Prevalence of Paediatric Surgical Conditions in Eastern Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Background The role of surgery in global health has gained greater attention in recent years. Approximately 1.8 billion children below 15 years live in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). Many surgical conditions affect children. Therefore, paediatric surgery requires specific emphasis. Left unattended, the consequences can be dire. Despite this, there is a paucity of data regarding prevalence of surgical conditions in children in LMIC. The present objective was to investigate the prevalence of paediatric surgical conditions in children in a defined geographical area in Eastern Uganda. Method A cross-sectional study was carried out in the Iganga-Mayuge Health and Demographic Surveillance Site located in Eastern Uganda. Through a two-stage, cluster-based sampling process, 490 households from 49 villages were randomly selected, generating a study population of 1581 children. The children’s caregivers were interviewed, and the children were physically examined by two medical doctors to identify any surgical conditions. Results The interview was performed with 1581 children, and 1054 were physically examined. Among these, the overall prevalence of any surgical condition was 16.0 per cent (n = 169). Of these, 39 per cent had an unmet surgical need (66 of 169). This is equivalent to a 6.3 per cent prevalence of current unmet surgical need. The most common groups of surgical condition were congenital anomalies and trauma-related conditions. Conclusion Surgical conditions in children are common in eastern Uganda. The unmet need for surgery is high. With a growing population, the need for paediatric surgical capacity will increase even further. The health care system must be reinforced to provide services for children with surgical conditions if United Nations Sustainability Development Goal 3 is to be achieved by 2030.

Download Full-text

Wide variability in colorectal cancer screening uptake by general practitioner: Cross-sectional study

Journal of Medical Screening ◽

10.1177/09691413211035795 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 096914132110357

Author(s):

Cecilia Acuti Martellucci ◽

Maria E Flacco ◽

Margherita Morettini ◽

Giusi Giacomini ◽

Matthew Palmer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Colorectal Cancer ◽

Geographical Area ◽

Central Italy ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Local Health ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Crc Screening ◽

Screening Uptake

Objectives Despite several interventions, colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake remains below acceptable levels in Italy. Among the potential determinants of screening uptake, only a few studies analysed the role of general practitioners (GPs). The aim was to evaluate the variation in screening uptake of the clusters of subjects assisted by single GPs. Setting Ancona province, Central Italy. Methods Cross-sectional study, including all residents aged 50–69 years, who were offered the public screening programme with biannual faecal immunochemical tests. Demographic (of all GPs) and screening data (of all eligible residents) for years 2018–2019 were collected from the official electronic datasets of the Ancona Local Health Unit. The potential predictors of acceptable screening uptake, including GP's gender, age, and number of registered subjects, were evaluated using random-effect logistic regression, with geographical area as the cluster unit. Results The final sample consisted of 332 GP clusters, including 120,178 eligible subjects. The overall province uptake was 38.0% ± 10.7%. The uptake was lower than 30% in one-fifth of the GP clusters, and higher than 45% in another fifth. At multivariable analysis, the significant predictors of uptake were younger GP age ( p = 0.010) and lower number of registered subjects ( p < 0.001). None of the GP clusters with 500 subjects or more showed an uptake ≥45%. Conclusions The wide variation across GPs suggests they might substantially influence screening uptake, highlighting a potential need to increase their commitment to CRC screening. Further research is needed to confirm the role of the number of registered subjects.

Download Full-text

Unmet need for modern contraception and associated factors among reproductive age group women in Eritrean refugee camps, Tigray, north Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

BMC Research Notes ◽

10.1186/s13104-018-3956-7 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kidane Gebrecherkos ◽

Brhane Gebremariam ◽

Abebaw Gebeyehu ◽

Hailay Siyum ◽

Gizienesh Kahsay ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Associated Factors ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Reproductive Age ◽

Refugee Camps ◽

Age Group ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Modern Contraception ◽

Reproductive Age Group

Download Full-text

Unmet Need for Family Planning and Associated Factors among Currently Married Women in Misha District, Southern Ethiopia: A Cross Sectional Study

Journal of Women s Health Care ◽

10.4172/2167-0420.1000165 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 03 (04) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kelemu Chafo

Keyword(s):

Family Planning ◽

Associated Factors ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Married Women ◽

Southern Ethiopia ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

Download Full-text

Contraceptive behavior and unmet need among the tribal married women aged 15–49 years: A cross-sectional study in a community development block of paschim Bardhaman District, West Bengal

Indian Journal of Public Health ◽

10.4103/ijph.ijph_115_21 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 159

Author(s):

Sima Roy ◽

Ananya Mukherjee ◽

Niladri Banerjee ◽

Somnath Naskar ◽

DilipKumar Das ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Community Development ◽

West Bengal ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Married Women ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Contraceptive Behavior ◽

Development Block

Download Full-text

Vitamin D Deficiency Is Common in Ghana despite Abundance of Sunlight: A Multicentre Comparative Cross-Sectional Study

Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism ◽

10.1155/2021/9987141 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Samuel Asamoah Sakyi ◽

Maxwell Hubert Antwi ◽

Linda Ahenkorah Fondjo ◽

Edwin Ferguson Laing ◽

Richard K. Dadzie Ephraim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

Vitamin D Deficiency ◽

Geographical Area ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

The Body ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Hydroxyvitamin D ◽

25 Hydroxyvitamin D

Background. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone important for the normal functioning of the body. It is produced through skin exposure to sunlight and from the diet. Although Ghana is located in the tropics where sunlight is abundant, factors like culture, diet, skin pigmentation, variation in the ozone layer, and geographical area influence the optimization of vitamin D concentration. It is imperative to evaluate the interplay between sunshine exposure, proinflammatory cytokines, and mediators of vitamin D metabolism and their relationship to vitamin D status in three geographical sections among apparent healthy Ghanaians. Methods and Results. In a cross-sectional study, a total of five hundred (500) healthy blood donors from three geographical areas in Ghana were enrolled. Their age ranged from 17 to 55 years with a mean age of 27.97 ± 8.87 years. The overall prevalence rate of vitamin D deficiency was 43.6% (218/500), with 41.2% (91/221), 45.3% (63/139), and 45.7% (64/140) of vitamin D deficiency being recorded in participants from the Northern Sector (NS), Middle Belt (MB), and Southern Sector (SS), respectively. However, there were no significant differences in the proportions of vitamin D deficiency across various geographical sectors. The median 25-hydroxyvitamin D serum levels were compared among geographical areas (NS, MB, and SS) and there were no significant differences ( P = 0.275 ) after adjusting for confounding factors. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D correlated positively with corrected ionized calcium (rs = 0.622, P ≤ 0.001 ) and phosphorus (rs = 0.299, P ≤ 0.001 ) and negatively correlated with SBP (rs = −0.092, P = 0.039 ), vitamin D binding protein (VDBP) (rs = −0.421, P ≤ 0.001 ), intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) (rs = −0.0568, rs ≤ 0.001), IFN-gamma (rs = −0.684, P ≤ 0.001 ), and TNF-alpha (rs = −0.600, P ≤ 0.001 ). After adjusting for possible confounders, not having knowledge about vitamin D foods, taking fewer vitamin D foods, and higher levels of IF-γ and IL-10 were associated with a higher risk of having vitamin D deficiency. Conclusion. The prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency is high among the general adult population in Ghana despite the abundance of sunlight. Increasing knowledge on vitamin D diet coupled with a daily intake of vitamin D dietary supplements is likely to reduce the risk of developing 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency.

Download Full-text