Infection Control Practices among Laboratory Healthcare Workers in an Urban Local Government Area of Lagos State, Nigeria

Background: Laboratory healthcare workers do handle a wide range of potentially dangerous materials which exposes them to numerous hazards. This study aimed to assess the practices of laboratory health care workers towards safety, infection control and the associated factors to its practices. Case Presentation: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 181 laboratory healthcare workers in all registered 33 laboratory facilities in Ikeja Local Government Area in 2017. Data were collected with pre-tested, structured self-administered questionnaires. Data analysed with SPSS version 20 and p-value of < 0.05. The mean age of respondents was 35.0 ± 2.45 years, most of whom were females (57.7%) and married (61.1%). The majority (98.9%) demonstrated good knowledge of infection control. A total of 62.3% identified hand washing as the most important infection control practice while HIV and Tuberculosis were diseases respondents majorly considered as high risk of contracting. A total of 84.6% of the respondents showed good practices. Limited availability of personal protective equipment in the laboratories was a major barrier identified by 98.1% of respondents. Respondents displayed good knowledge, attitude and practice of infection control. Discussion and Conclusion: Barrier to infection control was the limited availability of personal protective equipment. Therefore, concerted efforts should be mustered to ensure continuous training and retraining with the provision of personal protective equipment.

Prevalence of Obesity and its primary comorbidities among patients attending the dietetics out-patient clinic in a tertiary health institution in southwestern Nigeria

Objective: The study assessed the prevalence of obesity and its co-morbidities among patients attending the dietetics outpatient clinic of the hospital. Methods: The prevalence of obesity and its co-morbidities were assessed in this retrospective study from the available in the outpatient clinic of the Dietetics Department in University College Hospital Ibadan, Oyo State. Age, gender, occupation, religion, height, weight, diagnosed diseases were extracted from the record of individuals who presented at the clinic over 72 months. Data obtained was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Result: A total of 3248 patients’ records were assessed. Of these, 1174 (36.15%) patients met the criteria for obesity according to their recorded BMI; 614(52.3%) had obesity class I (BMI 30–34.9), 343(29.2%) had obesity class II (BMI 35–39.9) and 217(18.5%) had obesity class III (BMI ≥40). Obesity was significantly higher amongst females than males (p<0.05). The most prevalent single co-morbidity was diabetes 22.3%, while the most prevalent double co-morbidity was hypertension/diabetes 22.9%. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity amongst patients was significant. Diabetes and hypertension were the most dominant co-morbidity. Interventions should be developed to combat the increasing prevalence of the diseases and these should involve educating the public and clinical management of the diseases upon identification.

Knowledge, perception and preventive practices of COVID-19 among Primary Health Care workers in Ogun State, Nigeria

Objective: This study was carried out to determine the COVID-19 knowledge, perception, and preventive practices among primary health care workers in Ogun state. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 339 primary health care workers in Ogun state using self-administered questionnaires. Knowledge of COVID-19 was graded as good with a minimum score of 75% while perception was graded as good with a score greater than the mean scores. Preventive practices were categorized as good with minimum scores of 75%. Associations between knowledge, practice, and categorical variables were assessed using the chi-square test with the level of significance set at p < 0.05 Results: The mean age of respondents was 42.30 ± 8.73 years. The major source of information on COVID-19 was health training (99.7%). A total of 50.7% had good knowledge of COVID-19 while 42.8% had a good perception of COVID-19. The majority (92.9%) had good COVID-19 preventive practices. Length of years in service was significantly associated (p=0.024) with knowledge of COVID-19. Conclusion: About half of the health care workers had good knowledge of COVID-19 while the perception of COVID-19 was poor. However, preventive practices carried out among the healthcare workers were good. Efforts should be made to further improve the knowledge and perception of primary health care workers as they play a vital role in the delivery of health care services in the state.

Effect of a health-risk reduction training program on the knowledge and safe waste-handling practices among Waste-pickers in dumpsites in Ogun State, Nigeria

Objective: This study assessed the effect of a health-risk reduction training program on waste-pickers waste-handling practices in dumpsites in Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted among 60 waste-pickers recruited by multistage sampling technique divided into intervention and control group. There was a baseline assessment of waste-handling practices in both intervention and control groups using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire. Thereafter, health-risk reduction training was given using lectures, and demonstrations. Three months after the intervention, another assessment of the same waste-pickers was conducted with the same instrument. Waste-handling practices and knowledge responses were measured on a 54-point rating scale and 17-point rating scale respectively. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 23 to generate descriptive and inferential. Results: At baseline, the waste-pickers in the control group had a mean waste-handling score of 17.80±6.89 while the experimental group had a mean of (17.97±5.47). After the training program, there was a statistically significant increase in the mean waste-handling score of the experimental group (47.30±3.28; p= 0.000) while there was no increase in the mean waste-handling score of the control group (17.80±6.89). This significant increase in the mean waste-handling score of the experimental group (53.83±0.38; p=0.000) was also observed at 3 month follow-up period. Conclusion/Recommendation: The health-risk reduction training was effective in improving the waste-handling practices of waste-pickers. It is recommended that waste-pickers should be trained on proper waste-handling by the government.

Unmet needs for assistance with activities of daily living among elderly in rural and urban areas in Kwara State Central Senatorial District, Nigeria

Objective: The elderly usually require assistance and sometimes have unmet needs for assistance with activities of daily living. This study assessed the unmet needs for assistance with activities of daily living among the elderly in rural and urban areas in Kwara Central Senatorial District, Nigeria. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected using pre-tested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaires from 300 elderly using the multistage sampling technique. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences 20 was used to analyze data, and the level of significance was predetermined at a p-value less than 0.05. Results: Overall, 60% of the elderly in the urban than rural group (46%) had unmet needs for assistance with activities of daily living. The prevalence of unmet needs for assistance with basic activities of daily living in the rural areas ranged from 0.0% (eating) to 70.8 % (bathing) and 0.0% (eating) to 68.8 % (transferring) in the urban areas. The prevalence of unmet needs for instrumental activities of daily living ranged from 16.7% (handling finances) to 59.3 % (cooking) for those in the rural areas. However, the range was from 33.3% (transportation) to 75.0% (taking medications) in the urban areas. The urban respondents had higher unmet needs for assistance with telephone use than rural respondents. (p=0.004*). Conclusion: The elderly in the urban areas had a higher prevalence of unmet needs for assistance with activities of daily living. The government must address the needs of the elderly through a policy to prevent unmet needs for assistance with activities of daily living.

Client Satisfaction: Understanding its Predictors to improve HIV treatment and care in a tertiary facility southwestern state, Nigeria

Objective: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is a major public health concern. Frequent hospital visits are needed on the part of the patient to achieve decreased prevalence, the efficacy of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and viral suppression. Patient satisfaction is needed to achieve the aforementioned outcomes of care. This study, therefore, was conducted to assess clients’ satisfaction and perception of the quality of HIV/AIDs services and to elicit factors associated with dissatisfaction. Method: A cross-sectional survey was done using a systematic sampling method to select the study population. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, chi-square test, and logistic regression at a p-value set at < 0.05. Results: Most of the respondents (34.4%) were within the age range of 36- 44years. The mean age was 42.1± 11.5years. The overall satisfaction was 85.6%. The majority of respondents (95.2%) affirmed that the quality of care received was good. Unavailability of HIV educational materials was shown to predict clients’ satisfaction more than other factors with 3.545; 95% CI: 1.519 - 8.275; p = 0.003. Likewise, clients who perceived health workers to be non-accepting and judgmental are 3.6 times more likely to be unsatisfied with HIV services provided compared to those who do not (3. 580; 95% CI: 1.264- 10.141; p = 0.016). Conclusion: The study demonstrated impressive overall clients’ satisfaction with services provided at the health facility and the quality of care. Attention must be paid to the availability of HIV materials and training and retraining of staff to reduce stigmatization and discrimination against patients.

Leiomyoma of the anterior vaginal wall: a rare case

Background: Leiomyoma is a benign smooth muscle mesenchymal tumor, usually of uterine origin but may rarelydevelop in the vaginal walls. Case presentation: A case of 40-year-old para 5+0 woman with anterior vaginal wall leiomyoma is reported. Thepresentation mimics that of uterovaginal prolapse and hence presents a diagnostic challenge. The unusualappearance of the protrusion, failure to reduce at any time even while lying down, and complete absence of urinarysymptoms raised the suspicion of a rare case. The diagnosis was made through examination under anesthesia,cystoscopy, and biopsy. Histological examination of the biopsy specimen confirmed vaginal wall leiomyoma. Thepatient had complete excision of the mass without any complications. Discussion and Conclusion: Vaginal wall leiomyoma is a rare benign vaginal lesion that can easily bemisdiagnosed. Diagnosis involves critical clinical evaluation, especially during pelvic examinations. Any vaginalprotrusion should be approached with a high index of suspicion, especially in patients of reproductive age.

Dietary Knowledge and Practices among Non-Medical Staff at Babcock University in Ogun State, Nigeria

Objective: Good nutrition is important in promoting health and is dependent on the quality of food eaten. Little has been researched on the dietary practices among the workforce in Nigeria. This study aimed at assessing the dietary knowledge, practices, and factors influencing dietary practices and work productivity among the non-medical staff of Universities. Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional survey of 398 non-medical staff of Babcock University who were selected using the multi-stage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 21) to compute frequency distributions, means, and standard deviations. Nutritional knowledge, dietary practices, and barriers to work productivity were assessed. Inferential statistical analysis was conducted using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results: The mean age among respondents was 38.68±11.04, with the majority being female 54.6%. of the respondents (61.1%) of Yoruba origin, about three percentiles (66%) were members of staff while (34%) were faculty members. The computed level of knowledge and dietary-based practices scores were (2.57±0.61) and (3.64±1.44) respectively, indicating poor knowledge and dietary practices, while the barriers that influence work productivity among workers (11.34±5.286) were high at 87.2%. No significant association was found between nutritional knowledge and dietary practices of staff and faculty (p=.154), but a significant association was found between dietary practices and work productivity of staff and faculty (p=.019) Conclusion: Health education and promotion of good nutrition should be incorporated in the workplace, interventions that will improve work productivity among workers are also encouraged. This will culminate in a well-fed and healthy workforce.

A Comparative Study of Predictors of Health Service Utilization among Rural and Urban Areas in Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State

Objective: Health facilities utilization among Nigerians is affected by access to hospitals and, availability of personnel. This study compared the predictors of health service utilization in rural and urban areas of Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State. Method: A cross-sectional study, involving 250 rural and 250 urban respondents selected through multi-stage sampling techniques. Quantitative data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Qualitative data collection was done with an FGD guide. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16. Chi-square, t-test, and z-test were used to test for significance. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean age of urban respondents was 37.1±7.9 years and 42.6 ±13.7 years for rural. Utilization among the urban respondents were 71.2%, and 89.2% among rural (z-score = 27.93; p-value = 0.01). Health services factors such as waiting time (Adjusted OR=1.012; p-value=0.989) were found to be a strong predictor of utilization among urban respondents compared with the availability of drugs (Adjusted OR= 1.696; p-value=0.407) and availability of drugs (Adjusted OR= 1.696; p-value=0.407) which were the strongest predictor among rural respondents, though they were all not statistically significant. Other factors identified were lack of staff 46.5% among rural and lack of drug 26.1% among urban communities respectively. Conclusion: The study demonstrated higher utilization among the rural community. Knowledge of available health services was important for utilization; waiting time, and availability of drugs were major predictors of health service utilization among urban and rural communities respectively.

Perception and Practices relating to Hepatitis B Infection among In-school Adolescents in Ogun State, Nigeria

Objective: This study examined the perception and practices relating to Hepatitis B infection among In-school adolescents in Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study of 300 in-school adolescents selected by a multi-stage sampling method. Data were elicited using a pretested self-administered questionnaire which included questions relating to respondents' risky practices, and a 35-point Hepatitis B perception scale. Descriptive statistics, as well as Chi-square statistics, were generated using IBM SPSS Version 23, and the significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 14.31 ± 1.73years and slightly over half (51.7%) were females. Less than half (45%) of the adolescents perceived themselves to be susceptible to Hepatitis B infection, while 31% perceived Hepatitis B infection to be a serious disease. Almost half (49%) of the adolescents had unfavorable perceptions. The most common risky practices among the respondents were sharing skin-piercing instruments with their family members (79%) and friends (68.7%). There are significant associations between sex (gender) and risky practices such as the practices of unsafe sex (X2= 9.11; p=0.10); having multiple sexual partners (X2= 12.08; p =0.02); and sharing skin-piercing instruments (X2= 5.52; p=0.01) with more males reporting the above practices than females. Conclusion/Recommendation: To minimize the identified risky practices and unfavorable perception, educational intervention programs aimed at promoting Hepatitis B virus preventive behaviors and increasing the level of perception of vulnerability and seriousness of HBV infection among in-school adolescents should be conducted.