Objective: Menopause is characterized by physiological changes with increased risk of obesity, dyslipidemia and decreased quality of life (QoL). Despite the plethora of reports on the alleviating effect of exercise on climacteric symptoms, there is little documentation of this lifestyle intervention among Ghanaian menopausal women. This study examined the effect of aerobic exercise on lipid profile, cardiorespiratory function and QoL among menopausal women. Methods: Eighteen sedentary postmenopausal women between 45 to 75 years were randomly assigned to experimental (EG, n=8) and control (CG, n=10) groups. The EG received moderate intensity aerobic exercise training for eight weeks, three times a week while the CG observed normal daily activities. Blood pressure, resting heart rate, BMI, and lipid profile were measured and QoL assessed using the Utian QoL questionnaire at weeks 0 and 9. Results: After 8 weeks, the EG demonstrated significant decrease in cardiovascular risk ratio by 6.5L% and a non-significant decrease in LDL by 11.9L%. The CG showed significant increase in systolic BP by 3.2%L and a non-significant increase in LDL and cardiovascular risk by 14.9L% and 9.4L% respectively. QoL significantly improved in the EG group compared to CG after the 8 weeks. Conclusion: The health and QoL of participants in EG was significantly better than

This study was designed as a cross-sectional study to find out the prevalence and associated risk factors of burnout among veterinary students at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Kumasi—Ghana. A total of 74 veterinary students served as the respondents and were given online questionnaires which comprised questions on emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalisation (DP) and reduced personal accomplishment (RPA). Data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and regression analysis. Results indicated that on average, the EE and RPA were low with mean score of 12.72 ± 4.46 and 27.96 ± 7.94 whilst DP was high with a mean score of 20.72 ± 6.5 among veterinary students. The year of study had a significant effect (p = 0.000) on burnout with levels of high RPA (80%) and DP (70%) being more in the preclinical students as compared to the clinical students (RPA = 20%, DP = 30%). There was also a significant effect (p = 0.028) of the year of study and type of residence of the students on the high level of DP and RPA. Daily sleep hours of students had Daily sleep hours of the veterinary students were also indicated as a significant associated risk factor of burnout among veterinary students in this study as more less sleep hours (<6hours), causes high levels of DP and RPA. Age, gender and marital status, working status, exercise hours and weekly study hours of students did not count as significant predictive factors (p>0.05) of burnout.

No abstract

No abstract

Background Preconception care comprises interventions that aim to identify and modify biomedical, behavioural and social risks to a woman's health or pregnancy outcome through prevention and management. Despite its importance, it is less routinely practiced in Nigeria and information on the knowledge and practice of preconception care among health workers at the community level is scanty. Hence, this study investigated healthcare workers' knowledge, perception and practice of preconception care in Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods A descriptive, cross-sectional research design, using non-probability sampling, was used to select 80 health workers across two local government areas in Ibadan to participate in this study. Four research questions with two null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and a semi-structured questionnaire was distributed to gather data on the participants' knowledge, perceptions and practice of preconception care. The data were analysed using regression analysis, with P<0.05 used to indicate significance. Results The majority of respondents had fair knowledge of preconception care (53.8%), and a generally positive perception (74.3%), but poor practice (42.2%) of preconception care. Only 15.0% practiced preconception care every day when caring for women and couples in their communities. Knowledge of preconception care was positively associated with health workers' age (P<0.000), occupation (P=0.002) and years of experience (P<0.000). Conclusions Healthcare workers in Ibadan need to be trained on preconception care guidelines and resources should be made available for their use at every level of healthcare delivery in Nigeria.

Background The partograph is a graphic record of labour progress, and maternal and fetal condition, which was introduced to detect preventable maternal complications during parturition. It is plotted against time for intrapartum monitoring. There is a difference in how widely the modified partograph is used to monitor labour among health workers in primary healthcare across different countries, according to the World Health Organization. This study assessed primary healthcare workers' knowledge of how to use the partograph for labour monitoring in Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods The study used a cross-sectional descriptive survey to recruit 136 purposively selected respondents. A semi-structured questionnaire was administered for data collection. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 23. Hypotheses were tested using the Chi-square test and logistic regression at P<0.05 significance. Results The majority of respondents reportedly had good knowledge of how to use the partograph (72%) but did not use it when monitoring labour (82.4%). The odds of using a partograph was four times more likely in participants with good knowledge (odds ratio=3.61, P<0.000). Conclusions There is a need for collaboration across all tiers of government with the National Primary Health Development Agency to develop and implement health policies that will encourage the utilisation of a partograph for monitoring labour.