The Pattern of Psychoactive Substance Use among Undergraduates in the University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Aim: This study set out to determine the extent of use, abuse and dependence of commonly abused psychoactive substances and their correlates among undergraduates in the University of Port Harcourt. Methodology: In a cross-sectional survey, using multi-stage sampling, undergraduates in the Social sciences faculty of the University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria were selected. A semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the WHO student drug survey proforma was used as an instrument for data collection. The results were analysed using EPI-info 2000 statistical package. Results: There were 352 respondents with a mean age of 24.4 ± 3.5 years. There were 203 (57.7%) males and 149 (42.3%) females. A majority of respondents (90.6%) use at least one psychoactive substance while 22.2% of them abuse substances. The male sex predominated among the substance abusers with a M: F ratio of 2:1. The prevalence of current use for psychoactive substances ranged from 1.3% to 74.9%. Alcohol (74.9%), was the most commonly used psychoactive substances while heroin (1.3%), was the least used. Abuse rates were higher in cocaine, tobacco and cannabis (66.7%, 63.6% and 55.3% respectively) while dependency rates were higher in heroin, cannabis and cocaine (100.0%, 76.2% and 50.0% respectively). The top three reasons given for starting to use psychoactive substances were experimentation (23.1%), group conformity (23.1%) and curiosity (20.5%) while the reasons given for continuing to use/abuse these substances were to feel good (37.2%), relieve stress (20.0%) and avoid withdrawal symptoms (11.5%). The majority (70.5%) of psychoactive substance users started to use substances before enrolment into the university while more than half of the substance users (56.4%) admitted that being in the university did not increase their use of psychoactive substances. Adverse effects on productivity were noted in 60.3% of substance users. Conclusion: The tendency to abuse substances may begin earlier in childhood and adolescent ages, with the male sex, more vulnerable. More efforts at public enlightenment on the detrimental effects of psychoactive substances should be strategically targeted to include the family unit, primary and secondary school children.

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Comparing intentions to reduce substance use and willingness to seek help among transgender and cisgender participants from the global drug survey

BJPsych Open ◽

10.1192/bjo.2021.654 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (S1) ◽

pp. S245-S245

Author(s):

Dean Connolly ◽

Emma Davies ◽

Michael Lynskey ◽

Monica Barratt ◽

Larissa Maier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Substance Use ◽

Help Seeking ◽

Substance Dependence ◽

Substance Misuse ◽

Psychoactive Substance ◽

Psychoactive Substances ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Trans People ◽

Gender Groups

AimsTo describe and compare psychoactive substance misuse help-seeking among transgender (trans) and cisgender (cis) participants from a large multi-national cross-sectional survey.BackgroundTrans people experience stressors related to their minority status which have been associated with increased rates of psychoactive substance use and related harm. Despite this, there is a paucity of evidence relating to the treatment needs of trans people who use psychoactive substances, beyond a small body of literature describing a culture of transphobic hostility in general substance misuse services. This paper aims to describe and compare psychoactive substance misuse help-seeking among trans and cis participants from a large multi-national cross-sectional survey.MethodOver 180,000 participants, recruited from the world's largest annual survey of drug use - the Global Drug Survey (GDS) - during 2018 and 2019, reported use of a range of psychoactive substances in the preceding 12 months. Five gender groups (118,157 cis men, 64,319 cis women, 369 trans men, 353 trans women and 1,857 non-binary people) were compared, using Chi-square and z-tests with Bonferroni correction, on items relating to the desire to use less psychoactive substances and the need to seek help to achieve this. Respondents from GDS 2018 were also assessed for substance dependence. Binary logistic regression was used to compare gender groups on self-reported substance dependence to frame the help-seeking analyses.ResultTrans respondents (n = 1,710) to GDS 2018 were significantly more likely than cis respondents to report use of illicit substances (OR = 1.66-2.93) and dependence on cannabis (OR = 2.39), alcohol (OR = 3.28) and novel psychoactive substances (OR = 4.60). In the combined GDS 2018 and 2019 dataset, there were no significant differences between trans (n = 2,579) and cis (n = 182,476) participants on the desire to reduce substance use. However, among those who did report wanting to use less, non-binary people and trans women were most likely to want help to achieve this.ConclusionTrans respondents reported a greater need for help with reducing substance use than cis respondents. Given the deficit of specialist services for psychoactive substance users who are trans, there is a need for a more thorough understanding of the barriers and facilitators to their engagement in general substance misuse services. In the interim, substance misuse service providers require education about gender minority status to help meet the needs of trans clients.

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Quality of life of users of psychoactive substances, relatives, and non-users assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF

Ciência & Saúde Coletiva ◽

10.1590/s1413-81232013000700010 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 18 (7) ◽

pp. 1953-1962 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Taís de Campos Moreira ◽

Luciana Rizzieri Figueiró ◽

Simone Fernandes ◽

Fernanda Maia Justo ◽

Ismael Rodrigo Dias ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Drug Users ◽

Poor Quality ◽

World Health ◽

Psychoactive Substance ◽

Psychoactive Substances ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

World Health Organization Quality ◽

Substance Users

Quality of life is related to one of the basic human desires, which is to live well and feel good. The scope of this study was to evaluate the quality of life of psychoactive substance users and relatives, compared to non-users, analyzed by socioeconomic strata. A cross-sectional study with users of psychoactive substances, relatives, and other individuals who called the Information and Orientation Service regarding drug abuse. Data collection took place between November 2009 and December 2010. Data was collected from users, relatives, and non-users, including socioeconomic characteristics and data regarding substance consumption when appropriate. In addition to this the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire was given to 347 individuals. Among the 138 users (70%) used alcohol, 76 (39%), marijuana, 111 (57%) tobacco, 78 (40%) cocaine and 70 (36%) crack. Control subjects had higher, scores than the relatives of users and users in all areas of the questionnaire (p < 0.05). Psychoactive substance users scored lower in almost all domains and overall score in the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire in comparison with the sample of non-drug users. These findings reflect poor quality of life of patients and their relatives.

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Management of Paediatric Pain: Knowledge and Practice of Healthcare Providers at a Tertiary Centre, Southern Nigeria

Asian Journal of Pediatric Research ◽

10.9734/ajpr/2019/v2i130097 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-8

Author(s):

G. K. Eke ◽

D. C. Briggs

Keyword(s):

Pain Management ◽

Healthcare Providers ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Tertiary Centre ◽

Port Harcourt ◽

Pain Knowledge ◽

Knowledge And Attitude ◽

The University ◽

Clinical Departments

Background: Many disease processes and interventional procedures in paediatrics are associated with pain. In spite of its frequency, it is undertreated globally, exposing children to the risks of long-term physical and psychological sequelae, which can have adverse effects on future treatments. Objectives: To ascertain the knowledge, attitude and practice of healthcare providers towards management of paediatric pain at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Methods: In this cross-sectional survey, a semi-structured and self-administered questionnaire was distributed amongst a convenient sample of physicians and nurses attached to clinical departments/units where children are cared for, and those in educational units, between June and August 2017. Their knowledge and attitude toward pain management were analysed using Epi Info v7 software (CDC, USA). Results: One hundred and ninety seven subjects participated in the study, 95(48.2%) physicians and 102(51.8%) nurses, all of various cadres. Seventy-four percent of them had more than 5 years working experience. One third of participants (30.4%) could name up to 3 non-pharmacological methods of pain management, of which the commonest were cold compress (48(24.4%) with nurses>physicians), followed by hot compress (38(19%)) and distraction (24(12%)). The commonest procedures for which non-pharmacological interventions of pain management were usually applied included immunisation of infants (20%) and venepuncture (17%) while lumbar puncture was the least (1.5%). Half of respondents (52%) had never prescribed/administered morphine to children. Conclusion: Healthcare providers had poor knowledge of paediatric pain management. There is an urgent need to build their capacity to enable optimal relief of pain among paediatric patients.

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Determinants of successful guideline implementation: a national cross-sectional survey

BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making ◽

10.1186/s12911-020-01382-w ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Ying-hui Jin ◽

Li-Ming Tan ◽

Khalid S. Khan ◽

Tong Deng ◽

Chao Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Guideline Development ◽

Guideline Implementation ◽

Medical Specialty ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

The West ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adherence To Guidelines ◽

Multi Stage ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Tertiary Hospitals

Abstract Background CPGs are not uniformly successful in improving care and several instances of implementation failure have been reported. Performing a comprehensive assessment of the barriers and enablers is key to developing an informed implementation strategy. Our objective was to investigate determinants of guideline implementation and explore associations of self-reported adherence to guidelines with characteristics of participants in China. Methods This is a cross-sectional survey, using multi-stage stratified typical sampling based on China's economic regional divisions (the East, the Middle, the West and the Northeast). 2–5 provinces were selected from each region. 2–3 cities were selected in each province, and secondary and tertiary hospitals from each city were included. We developed a questionnaire underpinned by recommended methods for the design and conduct of self-administered surveys and based on conceptual framework of guideline use, in-depth related literature analysis, guideline development manuals, related behavior change theory. Finally, multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression to produce adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Results The questionnaire consisted of four sections: knowledge of methodology for developing guidelines; barriers to accessing guideline; barriers to guideline implementation; and methods for improving guideline implementation. There were 1732 participants (87.3% response rate) from 51 hospitals. Of these, 77.2% reported to have used guidelines frequently or very frequently. The key barriers to guideline use were lack of education or training (46.2%), and overly simplistic wording or overly broad scope of recommendations (43.8%). Level of adherence to guidelines was associated with geographical regions (the northeast P < 0.001; the west P = 0.02; the middle P < 0.001 compared with the east), hospital grades (P = 0.028), length of practitioners’ practice (P = 0.006), education background (Ph.D., P = 0.027; Master, P = 0.002), evidence-based medicine skills acquired in work unit (P = 0.012), and medical specialty of practitioner (General Practice, P = 0.006; Surgery, P = 0.043). Conclusion Despite general acknowledgement of the importance of guidelines, the use of guidelines was not as frequent as might have been expected. To optimize the likelihood of adherence to guidelines, guideline implementation should follow an actively developed dissemination plan incorporating features associated with adherence in our study.

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Infectious Diseases Training in Canada: One Size Does Not Fit All

Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases ◽

10.1155/2001/938156 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 98-100 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

B Craig Lee

Keyword(s):

Infectious Diseases ◽

Training Program ◽

Career Counselling ◽

Health Administration ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

University Of Calgary ◽

Academic Settings ◽

Outpatient Settings ◽

The University

PURPOSE:To evaluate training in infectious diseases, determining which components of the training program best prepare residents for their career choices and where improvements are needed.METHOD:A cross-sectional survey was mailed to all 14 physicians who had graduated from both the Adult and Paediatric Infectious Diseases Training Program at the University of Calgary from 1985 to 1998. Responses about the adequacy of training were measured using a Likert-type scale and a qualitative questionnaire.RESULTS:Of 14 mailed questionnaires, nine responses were received (64%). Two-thirds of respondents were in an academic setting, and seven (78%) graduates obtained postfellowship training. The specialists in academic settings were all engaged in multiple nonclinical activities. The clinical and diagnostic microbiological components of training received the highest scores in terms of adequacy of training.CONCLUSION:Graduates of the University of Calgary training program indicated an overall satisfaction with their training. However, improvements are needed in career counselling, health administration, antibiotic utilization, infection prevention and specialized outpatient clinics. Potential strategies for addressing these issues include didactic lectures, enhanced exposure to clinical outpatient settings and provision of designated faculty mentors.

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Evaluation of health system in Iraq from people's point of view: a comparative study of two different eras

Journal of Ideas in Health ◽

10.47108/jidhealth.vol4.iss2.100 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 380-387

Author(s):

Saad Ahmed Ali Jadoo ◽

Adil H. Alhusseiny ◽

Shukr Mahmood Yaseen ◽

Mustafa Ali Mustafa Al-Samarrai ◽

Anmar Shukur Mahmood

Keyword(s):

Health System ◽

Health Sector ◽

Health Resources ◽

Sampling Technique ◽

Point Of View ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Current Health ◽

Multi Stage ◽

Geographical Regions

Background: Since the 2003 United States–British Coalition military invasion, Iraq has been in a state of continuous deterioration at all levels, including the health sector. This study aimed to elicit the viewpoints of the Iraqi people on the current health system, focusing on many provided health services and assessing whether the public prefers the current health system or that was provided before the invasion. Methods: A cross-sectional survey designed to explore the Iraqi people’s opinions on their health system. A self-administered questionnaire using a multi-stage sampling technique was distributed in five geographical regions in Iraq to collect the data from the head of household between 1st October and 31st of December 2019. Multiple logistic regressions were recruited to determine the significant contributing variables in this study. Results: A total of 365 heads of households (response rate: 71.7%) with the mean age of 48.36 + 11.92 years (ranged 35-78) included in the study. Most of the respondents (61.4%) complained of healthcare inaccessibility, 59.7% believed that health resources were not available, 53.7% claimed a deterioration in the quality of care, and 62.2% believed that the political / media position did not contribute to positive changes during the past two decades. Indeed, most respondents (66.0%) believe that the current healthcare system is worse than before. In the multivariate analysis, there was a statistically significant relationship between the characteristics and opinions of the respondents. Young age group (p = 0.003), men (p = < 0.001), unmarried (p = 0.001), high educated (p = < 0.001), rural resident (p = < 0.001), unemployed (p = 0.003), monthly income of less than USD 400 (p = < 0.001), consider themselves to be unhealthy (p = 0.001), and those who think that people are unhappy now than two decades ago (p = 0.012) have a more negative opinion of the health system. Conclusions: Most Iraqis surveyed expressed disappointment from the health system after the 2003 US-led invasion. The current health system is faltering at all levels and does not meet the citizens' basic needs. Health Transformation Program (HTP) has become inevitable to develop an accessible, affordable, high-quality, efficient, and effective health system.

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The knowledge, perceptions and relationship behaviour of rugby and football players towards HIV infection at the University of Limpopo

Curationis ◽

10.4102/curationis.v41i1.1899 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 41 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Indiran Govender ◽

Kathryn Nel ◽

Nhlanhla Banyini

Keyword(s):

Hiv Infection ◽

Survey Design ◽

Physical Contact ◽

Hiv Knowledge ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Contact Sports ◽

Quota Sampling ◽

Immunodeficiency Syndrome ◽

The University

Background: Sport has the capability to unite a country. To achieve winning teams, athletes have to rely on each other and often have close physical contact. Disclosure of a positive human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status may be problematic for athletes in contact sports as they may suffer discrimination and stigmatisation which may impact their relationship behaviours. This may impact frontline nursing and medical staff dealing with on-field ‘blood’ injuries.Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine if individuals who participate in football and rugby are aware of the risk of HIV infection in contact sports and their perceptions and reported behaviour towards HIV-positive athletes.Method: A cross-sectional survey design with a qualitative element. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, while thematic content analysis was used to analyse qualitative data.Non-proportional quota sampling was used for male rugby (n = 23) and football (30) players registered at the University of Limpopo (Turfloop campus).Results: The results supported previous research in that there are gaps in HIV knowledge. For instance, not knowing that anal sex may cause HIV infection and believing that saliva can transmit HIV and that blood transfusions are unsafe.Conclusion: Problematic findings were that a portion of the sample believed that having sex with a virgin could cure HIV and the majority of the sample believed that being ‘bewitched’ could cause HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

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Decision Making Success; The Thrust of Virtual Meetings in the Nigeria Banking Sector

Asian Research Journal of Arts & Social Sciences ◽

10.9734/arjass/2020/v11i230167 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 36-46

Author(s):

Patrick N. Nwinyokpugi ◽

Amachree Ibim Taribo

Keyword(s):

Decision Making ◽

Banking Sector ◽

Rank Order ◽

General Purpose ◽

Senior Managers ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Port Harcourt ◽

Virtual Meetings ◽

Rivers State

In view of the numerous challenges associated with contemporary meeting practice in an ever growing technologically driven society, the general purpose of the study was to determine how virtual meetings influence successful decision making process in the Nigeria banking sector. This descriptive research adopted a cross-sectional survey approach in investigating a homogenously characterised section of the sector in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. Eighteen (18) banks were chosen based on the convenience in accessibility and a census of all the senior managers including Information Technology based personnel were drawn for study. Thus, a census population derived was 216. A 5-point Likert Scale structured close-ended questionnaire was designed and adopted for data collection from the targeted respondents. This instrument was further validated for face/content validity and subjected to Croubach’s Alpha reliability test. Data collected were tested and analysed using the Spearman’s Rank Order Correlation Coefficient statistic and presented for clarity using the SPSS. Findings revealed the moderating effect of technology for virtual meetings and decision making success in the industry studied. Also, significant relationships exist between the different dimensions of virtual meetings and measures of decision making success in the banking sector and therefore recommendations were made in support of their adoption.

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Determinants of successful guideline implementation: A national cross-sectional survey

10.21203/rs.3.rs-37357/v3 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yinghui Jin ◽

Li-Ming Tan ◽

Khalid S. Khan ◽

Tong Deng ◽

Chao Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Guideline Development ◽

Guideline Implementation ◽

Medical Specialty ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

The West ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Adherence To Guidelines ◽

Multi Stage ◽

Geographical Regions ◽

Tertiary Hospitals

Abstract Background: CPGs are not uniformly successful in improving care and several instances of implementation failure have been reported. Performing a comprehensive assessment of the barriers and enablers is key to developing an informed implementation strategy. Our objective was to investigate determinants of guideline implementation and explore associations of self-reported adherence to guidelines with characteristics of participants in China.Methods: This is a cross-sectional survey, using multi-stage stratified typical sampling based on China's economic regional divisions (the East, the Middle, the West and the Northeast). 2-5 provinces were selected from each region. 2-3 cities were selected in each province, and secondary and tertiary hospitals from each city were included. We developed a questionnaire underpinned by recommended methods for the design and conduct of self-administered surveys and based on conceptual framework of guideline use, in-depth related literature analysis, guideline development manuals, related behavior change theory. Finally, multivariate analyses were performed using logistic regression to produce adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).Results: The questionnaire consisted of four sections: knowledge of methodology for developing guidelines; barriers to accessing guideline; barriers to guideline implementation; and methods for improving guideline implementation. There were 1732 participants (87.3% response rate) from 51 hospitals. Of these, 77.2% reported to have used guidelines frequently or very frequently. The key barriers to guideline use were lack of education or training (46.2%), and overly simplistic wording or overly broad scope of recommendations (43.8%). Level of adherence to guidelines was associated with geographical regions (the northeast P＜0.001; the west P=0.02; the middle P＜0.001 compared with the east), hospital grades(P=0.028), length of practitioners’ practice (P =0.006), education background (PhD, P=0.027; Master, P=0.002), evidence-based medicine skills acquired in work unit (P=0.012), and medical specialty of practitioner (General Practice, P=0.006; Surgery, P=0.043). Conclusion: Despite general acknowledgement of the importance of guidelines, the use of guidelines was not as frequent as might have been expected. To optimize the likelihood of adherence to guidelines, guideline implementation should follow an actively developed dissemination plan incorporating features associated with adherence in our study.

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An Exploratory Study of Students’ Indiscipline at Islamic University in Uganda

East African Journal of Education Studies ◽

10.37284/eajes.3.1.326 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

pp. 87-95

Author(s):

Amina Hassan

Keyword(s):

Survey Design ◽

Cross Sectional Survey ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Law Faculty ◽

The Status ◽

School Rules ◽

The Common ◽

Faculty Of Education ◽

The University ◽

Academic Year

The study explored the common students’ indiscipline at Islamic University in Uganda. The study was quantitative and a cross-sectional survey design was used. The population of the study was 3,486 registered students in the academic year 2019/2020. They were selected from the Faculty of Education, Faculty of Management Studies, Faculty of Law, Faculty of Social Sciences, and Faculty of Science. A sample of 265 respondents was selected for the study using proportionate and random sampling. The mean score was computed to analyse the data. To conclude, the point range of the arithmetic mean was considered. The study found that the common indiscipline among learners in IUIU included disrespect to teachers and school rules and regulations, theft, and irregular attendance. The study recommended IUIU administration improves staff remuneration to change the status of the teachers. Furthermore, the administration needs to tighten security in the university and residents need to take care of their property to avoid theft. The researcher also recommended that a study should be carried out to find out the cause of students’ irregular attendance

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