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Background: In Nigeria, there is a disparity among physiotherapists regarding therapeutic exercise as a core treatment for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The attitudes and beliefs of physiotherapists could influence this. Objective: To investigate Nigerian physiotherapists’ knowledge, attitude, and utilisation of evidence-based therapeutic exercises Design: A mixed-method of cross-sectional survey and focus group discussion. Setting: Secondary and tertiary health institutions in Nigeria Participants: Physiotherapists consecutively sampled from the selected institutions. Main outcome measures: Participants’ knowledge, attitude and utilisation of evidence-based therapeutic exercises for the management of knee OA Results: This study revealed that 81% of physiotherapists in Nigeria had a fair knowledge of evidence-based practice and the efficacy of therapeutic exercises in managing knee OA. Despite this fair knowledge, 95.3% had a poor attitude. The important emerging categories/themes are treatment preference, clinical experience, and strength of evidence. Conclusion: Physiotherapists in Nigeria have a fair knowledge of evidence-based therapeutic exercises in managing patients with knee OA, although there is a poor attitude and disparity between the use and current recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digitalization of agriculture has been identified as panacea to the problem of food security to teeming population, although its uses for agricultural extension services is still evolving and challenging among extension professionals. This study examined the opportunities and challenges of using AI-based digital tools for agricultural extension services in Nigeria; the study described the socioeconomic characteristics of extension professionals and identified the effects of its usage on extension service delivery. An online questionnaire was used to gather primary data from 131 agricultural extension professionals drawn across the states in Nigeria. Frequency counts, percentages and means were used to analyse and summarize the data collected. The result reveals that majority (75.6%) were male with a mean age of 48.1±15.8 years. The respondents mostly identified provision for real-time insights into the farms and landscape (97.7%) and provision of reliable farm data (75.6%) as the major opportunities for AI-based Digital tools for agricultural extension service, while lengthy technology adoption Process (94.7%) and higher technical skills (70.2%) were the major challenges identified with the use of AI-based digital tools for agricultural extension services by the respondents. The study also reveals that respondents mostly indicated timely enhancement of communication (88.5%) and provision of an update on best practices globally (64.1%) as the key effects of AIbased digital for agricultural extension services. The study recommends that capacity building of extension professionals and farmers; involvement of farmers and other agriculture value chain stakeholders in the development of digital technologies; as well as provision of digital infrastructures and enablers which are germane for digitalization and utilisation of AI-based digital tools for agricultural extension service delivery in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the availability and utilisation of school library resources by secondary school students in five selected secondary schools in Isokan local government area of Osun state, Nigeria. The main objective of this study was to assess availability, purpose and frequency of, as well as constraints and strategies to improve use of school library resources by students of secondary schools in Isokan. Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria. Simple random sampling with proportionate to sample was used to select 2.5% respondents from each selected school to make a sample size of 228 respondents. The study employed descriptive survey research design and used the method to collect quantitative data. Data was collected by using the structured questionnaire. Quantitative data was analysed by using SPSS. Findings revealed that dictionaries, textbooks, encyclopedias, CD-ROMs and novels were very readily available for use by secondary school students. Findings also revealed that the major purposes for which secondary school students used information resources were for assignment, continuous assessment preparation, knowledge update, competition and quiz preparation. Findings further showed that Magazines and Journals, Internet resources, Encyclopedias and Databases were the information resources most frequently used by the secondary school students. The findings further revealed that secondary school students averred erratic power supply, lack of modern techniques for learning, lack of locating tools like online public access catalogue, inadequate staff to assist users and poor awareness of the users to information service as major constraints. However, awareness of the information resources in the library, employment of computer technicians for routine repairs, provision of digital libraries, adequate provision of online computers/e-mail and provision of standby generators for regular power supply were major factors that promote the use of the information resources by secondary school students. This study recommends collaboration with all stakeholders in secondary education in the country in order to make adequate provision of fund and proactive measures necessary for the provision of current and up to date information resources and also for the employment of qualified and trained teacher librarian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of African Journal of Reproductive Health is the property of Women's Health & Action Research Centre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background. Nigeria has one of the lowest antenatal care (ANC) utilization rates compared to other low- and middle-income nations. In order to ensure a positive pregnant experience, the World Health Organization recommends at least eight ANC visits during pregnancy. This study intends to examine the impact of a mobile phone-based voice message intervention on ANC use in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods. In this cluster-randomized experiment, primary healthcare centres were divided into five intervention and five control groups using multistage simple random sampling. The intervention consisted of a weekly voice message transmitted through mobile phone from the time of recruitment in the first trimester until two weeks postpartum. Attending at least eight ANC visits before birth was the primary outcome. STATA v17.0 was used to conduct descriptive and bivariate analyses as well as multivariate linear models to calculate crude risk ratios. Results. 458 women participated. All intervention group women (269 women, or 58.7% of the sample) received the text message. These ladies were mostly married, Christian, had several children, and had completed high school. Women who received the intervention were more likely to attend eight ANC visits. Conclusion. A voice message-based intervention can boost ANC utilization, according to the conclusion. This contributes to the existing body of information about the influence of mHealth treatments on maternal health outcomes and serves as a useful tool for ensuring that no woman is left behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many researchers have worked on management of waste for sustainable livestock farming. However, focusing on gender in relation to the potentials of the enormous waste has not received adequate attention. Thus, this study focused on gender assessment of poultry waste utilisation in order to explore its potentials for promoting gender equity in rural livelihood options. The paper describes the socio-economic characteristics of male and female poultry farmers, identifies the waste and their uses, examines farmers’ awareness of the uses, utilisation of poultry waste and explores its potentials across countries. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select smallscale poultry farmers from two Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Osun State based on the preponderance of poultry farms in the area. Snowball sampling technique was used to locate 120 poultry farmers and 20 key informants. Secondary data, interview schedule and guide were used for data collection. Data were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed among others that more male were involved in poultry production with small holding flock size. Both male and female farmers had high awareness on the uses of poultry waste, yet utilisation was low. The results of Chisquare analysis showed that sex (χ2 = 49.27; df = 1), level of education (χ2 = 5.853; df = 2) and primary occupation (χ2 = 121.181; df = 5) were related to poultry waste utilisation while years of experience (r=0.654), flock size (r=0.372), farmers’ age (r=- 0.365) and income from poultry production (r=-0.237) were significantly related to poultry waste utilisation. Significant difference (F = 8.893; df = 1; p<0.05) exists between male and female levels of poultry waste utilisation. It was concluded that utilisation of poultry waste by male and female farmers was low despite its enormous potentials. Therefore, training intervention with gender consideration is imperative to enhance poultry waste utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates information literacy skills influence on EIR utilisation among two polytechnics students in South-west Nigeria. The descriptive research design was employed for this study and the population consisted of polytechnic students from The Polytechnic, Ibadan and Federal Polytechnic, Ede. There were 7610 students from both polytechnics. Simple random technique was employed with a sample fraction of 5% was drawn amounting to 381. The questionnaire was the main instrument used for data gathering and the questionnaire was pre-tested using Cronbach-alpha to determine the reliability co-efficient. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS and PPMC. It was found in the study that the students from both polytechnics possessed moderate information literacy skills level and that a positive significant relationship exists between information literacy skills and the use of EIR among the students from both institutions. The study therefore concluded that the information literacy skills possessed by the students influences the EIR usage which in turn enhance their academic performance. Recommendations were made based on the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open-Access electronic resources are the unrestricted information resources the students find readily accessible for use. This study examined the extent of utilisation and satisfaction of openaccess resources by Postgraduate students of federal Universities in South South, Nigeria. Descriptive survey design was used, while the instrument for data collection was the questionnaire. A sample of 349 was arrives at from a population of 1401 Doctoral (PhD) and Masters of Education (M.Ed) postgraduate students from four federal Universities of the southsouth geo-political zone of Nigeria using multi-stage sampling techniques. 293 of instrument were retrieved after administration, given 84% of the sample population. The findings of the study revealed that M.Ed Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria utilised Open-Access e-resources to a high extent with a pooled mean of 2.56 while the PhD Postgraduate students utilised them to low extent with a pooled mean of 2.22. The finding also revealed that the level of satisfaction derived by both the M.Ed and PhD Postgraduate students of Federal Universities in South South, Nigeria on the use of Open-Access e-resources were all to high extent, with a pooled mean of 2.56 and 2.89 for M.Ed and PhD respectively. The study recommended among other things that Libraries should organise more awareness programme on the availability of Open Access e-resource and encourage students to use them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Availability of information resources plays a major role in teaching and learning. For effective teaching to take place information resources must be provided and teachers must have access to various types of resources particularly in their areas of specialization. This will not only broaden their knowledge base but also prepare them ahead of the challenges that may face them in the course of imparting knowledge. A variety of activities that are performed by teachers in the course of carrying out their professional duties is hinged on close interaction with the various reference sources in their areas of specialization. These include preparation of course materials, communicating in the language of the discipline, facilitation of learning activities with relevant materials, engaging in elaborate conversation with learners, giving exercises that involve critical thinking to learners, and so on. The broad objective of this study is to examine the availability and accessibility as determinants of use of electronic reference sources by secondary school teachers in Ekiti State Nigeria. Four research questions were formulated for this study. The results obtained were subjected to statistical analysis and the analysed data revealed that there is a strong significant positive correlation between accessibility and utilization of E-Reference sources by secondary school teachers in Ekiti State. (r=.191, P= .049, P= 0.05). It revealed a significant positive correlation between accessibility and availability of E-Reference Sources (r=0.907, P=.006, P = .05). The study further revealed that both availability (β=0.457, P< 0.05) and accessibility (β = 0.191, P< 0.05) significantly influence the utilisation of E-Reference sources by secondary school teachers in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The study recommended, among others, that E-Reference sources should be made available for secondary school teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of African Journal of Reproductive Health is the property of Women's Health & Action Research Centre and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study examined the management and utilization of cultural resources in cultural heritage institutions in the South-East, Nigeria. Three research questions were developed to guide the study and a descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consists of all the staff and users of cultural heritage institutions in South-East, Nigeria. A total sample size of 394 respondents was selected using a simple random sampling technique. The researchers developed a questionnaire entitled "Management and Utilisation of Cultural Resources in Cultural Heritage Institutions Questionnaire (MUCRCHIQ) for data collection. The instruments for data collection were trial-tested for reliability using the staff and users of Benue State Public Library, Ugbokolo. A total of 394 copies of the questionnaire were distributed to the respondents, out of which 373 were returned and found usable by the researcher. This gave a response rate of 95%. The data collected were analysed using Mean (X) and Standard Deviations to answer the research questions. Also T-test was used to test the hypotheses. Five null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and were tested at 0.5 level of significance. Based on the data collected and analysed, the major findings of the study revealed that: cultural resources are not effectively utilised in cultural heritage institutions and there is the need for the management of cultural resources for effective utilization in cultural heritage institutions; The study recommends that there is need for the management of cultural resources for effective utilisation in cultural heritage institutions in South-East, Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of awareness and utilisation of agricultural information on livelihoods was investigated among 250 plantain farmers who were purposively selected in three communities in Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria. It was found that the plantain farmers had a high level of awareness of many of the listed information sources. The utilisation of agricultural information improved their livelihood. There was a significant combined influence of awareness and utilisation of agricultural information on the livelihood of the plantain farmers. It was suggested that efforts should be made to increase the plantain farmers' awareness of agricultural information through the listed information sources so as to improve their livelihoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the growing interest and efforts by government to popularise antenatal care services in Nigeria as recommended by the World Health Organization, high levels of infant and maternal mortality remains a major public health challenge facing the country. Complications of pregnancy and childbirth cause more deaths and disabilities than any other reproductive health problems in African countries, including Nigeria. Antenatal care presents an opportunity for recognition and appropriate intervention for some of the causes of maternal mortality in developing countries. The study investigates the level of utilisation of antenatal care services as determinants of satisfaction and its challenges among pregnant women in Lagos, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to determine the sample size of 1 500 pregnant women. A validated questionnaire was used for data collection. The Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficients for the tools ranged from 0.94–0.97. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential (correlation, simple and multiple regression) statistics. The results showed that utilisation of antenatal care services had a significant influence on pregnant women's satisfaction with the services. Long waiting hours in the clinic, income/financial constraints, high cost of services and distance to health centres are the major challenges faced by pregnant women in Lagos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Clinical laboratories are critical to correct diagnosis of medical conditions to ensure appropriate management. Point prevalence survey (PPS) of antimicrobial use and resistance performed in Nigeria in 2015 and 2017 showed high rates of antibiotic use, but poor laboratory utilization for definitive diagnosis of the infections for which the antimicrobials were prescribed. This study investigated the reasons for clinicians? poor utilization of the clinical laboratory for definitive diagnosis and treatment of infections. Methods: A cross sectional survey of clinicians attending the 2018 annual scientific conference and general meeting of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) in Owerri, Southeastern Nigeria, was conducted using self-administered structured questionnaire to obtain information on the sub-optimal utilization of the clinical microbiology laboratory. Results: Of 283 respondents, 14.8% were general practitioners and 85.2% were specialists who have been in practice for a median period of 20 years (range 3 - 48 years). The specialists included surgeons (26%), family physicians (19.8%), internists (14.3%), pathologists (13.9%), paediatricians (8.8%), obstetricians and gynecologists (8.1%), community medicine physicians (6.2%), and dental surgeons (2.6%). Majority of the respondents (90.8%) work in public, 88.3% work in tertiary and 9.9% in secondary care hospitals. For diagnosis of infections, 16% and 49.8% reported using laboratory "always" and "very often" respectively. Among these, the most commonly utilized investigations were microscopy, culture and sensitivity (62.4%), DNA detection (18.3%), GeneXpert for tuberculosis (17.2%), and antigen detection (16.7%). Among clinicians that "hardly make use" of the laboratory, their reasons for non-use were; clinical diagnosis being sufficient (39.7%), delayed results (17.2%), having knowledge of „potent? antibiotics (15.5%), lack of access to microbiology laboratory (13.8%), absence of pathologists to assure quality of tests (12.1%), and no need of the laboratory to manage patients with infections (8.6%). Conclusion: These findings indicate that poor use of the microbiology laboratory seems mainly associated with perception and attitude of the physicians to the relevance of the laboratory, and perceived inadequacy of microbiology practice in some others. There is need to raise physicians? awareness on the relevance and what constitutes optimal use of the clinical microbiology laboratory for accurate diagnosis of infections and appropriate antimicrobial use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources is essential to the sustainable development of agricultural production and rural in production zones in Nigeria. This study, therefore investigated the utilisation of recently released superior rice germplasm among smallholder farmers in Nigeria. A post- crop varietal release impact assessment was conducted in Oyo, Ekiti, Kwara and Ebonyi states of Nigeria in 2019. Structured questionnaires were administered to 120 farmers using a simple random sampling technique. Result from the study revealed that rice farmers are mainly males, middle aged, married, with some form of education. They have medium (3-6 household member) household size with longer years of farming experiences. Inadequate capital and limited credit facilities, plant disease, birds and insect infestation are the major constraints encountered by the farmers. Result of the correlation analysis shows that there was no significant relationship between sources of planting materials and frequently planted varieties (r = 0.100 and p = 0.786). However, there was significant relationship between production constraints and frequently planted varieties (r = 0.010 and p = 0.648). It is recommended that more channels of credit facilities should be provided to rice farmers by governments at various levels to improve their level productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rural dwellers need timely, accurate, pertinent and reliable information for sustainable rural development. However, in Nigeria it is estimated that over 70% of people are living in rural areas who are mainly non-literate people who cannot read and write in any language. It is against this background that this article sought to investigate the forms of information sources and services utilised among rural dwellers from public libraries in the North-West zone of Nigeria to find out whether they are relevant and appropriate to the nature of this group of people. Objectives: The study aimed at investigating the forms of information sources and services utilised among rural dwellers from public libraries in the North-West zone of Nigeria for sustainable rural development. Method: Wilson's 1981 model suggests that information-seeking behaviour arises as a result of a need perceived by an information user, who, in order to satisfy that need, makes demands upon formal or informal information sources and services. Hence, the model was adopted to underpin the current study. A structured questionnaire was designed and personally administered to the study participants. The quantitative data were analysed using the SPSS software and descriptive statistics. Results: Despite the fact that most of the rural dwellers in the North-West zone of Nigeria are non-literate people, it is evident from the results that there is utilisation of various forms of information sources and services from public libraries. The predominant forms of information sources utilised among rural dwellers from the libraries were printed materials, posters, flyers and audiovisuals. However, the forms of information services provided to rural dwellers by the libraries were traditional library services and awareness campaigns about government policies. Conclusion: The study revealed that utilisation of public libraries' information sources and services among rural dwellers in the area under study revolved around printed materials and traditional library services. It is evident that most of the library users among rural dwellers were those who were literate, as the non-literate people who were the majority did not patronise the libraries. Thus, this study will assist authorities of the public libraries in the area under study to provide relevant and effective information sources and services to rural dwellers for sustainable rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Preconception care (PCC) is a preventive strategy for maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to assess the level of awareness and utilisation of PCC services. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted at a teaching hospital. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to extract information. A total of 450 participants responded; 44.2% (190/450) were aware, 31.7% (143/450) had good knowledge, while only 10.3% (46/450) received PCC. Health care providers were the main source of information (77.9%). There was statistically significant correlation between awareness and participants' level of education (p < .001) and residence (p < .001), as well as between utilisation and education (p < .001), and information from doctors (p < .001). There was a low level of awareness and poor utilisation of PCC, underpinning the need to scale up health education, establishment of functional PCC clinics and formulation of evidence-based guidelines to improve uptake and pregnancy outcome. Impact statement What is already known on the subject of the paper? PCC has been known in high-income countries as a prevention-based strategy, which aims at improving obstetric outcomes. However, the level of utilisation in low-income countries like Nigeria is either unknown or far too low. What do this study add? This work has provided local data on PCC; clearly indicating that the awareness and utilisation of PCC services in Abakaliki, Nigeria is very low when compared with other regions of the world, and this was influenced by the socio-demographic factors - particularly education and place of residence (for awareness), and level of education and information from health care providers (for utilisation), thus suggesting that enlightenment and improvement in social infrastructures could improve awareness, access and utilisation of PCC. What are the implications for clinical practice and/or further research? The implications of these findings in low resource settings like ours will include introducing interventions to scaling up health education, universal establishment of functional PCC units and formulation of evidence-based guidelines aimed at improving the uptake of PCC and pregnancy outcome. Further research will also be needed in future to assess the impact of such interventions and how to sustain potential benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electronic books (e-books) are vital information resources in every university library as they are utilised by users in search of information for conducting research activities, teaching, learning and assignment. This study investigated the relationship between utilisation of e-books and users' satisfaction in university libraries in North East Zone, Nigeria. Correlational research method was used. The population of the study comprised of five thousand three hundred and seventy nine (5,379) registered library users spread across the five sampled university libraries under study. Stratified random sampling technique was used in drawing the samples and the sample size for this study was one thousand three hundred and seventy two (1,372) registered library users drawn using Krejcie and Morgan (2006) table. Questionnaire was used as the research instrument. Data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics to answer the two research questions, while, inferential statistics of Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (PPMC) was used to test the formulated null hypothesis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings from the study revealed that users' utilisation of e-books and users' satisfaction with utilisation of e-books for research, learning, assignment and information in university libraries in North East Nigeria were generally moderate. The study also established that there was significant relationship between utilisation of e-books and users' satisfaction in university libraries in North East Zone, Nigeria. The study recommended teaching of information literacy for library users, acquisition of adequate and relevant e-books in the university libraries as well as discouraging users from using information obtained from online sources such as Google and other search engines as they are mostly ineffective for their research activities, teaching, learning and assignment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study surveyed the utilization of resources of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) Library, Ekiti-State, Nigeria. The main purpose of the study is to find out the level of utilization of the library resources and its satisfaction by undergraduate students. The research design used for this study is the descriptive research design of the survey type and the instrument used was structured questionnaire administered to students in the university. The sample study is 400 targeted undergraduate students to whom four hundred copies of questionnaire were distributed across the four faculties of the university while three hundred and eighty four (384) copies of questionnaires were returned and found useable/fit for the analysis representing a response rate of 96%. It was revealed in the study that erratic power supply, functional resources, adequate reading space, lack of physical facilities, like toilet, etc. are the major problems preventing students from effectively utilizing the resources in the library for their information needs. Recommendations such as construction of standard library building equipped with necessary physical facilities like toilet, spacious reading rooms, conference centres etc., and stand-by generator, Inverter or solar power were proffered as solutions to increased patronage and effective utilization of the library resources by the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Globally, electronic learning (e-learning) is being embraced in all spheres, including the field of Medicine, where it has an engrained role in both medical education and practice., Objectives: The study aimed to assess the knowledge, perception and factors influencing the utilisation of e-learning amongst medical students in Nigeria., Methods: It was a descriptive, cross-sectional survey. The study involved public and private medical schools across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Five hundred and thirty (530) medical students responded to the online questionnaire (Google forms). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.0., Results: The mean age of the participants was 21.5 ± 3.1 years, with 60.8% being females. About three-fifths (59.5%) of the respondents were in public universities, while the remaining were in private universities. Nearly all the respondents (98.1%) were aware of e-learning. The majority believed that e-learning would be useful for lectures and seminars, but not for laboratory demonstrations, clinical demonstrations, and bedside teaching. Class of study (p = 0.002), school ownership (p = 0.034), institutions having e-learning platform (p <0.001); having received e-learning training (p <0.001)) and institution encouraging e-learning for students (p <0.001) were significant predictors of utilization of e-learning. High cost and poor internet connectivity were the most cited disadvantages of e-learning., Conclusion: This study showed that e-learning is well known among Nigerian medical students, although some had never utilized it. The high financial costs, poor internet connectivity, and irregular electricity were among the major constraints to the utilization of e-learning., Competing Interests: The Authors declare that no competing interest exists., (Copyright © 2023 by West African Journal of Medicine.)

Introduction: Malaria has proven to be the most horrendous and intractable amongst the health problems confronting countries in the sub-Saharan Africa. This study aims to determine the ownership and utilisation of long lasting insecticide treated nets following free distribution campaign in a state in South West Nigeria. Methods: Multi-stage sampling technique was used to recruit 2560 households spread across the 16 LGAs of the state. Interviewer administered standardized questionnaire was used for the survey. Data analysis was done using Stata 10 software. Results: Sixty eight point six percent (68.6%) of the households had at least one under-five child living in the household while 32.6% had at least one pregnant woman living in the household. A total of 2440 (95.3%) households received LLIN during the campaign. Overall, the utilization rate for all respondents was 58.5%. Despite the fact that 2440 households received LLINs during the campaign, only 84.3% of them were seen to have hung theirs during the survey. Conclusion: Coverage and ownership of LLINs increased significantly following the free distribution campaign. There was a discrepancy between net possession and net use with rate of use lower than possession. Post distribution educational campaign should be incorporated into future distribution campaigns to help increase net utilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transcription of information in conventional materials into alternative formats for the use of persons with visual impairment (PVI) in Nigerian libraries is often premised upon the belief that the reading interests of such persons are as varied as or similar to those of sighted persons. Such belief might be in error, thereby unwittingly forcing such persons to read whatever materials had been transcribed and provided for reading by the libraries instead of what they really want. This study was undertaken to obtain evidence to confirm or debunk the belief. Fourteen libraries, including public libraries and those serving users in non-governmental organisations, tertiary institutions and secondary schools, were purposively selected based on the population of their visually impaired users who used the alternative format materials. The sample of users was selected proportionately to population of PVI in the libraries, and data from 71.3% of the 563 administered copies of a questionnaire that were retrieved were analysed. The results show that adult PVI had high reading interests in religious, business/enterprise and entertainment materials, and in manuals and reference materials, while secondary school respondents were interested in arts related subjects, reference materials, manuals, and animal stories. Braille is the most frequently utilised format (79.8%), although it was preferred by a lower percentage of the users (58.3%). The study recommends that the reading interests and format preferences of PVI, as had been found out in this and other studies, should be carefully considered when libraries are considering the nature of alternative format materials that should be provided for such users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visually impaired students need alternative format in braille, talking books and large prints to function like sighted students. Because few materials get converted into these formats, the availability and consequent use of alternative format for study and leisure by visually impaired students has been of concern. This study reveals the availability and use of alternative formats by visually impaired students in Nigerian Secondary Schools. The study is a survey and it purposively focused on southwestern, Nigeria. Using total enumeration technique, data were collected 123 students from six purposively selected secondary schools in southwestern Nigeria. A questionnaire having two rating scales on availability and utilisation of alternative format with reliability scores of α = 0.77 and α = 0.73 respectively were used. 104 (84.5%) of the instrument was correctly admistered. The study found, that braille (77%), talking books/tape recordings( 65.4%) are not readily available while large prints (96.2%) are not available. Braille is the most frequently used on daily basis (91.3%) followed by talking books (34. 6%) while large prints are not used. There was no significant positive relationships between alternative formats availability and its utilisation in the selected libraries. The study recommends increased transcription of information materials into alternative formats for the students, adequate funding from government and donors and the building of a balanced collection of alternative formats in the school libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spirometry is a noninvasive and cost-effective physiologic test that greatly complements other investigative procedures in evaluation of respiratory conditions. This study was aimed at auditing the spirometry performed at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH) Ilorin, Nigeria, and highlighting some of the challenges associated with the procedure. Methods: We reviewed and analyzed the record of spirometry performed at the cardiopulmonary unit of the hospital from June 2002 to December 2009. Results: A total of 119 patients had spirometry tests from 2002 to 2009 and their age ranged from 15 to 85 years with a mean of 47.6 ± 14.8 years. There were 69 (58%) males and the male:female ratio was 1.4:1. More than half (65%) of the tests were in patients <50 years old. The rate of spirometry performed annually increased from 12 (10.1%) in 2002 to 31 (26.1%) in year 2009. Evaluation of bronchial asthma was the most common indication for spirometry (43 patients; 36.1%). Majority of the requests (84 patients; 70.6%) were from adult respiratory physicians. The identified challenges were lack of awareness of the range of diseases that could be investigated by spirometry, lack of skills in interpreting the results, lack of time and delays in replacing exhausted consumables and faulty components of spirometer. Conclusion: Gradually, the trend of spirometry request is increasing in UITH; however, a wider acceptability could be achieved for this test by raising the level of awareness and improving the skills of all doctors on the usefulness and interpretation of spirometry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Access to and utilisations of the National Antiretroviral Treatment Guidelines (NATG) are valuable factors for effective programme implementation. The objective of this study was to investigate the accessibility of the NATG and their utilisation by health care professionals from five treatment centres in Abuja, Nigeria. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted in 2007 using purposively sampled health care professionals. Questionnaires were self-administered to participants who consented in writing to participate in the survey. Results: 97 health care professionals participated in this study with about equal numbers of men and women: 48 (49.5%) women and 49 (50.5%) men. Of these, 21.6% were unaware of the existence of the NATG in their treatment centres. More than half (51.5%) reported that they did not have access to the NATG as opposed to those (48.5%) who had access to the guidelines. Furthermore, 16.5% of the participants confirmed that they had access to an institutional copy of the NATG while 14.4% indicated that they had individual copies and only 3.1% stated that they had individual copies and access to the hospital copy as well. Regarding utilisation of the NATG, 41.2% rarely used them, 32.9% never used them and only 25.7% often used them. The most frequent use of the NATG was among pharmacists (38.1%) compared to the least frequent use among nurses (20.0%). Conclusion: Poor accessibility of the NATG may have a negative impact on guidelines utilisation among health care professionals in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The high rate of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) challenges among adolescents in Nigeria has been linked with the poor access to and utilisation of health facilities. This study explores the factors that influence the actual use and willingness to use SRH services among adolescents. Survey questionnaires were administered to 428 adolescents aged 18 to 19 years in six local government areas (LGAs) in Plateau State. The results showed that more than one-third of the participating adolescents were currently sexually active, slightly more than three-quarters (76.6%) had never visited health facilities for SRH issues, and more than half (56.0%) were not willing to visit a health facility if they ever had any SRH issues. The most frequent reason for the non-use of health care facilities for SRH issues by adolescents was a perceived lack of privacy and confidentiality (66.1%), followed by the perceived negative attitude of health care providers (68.2%). However, being sexually active was the only independent covariate of seeking SRH care from health facility (AOR = 005; CI = 0.01–0.49; p = 0.011), while awareness of HIV was a significant covariate of willingness to seek SRH care in a health facility in the future (AOR = 3.17, 95% CI = 1.50–6.70; p = 0.002). We concluded that the utilisation of SRH services and willingness to do so in the future was fairly limited among adolescents in this study. Therefore, there is a need to address the challenges of privacy and confidentiality and commencement of the health promotion of SRH for adolescents ahead of sexual initiation to alleviate the SRH challenges adolescents encounter when sexually active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the context of global health priority, understanding the role of power dynamics among women as an important intervention required towards achieving optimum maternal and child health outcomes is crucial. This study examined the influence of women's decision-making autonomy on antenatal care utilisation and institutional delivery services in Nigeria., Methods: The data for the study were derived from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey and comprised a weighted sample of 20,100 births in the last five years that preceded the survey among married/cohabiting childbearing women. Descriptive and analytical analyses were carried out, including frequency tables and multivariate using the binary logistic regression model., Results: The study revealed that despite a large number of women initiating antenatal care visits before 12 weeks of pregnancy (75.9%), far fewer numbers had at least eight antenatal care visits (24.2%) and delivered in a health facility (58.2%). It was established that the likelihood of having at least eight antenatal care visits was significantly increased among women who enjoyed decision-making autonomy on their healthcare (aOR: 1.24, CI: 1.02-1.51) and how their earnings are spent (aOR: 2.02, CI: 1.64-2.48). Surprisingly, women's decision-making autonomy on how their earnings are spent significantly reduced the odds of initiating antenatal care visits early (aOR: 0.75, CI: 0.63-0.89). Some socio-economic and demographic factors were observed to have a positive influence on quality antenatal care utilisation and delivery in a health facility., Conclusion: In conclusion, women's decision-making autonomy on their healthcare and how their earnings are spent was significantly found to be protective factors to having eight antenatal care visits during pregnancy. Conversely, women's autonomy on how their earnings are spent significantly hindered their initiation of early antenatal care visits. There is a need for more pragmatic efforts through enlightenment and empowerment programmes of women to achieve universal access to quality maternal healthcare services in Nigeria., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

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Context: Proper use of protective eyewear (PEW) is important in the prevention of occupational eye injury., Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the ocular morbidity and utilisation of PEW among carpenters in Mushin Local Government, Lagos, with a view to promoting ocular health and safety in the workplace., Subject and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of one hundred and fourteen (114) carpenters that were enrolled into the study. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect information on socio-demographics, work-related ocular history, awareness and utilisation of, as well as barriers to utilisation of PEW. Ophthalmic examination was done. In-depth interviews were also carried out to probe the barriers to utilisation of PEW. Quantitative responses were analysed using the IBM SPSS software, and content data analysis was performed for qualitative responses., Results: The prevalence of reported work-related eye injury and complaints were 30.7% and 32.5%, respectively. The prevalence of ocular morbidity among the respondents was 74.6%. Seventy-seven respondents (67.5%) were aware of PEW; only 21.1% owned PEW, whereas the utilisation level was 26.3%. In-depth interviews revealed ignorance, forgetfulness, and unfamiliarity as the key barriers to PEW use. The odds of using PEW were about three-fold with previous eye injury at work and history of eye complaint., Conclusions: This study demonstrates a significant prevalence of ocular morbidity and poor utilisation of PEW among carpenters in Mushin, Lagos. There was a significant relationship between previous eye injury or complaint and PEW use. Thus, there is a need to create awareness among carpenters and develop occupational safety policies to improve the use of PEW., Competing Interests: None

Background: Despite women's adequate knowledge and the obvious unmet need for family planning (FP), contraceptive prevalence in Nigeria is low. A greater understanding of the barriers to FP that informs service utilisation and preferences is needed to improve service delivery., Aim: This study was aimed at assessing the use and preferences of FP services among women., Subjects and Methods: A community-based, descriptive, cross-sectional survey was carried out among 367 women (15-49 years of age) residing in Ikosi-Isheri, Kosofe local government area, who were selected by multistage sampling method. Data were collected using a pre-tested, semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire and were analysed using SPSS software version 20. Frequency distributions and cross tabulations were generated. The Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to determine associations, and the level of significance was set at P ≤ 0.05., Results: Although 64.0% were aware of FP, only 26.4% had ever used FP services. The contraceptive prevalence was 17.9%. Traditional or religious restrictions were given as the reasons for not using FP (40.9%). The preferred FP services were those offered at primary healthcare centres (45.2%) and teaching hospitals (33.9%) because of proximity (38.7%), privacy (14.5%) and health workers being female (22.6%). Age, level of education and marital status were associated with the utilisation of FP services (P < 0.001, P = 0.020 and P < 0.001, respectively)., Conclusion: Although awareness was high, uptake was low. Government health facilities were preferred. Primary healthcare should be strengthened, and FP services should be scaled up to make FP more accessible. Services should be closer to where people live while providing the privacy they desire., Competing Interests: None