ABSTRACT Adolescent pregnancy is an important public health problem on the increase in Nigeria. Few studies have investigated the circumstances and factors associated with parental decisions taken following an adolescent pregnancy, in spite of the implications of these on the adolescent. This study was designed to assess factors influencing parents‟/guardians‟ decisions on adolescent pregnancy. A mixed method study involving the use of Key Informant Interviews (KII) and semi-structured ...
ABSTRACT This study is a cross-sectional survey conducted in the Cape Coast Metropolis in the Central Region of Ghana in 2013 among 308 adults who were 65 years and above. The main objective was to investigate the domestic health hazards of the elderly with structured interview schedule. The descriptive analysis revealed that 64% of the sample had medium level of awareness on Domestic Health hazard (DHH) and fire source was the leading DHH (63.0%). It was also revealed that the elderly suffer...
ABSTRACT Reporting of notifiable diseases is essential for control and prevention of outbreak of diseases. In Nigeria, reporting of Notifiable Diseases by health workers has not been adequately documented. This study was conducted to assess health workers knowledge, practices, and factors influencing disease reporting in urban and rural communities in Oyo State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among the 210 health workers who were responsible for disease reporting at their ...
ABSTRACT Meat and offal obtained from cattle and goats sold in open markets serve as sources of protein, but may be susceptible to heavy metal contamination due to illicit disposal and emission in the environment. Consumers‘ knowledge on the possible exposure to heavy metal contamination in meat and its associated health risks is low. Therefore, this study aimed at assessing heavy metal levels in these products. A cross-sectional study design with observational and laboratory analysis comp...
ABSTRACT The determination of Health-Related Quality of Life (HR-QoL) is useful for assessing the impact of health and illness on people’s physical, psychological and social functioning. In Nigeria, the HR-QoL of students (who are mostly adolescents) with physical and sensory impairments has not been adequately researched. There is need for scientific basis for comparative description of the experiences of Students with physical and sensory impairments (SwPSI) in special schools (SS) and i...
ABSTRACT Background: For effective outcomes of Anti-retroviral therapy (ART), people who are diagnosed of HIV and linked to care must remain in care and subsequently go through each step of the care continuum. However, persons are lost to follow-up at each stage of the continuum due to reasons including psychological, socioeconomic and health systems ineffectiveness. This study determined the factors associated with Retention of people living with HIV (PLHIV) in care at Pantang Hospital. Meth...
ABSTRACT Family planning is a cost effective health intervention that has immediate benefits for women, children and families. However, in the Bomfa subdistrict for the past five years, 1997-2001 the family planning acceptor rate has never exceeded 5%. The objective of this study was therefore to determine the factors accounting for this low acceptor rate. A descriptive cross sectional study was carried out over a four-week period. A total number of 170 persons, 76% females and 24% males wer...
ABSTRACT Background: In 2017, there were 425 million people living with diabetes globally, while in Ghana, the number of adults with diabetes was 518,400. The International Diabetes Federation revealed that patients with diabetes have health expenses of 673 billion USD annually. In Ghana, financial and non-financial cost associated with diabetes accounts for over two-thirds of household‘s income. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine out-of-pocket payments and financial co...
ABSTRACT Background: Childhood tuberculosis (TB) remains a major public health problem worldwide, especially in developing countries. Despite clear evidence that isoniazid preventive therapy (IPT) can reduce the risk of progression from TB infection to disease in TB contacts, uptake of IPT in children is low and IPT delivery is a challenge in many resource-limited settings with high TB-burden. Furthermore, the IPT initiation rates amongst child TB program implementation settings in Cameroon h...
ABSTRACT Optimal breastfeeding practices ensure adequate nutrients for growth, development, and protection of infant and young child. However, some mothers are unable to breastfeed their children as recommended due to their work. In light of this, the study sought to describe the determinants of breastfeeding practices of working mothers with children 4-23 months in Accra. A cross-sectional design, utilizing a quantitative approach was used to sample 400 working mothers of children 4-23 month...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, (HIV-AIDS) is an incurable disease estimated to cause an annual worldwide mortality of above 1 million, most of which are in Sub Saharan Africa alone (WHO, 2014). Female Sex Workers are a higher risk Key Population where HI is concentrated. FSW HIV prevalence in Ghana is 11.1%, several times higher than the national prevalence of 1.3% (NACP, 2014). This study focused on FSW in Takoradi, a city which has...
ABSTRACT Studies have established that suicidal ideation is associated with risk of suicide attempt or suicide. Thus understanding more about Suicidal ideation may have implications for prevention. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional survey which utilized secondary data from the most recent Global School Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in 2012. Both Bivariate and Multivariate analyses were done to examine the associations between demographic and psychosocial factors and suicidal ideati...
Abstract This study was aimed at providing comprehensive information on infant and young child feeding practices adopted by HIV positive mothers participating in the nation’s pilot PMTCT programme in the Manya Krobo District, Eastern Region of Ghana. It also drew comparisons with the same feeding practices among mothers of unknown HIV status. Secondly, the study provided information on the relationships between infant and young child feeding practices and selected background factors o...
ABSTRACT Background Cervical cancer is a Public Health threat. The disease imposes economic burden on resources in the form of medical and non-medical expenditure and loss of productivity. Cervical cancer cases are expected to increase in 2030 by 1.5-fold in view of the rising world population. A woman who develops cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa has at least 79 percent chance of dying from this malignancy. Cervical cancer risk can be reduced by 80 percent through regular screening. Gen...
ABSTRACT The practice of early marriage has persisted in some Nigerian tribes, despite its associated negative health effects. There is however inadequate information on adolescents‟ knowledge and attitude towards this practice. This study was therefore conducted to determine knowledge, attitude and the prevalence of early marriage among adolescents in Sasa, a multi-ethnic community in Akinyele Local Government Area Nigeria. Using a three-stage sampling technique, 400 adolescents were rec...