Contributions of some non-timber forest products to household income of rural dwellers in Onigambari Forest Reserve, Oyo State, Nigeria

The communities surrounding the forest reserve get their daily income from the sales of some of the non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as a means of survival for them and their house hold without proper documentation. The study described the socio-economic characteristics of the rural dwellers in the study area and determined the income made from some of these NTFPs. Data was generated through the use of structured questionnaires administered to 120 randomly selected rural household heads. Data obtained were described using frequency counts, percentages and mean scores; the relationship between dependent variables and independent variables of the study was tested using binomial test and logistic regression. Finding reveal that, non-timber forest products gathering in Onigambari was male dominated (72.3%), 78.1% were married and 38.1% had formal education. Contribution of income from non-timberforest products to total income of respondents in the State was 59.46%. It was concluded that the non-timber forest products contribute significantly to rural household income at Onigambari forest Reserve Area of Oyo State, Nigeria

Awareness of Ebola Virus Disease and Information Seeking Behaviour of Rural Dwellers in Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Study

Aim: The study investigated the awareness of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and information seeking behaviour of rural dwellers in Nigeria. Methods: The survey type of the descriptive research design was used in conducting the study and the study group comprised adult rural dwellers (18 years and above) residing in six communities (Peretoru, Ekeremor, Obrigbene, Enougbene, Amabulou, and Aya-ama) in Bayelsa state, Nigeria. Data were collected from 600 respondents who were randomly selected from the six communities. The data from the study were then analysed using frequency count and percentages. The results were presented in charts (and graphs). Results: The study revealed that rural dwellers possess low awareness of EVD and many of them do not bother to seek EVD information because they do not believe it exists. Conclusion: Consequently, the study noted the need for the federal government to enhance structures that promote community engagements, especially at the time of the epidemic.

Perlambatan migrasi sirkuler: Penilaian terhadap perubahan pola migrasi sirkuler di pedesaan Jawa Barat

Circular migration has become a well-established institution for rural dwellers in Java. For farmers or unskilled rural workers, informal sectors, construction, or small trade in urban areas provide an adequate working opportunity and, at the same time, a relatively higher wage compared to the agricultural sector. It is frequently argued that migration could reduce poverty in rural areas. Although many harsh critics had been addressed to such arguments, there was relatively little attention given to the dynamics of circular migration itself, as most studies tend to argue that these activities are a constant phenomenon. Based on a comparative survey conducted in Tegal Nduwur Village in 2010 and 2020, this study finds that the rate of circular migration among farmers has significantly decreased. Better market opportunities and deindustrialisation, combined with a shifting development paradigm toward decentralisation since 1999, have gradually improved the village’s infrastructure. Under such conditions, the agroecosystem has been transformed from a slow to a fast one. The fast agroecosystem has yielded a more promising outcome for farmers’ household economy and absorbed many labor forces, i.e., people who previously migrated to various cities. This condition has decelerated the circular migration flows.

RELIGIOUS COMMITMENT AS A PREDICTOR OF HEALTHCARE SEEKING BEHAVIOR AMONG RURAL DWELLERS IN KOGI STATE

In recent years, efforts have been devoted to enhancing the health care system of Nigeria to provide efficient and reliable health care services to the people. However, insinuations suggest that many people are not utilizing the available healthcare facilities, especially in rural communities. Perhaps, religious attachment is a significant determinant of several behavioral domains. The present study aimed to examine variations in HSB among the rural dwellers of Kogi State, Nigeria, based on religious commitment. Two hundred and sixty-nine Muslim and Christian worshipers chosen from religious centers in different locations of the state participated in the study. The respondents completed a self-report measure of healthcare-seeking behavior and the religious commitment inventory. The result of regression analysis indicated a positive influence of religious commitment on healthcare-seeking behaviors in rural populations. It was concluded that religious commitment should be included in the focus of the healthcare providers in providing all-inclusive care for rural dwellers in Kogi state.

Curiosities and Rarities of Handwritten Manuscripts in the State Archive of the Ryazan Region

Обращение к рукописному наследию, находящемуся в региональных архивах и зачастую не атрибутированному, приобретает все большую актуальность, так как способствует углублению представлений об особенностях мировосприятия и умонастроений людей прошлого, живших в столице и провинции. В статье рассматриваются несколько малоизученных рукописных сборников XVIII–XIX веков, хранящихся в Государственном архиве Рязанской области. Основное внимание уделяется материалам наиболее редким и интересным с точки зрения исторической и культурологической. Преимущественно автора интересуют литературные тексты. Для их комментирования привлекается культурно-исторический и бытовой контекст эпохи их создания. Цель статьи — ввести в научный оборот наблюдения, которые могут способствовать дальнейшим исследованиям на эту тему. По материалам региональных архивов можно судить о том, как воспринимались и перерабатывались меняющиеся столичные вкусы и нравы в российской провинции. The analysis of handwritten manuscripts stored in regional archival collections has been gaining greater relevance, for it promotes deeper investigation of the worldview of people of past epochs, both city dwellers and rural dwellers. The article analyzes a number of underinvestigated handwritten manuscripts of the 18th–19th centuries that are preserved in the State Archive of the Ryazan Region. Special attention is given to exceptionally rare and historically or culturally significant sources. The author of the article is primarily interested in literary texts. The author of the article analyzes them through the prism of history, culture and everyday life of the epoch when they were created. The aim of the article is to share findings that can further promote the investigation of the issue. Documents preserved in regional archival collections can help a researcher to understand the evolution and transformation of urban dwellers’ and rural dwellers’ tastes, morals and customs.

The incidence of appendicitis in the rural population

Surgical literature of the late 19th century and the first two decades of the current century notes that city dwellers, in comparison with rural dwellers, are more likely to suffer from appendicitis.

Managing E-Patient Case Notes in Tertiary Hospitals

Telemedicine is the use of information and communication technologies to extend healthcare work to the vulnerable in the rural areas. It is unfortunate that telemedicine is yet to be deployed in sub Sahara Africa where there is acute shortage of medical professionals with many rural dwellers without medical facilities. This paper proposes an electronic Patient’s Case-Note to replace existing manual method so as to mitigate the challenges associated with manual record keeping. The tree theory was used to motivate the information follows which the basis for the theoretical framework for the study also presented is the Cyclic structure that depicts information flow in the system. The conceptual model and the algorithms to implement the model are presented. The Model was implemented and few screenshot presented.

EP.TH.359Improved Oesophagogastric Cancer Outcomes in Rural Patients

Introduction Despite advances in medical therapies and surgical techniques, oesophagogastric cancer survival remains low. Poorer cancer outcomes and survival for rural dwellers is well documented worldwide and has been an area of focus in Scotland since 2007, with changes to suspected cancer referral guidelines and a government report on delivering remote and rural healthcare. Methods A prospective, single-centre observation study was conducted utilising data from oesophago-gastric cancer MDT referrals and outcomes from January 2013 to December 2019. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2020 tool provided a rurality code based on patient postcode at time of referral. Survival outcomes for urban and rural patients were compared across demographic factors, disease factors and stage at presentation. Results 1046 patients were included in this study. The median age of presentation for urban and rural patients was 73.7 and 72.4 respectively. There was no significant difference between oesophageal versus gastric cancer presentations nor was there any difference between T, N or M stage at presentation between the groups. No difference was identified between those commenced on a radical therapy with other treatment plans. On Kaplan-Meier analysis there was a difference in survival between the groups favouring rural dwellers (p = 0.012). Discussion The difference in survival demonstrated here between urban and rural groups is not easily explained but may represent improvements to rural access to healthcare delivered as a result of policy change. This is an interesting finding and this study should be expanded to include performance status at time of referral.

Knowledge and Adherence to COVID-19 Preventive Measures: A Continental Review

Background: The burden of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been on the rise since it was first reported in December 2019. COVID-19 has devastated global economy, public health, social interaction, and has claimed millions of lives globally within a few months. Due to the severe effect of some of the instituted guidelines on citizens and the economy, some of the policies in place to curtail the spread were receded. Hence, the present review aims to assess existing literature on the knowledge and adherence of Africans toward the COVID-19 preventive measures. Methods: Studies focused on Africans’ knowledge and adherence to COVID-19 preventive measures were selected using Google Scholar, Scopus, and PubMed databases. Preprints that have not been peer-reviewed, reviews, and non-COVID-19 studies were excluded. Results: All selected studies showed a satisfactory knowledge of respondents about COVID-19 but poor level of adherence to the preventive measures. Good knowledge and satisfactory level of adherence was common mostly among the clinical health workers, highly educated, and those with higher professional qualification, while poor knowledge and poor practice was observed mostly among rural dwellers, people of poor educational background, and those unable to read and write. Conclusion: This review identified a relatively good knowledge about COVID-19 from all the studies, however, the level of adherence to preventive measures was poor. We recommend that the populace adhere to the laid guidelines to ensure the spread of the virus is curbed while also enhancing the eradication of the pandemic. Keywords: COVID-19, adherence, knowledge, preventive measures, Africa