uses at least one type of tobacco in Enugu State, southeast Nigeria. Prevalence of tobacco use is higher in rural schools and among boys in this setting. Most adolescent current smokers desire to quit and need smoking cessation support.

Background: This study generated new information about the outcomes of patients enrolled in antiretroviral treatment programmes, as well as the true outcomes of those lost to follow-up (LTF)., Methods: Anonymized data were collected for patients enrolled over a 12-month period from two programmes (public and private) in southeast Nigeria. Estimates of retention, LTF, mortality and transfers were computed. All LTF enrollees (defined as patients who had missed three scheduled visits) whose contact information met pre-defined criteria were traced., Results: A total of 481 (public) and 553 (private) records were included. Median duration of follow-up was about 14 months. Cumulative retention and LTF proportions were 66·5 and 32·8% (public), and 82·6 and 11·0% (private) respectively. LTF rates at third, sixth, ninth and twelfth months were 7·5, 19·3, 25·4 and 29·6% respectively (public), and 4·1, 7·1, 9·0 and 10·0% (private). LTF was higher among males, patients with CD4(+) cell count ≤200 and public programme enrollees. For the public facility, 56·7% of 104 traceable patients were dead and 38·8% were alive; the figures were 34·2 and 60·5% of 46 patients respectively for the private. Most deaths had occurred by the third month., Conclusion: Not all patients enrolled for treatment were retained. Though some died, many were LTF, lived within the community, and could develop and transmit resistant viral stains. Most traced patients were dead by the third month and poor contact information limited the effectiveness of tracing. Antiretroviral treatment programmes need to improve documentation processes and develop and implement tracing strategies.

This was an intervention study to assess the effects of health education on the knowledge and attitudes to emergency contraception (EC) by female students of University of Nigeria in southeast Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 337 female students of a tertiary educational institution (150 in the study group and 187 from the control group) who were selected by multistage sampling. Subsequently, health education was conducted only among students in the study institution. Three months after this intervention, its effects were assessed through a survey using the same structured questionnaire employed in the baseline survey. Unlike the pre-intervention results, knowledge of EC was significantly higher among the study group than the controls. Attitudes to EC were also more favourable at the post- intervention survey among the study group. Health education can effectively improve knowledge and attitudes to EC among female students of tertiary institutions and this should be encouraged.