Search

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a significant cause of intellectual disability and autism, while Fragile X Premutation ‐Associated Conditions (FXPAC) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality globally. This study assessed the level of knowledge and perceptions about FXS and FXPAC among doctors in Nigeria. It was a web‐based, cross‐sectional study conducted among a cohort of doctors in Nigeria. Socio‐demographic profile, knowledge of FXS, perceptions about FXS, knowledge of FXPAC, experience of doctors, and suggested ways of improving knowledge and management of FXS were obtained. Data were analyzed using STATA 16.0. Chi‐square and Fisher's exact tests of association were used to determine the association between variables, with the significance level set at p < 0.05. A total of 274 doctors participated in the study. A significant proportion of respondents had limited knowledge about the clinical features of FXS. Nine of ten (90.0%) participants with good knowledge of FXS had good perceptions of FXS management. This was statistically significant (p < 0.001). There was a high nonresponse rate to what FXPAC is (164/274, 59.9%) among the respondents because of insufficient knowledge. Suboptimal knowledge of FXS which influenced perception was noted among doctors. More strategies should be considered to improve doctors' knowledge and management of FXS and FXPAC in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use of Psychoactive substances by young people poses an important public health threat despite mass campaigns and education. There have been documentations of rise in prevalence and use of psychoactive substances by Nigerian adolescents in urban areas of Nigeria. Few reports exist on in-school adolescents in rural areas, and differences in their sociodemographic profile such as public/private school attendance, day/boarding status and socioeconomic status of students. The study determined the rate and sociodemographic profile of psychoactive substance use among secondary school students in selected rural communities in Anambra state, Nigeria. This was a cross-sectional study in which multistage sampling was used to select 494 students from selected secondary schools in Anambra state. Data on age, gender, socioeconomic status, student status, school category, alcohol, tobacco and intravenous drug use were obtained using pretested semi-structured questionnaires. Analysis of data was done using IBM SPSS statistics software version 20.0, frequency, percentages and means were calculated, with cross-tabulation done for variables (Chi-square and Fishers exact test where applicable). Level of significance for tests of association set at 5%. A total of 494 participants were studied of which 48.8% (n=241) were males. The mean age was 14.5 ± 1.8 years. The prevalence of lifetime use of psychoactive substance was 22.5%. Prevalence for individual substances were 21.9% (n=108), 1.8% (n=9) and 0.8% (n=4) respectively for alcohol, tobacco and illicit intravenous drugs. Neither gender {6 males (2.5%), 3 females (1.2%), p=0.890}, age {10–13 years (1.3%), 14–16 years (2.1%), >16 years (1.7%), p=0.329}, student status {day (2.6%), boarding (1.2%), p=0.320}, social class {upper (0.9%), middle (0.6%), lower (3.1%), p=0.208 } nor school category {private (1.5%), public (2.1%), p=0.742} of students was significantly associated with smoking and respectively. More males (73/241=30.3%, p<0.001) took alcohol than females (35/253 = 13.8%) and this was statistically significant. Participants from the lower socioeconomic class (30.3%, p<0.001) had a significantly higher rate of alcohol consumption than those from the upper (11.8%) and middle classes (16.7%) respectively. Higher rate was noted among those who attended public schools (30.8%, p<0.001) compared to those who attended private schools (13.8%). Day students (30.2%, p<0.001) indulged more in alcohol than boarding students (14.3%). There was no association between either the class (junior=22.5%, senior=21.3%, p=0.759) or age of participants (10–13 years=20.7%, 14–16 years=20.1%, >16 years=33.3%, p=0.071) and alcohol consumption. No association was found between age (0.7%, 1.1%, p=1.000), gender (male=1.2%, female=0.4%, p=0.362), social class (lower=1.3%, upper=0.9%, p=0.443), student status (day=0.9%, boarding=0.8%, p=1.000), school category (junior=0.8%, senior=0.8%, p=1.000) and intravenous drug use. The rate of about 22% alcohol use by secondary school students in rural south eastern Nigeria, which is strongly associated with male gender, low socioeconomic status, day student status and public school attendance is high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Information on the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on adolescents and young people, who are in a critical phase of transition to adulthood is sparse. We evaluated the effects of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) among adolescents and young people living in Southeast Nigeria. Objective: To evaluate the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on young people in Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional (online and onsite) study of 328 Nigerian youths was conducted, and data on sociodemographic profile and effects of the pandemic collected through pre-tested selfadministered questionnaires, were analysed using STATA 16.0, with the significance level for tests of association set at p<0.05. Results: The mean age of participants was 16.8±3.3 years. Two hundred and eleven participants (64.3%) experienced a fear of death significantly associated with a low monthly income (p<0.001), 62/328(18.9%) respondents had experienced intra-familial sexual abuse, significantly associated with age group (p=0.003). Positive effects reported by 190/328(57.9%) participants included learning. Conclusions: A significant number of participants had a fear of death and intra-familial sexual abuse which was strongly associated with monetary poverty, and age; while some participants positively engaged in self-discovery, rest and studies. Thus, the mental health and social welfare of youths should be focused on, and positive skills enhanced during this pandemic and afterward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]