Background: Adolescents are tomorrow's adult population, hence their health and well-being are crucial. The objective of this study was to determine the nutritional status of in-school adolescents in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted on 93 in-school adolescents attending a diabetes mellitus sensitisation and education programme, selected by simple random sampling (the ballot method) using a self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements were carried out on the subjects by trained researchers. Data were analysed using SPSS® software, version 17. Results: Study subjects comprised 29 males (31.2%) and 64 females (68.8), with an overall mean age of 15.67 (± 1.25) years. All of them were in senior grades of their secondary education. Approximately 90% of respondents' parents had attained at least secondary education. The television was the most popular source of health information for the study subjects (33.3%). Nearly a third of them were underweight (body mass index (BMI) < 18.5 kg/m 2)) and 7.6% of them were overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2). However, the prevalence of underweight was higher in the male respondents than in their female counterparts (41.4% vs. 23.4%, respectively). Statistically significant differences were also observed when the mean BMI and mean BMI percentiles for age and sex were compared (p < 0.05 in both instances). Conclusion: The study showed that malnutrition, and especially undernutrition, is still a problem in adolescents, with a higher prevalence in boys. Nutrition education in schools, and special programmes like the one attended by the study subjects, would help considerably in improving the health and well-being of the nation's adolescents; tomorrow's adult population.
General Hospital in Warri, Delta state for allowing data collection in the health facility within his jurisdiction, as well as the Site Project Director for creating an enabling environment for the data collection. We appreciate all the women who gave consent and participated in the study resulting in smooth and successful data collection for the study.
Background: Tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are closely correlated and continue to cause deleterious effects in co-infected patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of TB/HIV co-infection among directly observed treatment short-course (DOTs) clinic clients in Ogun State, Nigeria. Methods: The TB register and treatment cards of patients that visited the DOTs centre in Federal Medical Centre Abeokuta between January 2015 and December 2019 were reviewed. Results: A total of 726 TB patients’ records were reviewed, among which 186 (22.5%) were co-infected with HIV. TB/HIV co-infection was significantly associated with the ⩽19 years age group 54 (37.2%), females 85 (26.7%), divorced and separated 8 (34.8%), rural residents 18 (34.0%), those who had no formal education 53 (39.8%) and the unemployed 63 (31.7%). Gender and educational status remained significant predictors of TB/HIV co-infection after adjustment for confounding factors. Discussion: Gender-sensitive programming and interventions geared towards improving knowledge of TB and HIV using a wide array of approaches should be considered.
Background:
Fair skin has been associated with beauty and sexual attraction. Aggressive marketing of skin-lightening products to unsuspecting members of the general population continues despite their numerous side effects.
Aim:
This study assessed the knowledge and pattern of the use of skin-lightening creams (SLCs) among undergraduates in Osun State, Southwestern Nigeria.
Methods:
This is a descriptive, cross-sectional study among University undergraduates. Three hundred undergraduates were selected using multistage sampling method. The research instrument used was a semi-structured, self-administered, pretested questionnaire. Data were analysed using the SPSS version 23.0 software.
Results:
The mean age of the students was 21.0 (±3.4) years. Most (283, i.e., 94.3%) of the students were aware of SLCs, with the Internet being the most common source of information. About 69.0% had good knowledge, while 67.0% had a poor attitude towards the use of SLC. Eighty-one (27.0%) respondents knew that SLC had side effects, 114 (38.0%) had ever used SLC, 69 (60.5%) still use SLC now, while 45 (39.5%) have stopped. Among those who had ever used, 108 (94.7%) said that they knew the chemical ingredient in SLC, 34 (29.8%) usually checked the label before use, 108 (94.7%) usually obtained SLC products from the supermarkets/shops. Predictors of the use of SLC in this study were female and age older than 19 years.
Conclusion:
Good knowledge but poor attitude characterised the significant proportion of SLC users under the study, and this underscored the need for improved public awareness in this regard and targeting this young, vulnerable population.
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