Disability In Nigeria Research Articles

Evaluating the knowledge of stroke management among Nigerian medical doctors

BackgroundStroke is a leading cause of death and disability in Nigeria. Effective stroke management is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality. Few trained neurologists in Nigeria are mostly concentrated in the cities, making non-specialists the backbone of acute stroke management in Nigeria. Physicians-related factors have been identified as one of the factors leading to sub-optimal stroke care. This study aimed to describe the knowledge of medical doctors in acute stroke care and the factors responsible for the disparity in their skills. MethodsA descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 404 medical doctors across all the six geo-political zones in Nigeria using the Acute Stroke Management Questionnaire (ASMaQ). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and simple logistics regression to predict the relationship between independent variables and the outcome variable (good knowledge vs poor knowledge). Results67 % (95 % CI =63–72 %) of respondents had good overall knowledge of stroke management. Most respondents [88.6 %, 95 % CI =85–92 %] had good knowledge of General Stroke Knowledge (GSK) followed by Hyperacute Stroke Management (HSM) [52.5 %, 95 % CI=47.3–57.7 %] and Advanced Stroke Management (ASM) [49.5 %, 95 %CI= 49.5–54.4 %]. Working in a primary healthcare center (PHCs) and government hospital were significant predictor of overall poor knowledge of stroke. Physicians at PHCs had 2.29 times the odds of poor knowledge compared to those in tertiary hospital ConclusionsIt is essential to retrain doctors on stroke management regularly, as part of their professional development.

Legal Appraisal of the Electoral Rights of the People Living with Disabilities (PLWDS) in Nigeria: Need for Collaboration and Inclusivity

Aim: According to the World Health Organisation, persons living with disability in Nigeria constitute 15% (25 million) of Nigeria’s population, and their civil and political rights must be protected. It is noteworthy that by virtue of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, the voting rights of Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) are secured, however, implementation of this Act has become an impediment to the rights of PLWDs. This paper investigates the reasons for the decline in political participation among the PLWDs and effective measures to actualize the already provided legal frameworks.
 Methods: This work adopts a desk-based (doctrinal) research methodology.
 Results: This paper reveals that the primary threat to the enjoyment of political rights by PLWDs is the failure to include PLWDs in decision-making, which is nearly impossible as there are few or no PLWDs in the legislature. It is noteworthy that Nigeria’s democracy will be deemed pseudo if a fraction of the society, regardless of their population, are disadvantaged or put in such a position that enforcing their suffrage is impracticable.
 Conclusion: This study concludes that involving the PLWDs in decision making or seeking their suggestions before making laws concerning or affecting them will make the laws practicable.

Barriers to employment of people with intellectual disability.

People with intellectual disability are likely to face long-standing employment barriers in finding and keeping jobs, for a variety of reasons. This study, therefore, investigated barriers to employment of people with intellectual disability. The participants in this study were made up of sixty-five stakeholders who were recruited from six different categories. The objective of the study was to determine barriers to employment of people with intellectual disability. A qualitative and quantitative research design was used in the study. The qualitative method was used to systematically identify barriers to employment for people with intellectual disability while the quantitative method was used to rank the barriers. Findings indicate that barriers to employment for people with developmental disabilities are discrimination, stigma, employers' attitude, and management style, feeling unappreciated, and working environment such as culture to accommodation, understanding and strengths. Moreover, results shows that discrimination was ranked the highest while feeling unappreciated was ranked the least of the barriers to employment of people with intellectual disability. The paper provides information about barriers to employment of people with intellectual disability in Nigeria that is required to initiate change in policy development.

An Appraisal of the Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Women with Disability in Nigeria

An Appraisal of the Sexual and Reproductive Rights of Women with Disability in Nigeria

A Scoping Review of Empirical Literature on People with Intellectual Disability in Nigeria

Intellectual disability (ID) is an emerging field of research in Nigeria. This review seeks to identify what has been published in order to describe the evidence and to identify the major gaps in knowledge and practice. A systematic search of five databases and an African disability journal yielded 15 papers that reported on empirical studies related to people with ID in Nigeria. Fifteen studies across the databases and journal searched met the inclusion criteria. The participants included adults and children with ID and their families. Twelve of the papers employed quantitative methods, two were qualitative and one was a mixed methods study. There is a paucity of empirical research on people with ID in Nigeria, thus emphasising the need for more primary research about people with ID living in Nigeria. Nigeria is estimated to have the largest population of people with disabilities in Africa; however, this review found limited empirical work regarding their lives, prevalence and care. This limited evidence hinders the understanding of the challenges people with an intellectual disability face and potentially inhibit the creation of policy-oriented solutions to their plights in a globalised world.

Stroke units in Nigeria: a report from a nationwide organizational cross-sectional survey.

Introductionstroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in Nigeria. Stroke unit care is crucial for reducing mortality and morbidity in stroke. This study describes the stroke units' structure, organization, and care process in Nigerian tertiary hospitals.Methodsthis study is a cross-sectional descriptive organizational survey-based study using an online structured questionnaire to collect information on the stroke units.Resultsfive (8.6%) out of 58 hospitals had a stroke unit. The number of beds ranged between 10 and 27 with the coverage of hospital stroke patients ranging from 24% to 100%. All the centers had a multidisciplinary team for their unit. The basic required investigations like computerized tomography and electrocardiography were available in the centers. Thrombolytic therapy coverage was suboptimal in all the centers due to prolonged onset-to-arrival times and inaccessibility of thrombolytic medications.Conclusionthere has been some progress in stroke unit availability since the country´s first stroke unit was established over a decade ago. However, there is still the need to create more stroke units in Nigeria and improve reperfusion therapy coverage.

Disability Profile and Accessibility Limitations among Persons with Physical Disability in Nigeria

Purpose: To evaluate disability profile and accessibility limitations among Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) in Nigeria. Methods: 61 PLWDs (44 men, 17 women) consented for this study. World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0, Facilitators and Barriers Survey for People with Mobility Limitations version 2, Barthel Index, and Medical Expenditure Panel Survey Questionnaires were used to obtain data on physical disability profile, level of access barriers, activities of daily living and quality of access to health care respectively. A proforma was used to collect information on socio-demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Alpha level set at p< 0.05. Results: Prevalence of mobility, visual and hearing impairments were 60.7%, 21.3% and 6.6% respectively, There was a 11.5% rate of functional limitation while mild difficulty with ‘cognition’ and ‘life activities’ were reported among 96.7% and 65.6% of the respondents. 24.6% of the respondents had partial mobility dependence. There was low quality of access to health care (67.2%), high access barrier to home environment (73.8%) and transportation (93.4%). Conclusion: The PLWDs have high mobility impairment and face barriers in accessing healthcare, transportation and environment.

Perceptions and experience of social media use among adults with physical disability in Nigeria: attention to social interaction

While studies in social media and disability are growing globally, there is paucity in such studies in Nigeria. This study addresses this apparent gap by exploring the experiences and perceptions of Nigerian adults living with physical disability regarding social media, using an interpretive approach. A total of nine adults with physical disability between the ages of 20 and 34, living in urban areas, were interviewed in this study. Findings show that participants experienced diminished social contact and smaller social networks due to their disability. However, participants who used social media experienced increased social contact, developed social relationships, and had larger social networks. Participants also acknowledged social media as a useful platform for disability advocacy and awareness. Results support a call for continued efforts to support adults with physical disability experiencing diminished social contact to use social media to increase their social wellbeing. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Mother tongue disability and socio-cultural development in Nigeria

Mother tongue disability refers to some or total inadequacy in one’s native language. It implies a situation where individuals or groups of persons are unable to speak/ write their native language. This is a common phenomenon among Nigerian youths. As a result, research has shown there are over 450 indigenous languages in Nigeria, which may go extinct (Rotimi, 2012; Bankole, 2010). Colonization and the introduction of western civilization had often been blamed for mother tongue disability. However recent happenings indicate that factors such as the fast decreasing value for mother tongue and parental negative attitudes may be more responsible for mother tongue disability. The paper aims at explaining causes and effects of mother tongue disability in Nigeria and its consequences on socio-cultural development in the country. It concludes that the speaking, writing, as well as the understanding of mother tongue is beneficial for social solidarity, peaceful co-existence (without which there cannot be meaningful development), the maintenance of cultural heritage and values, and for the growth of the tourism industry.

Access to Justice for People with Disability in Nigeria: Therapeutic Day Care Centre (TDCC) as a Case Study

Access to justice through the court system for non-disabled persons is trampled upon every day in Nigeria. One can then imagine the plight of the disabled persons most of whom live in abject poverty and constant discrimination from their respective families, religious congregation, educational sectors, Judicial practices and the ineffectiveness of the government policies, which clearly plummeted people’s confidence in the social justice system as well as the entire political structure. Against this backdrop, this study presents the findings of the analyses of these discriminations and Injustices; stemming from basic amenities to prevailing cultural vices, religious practices and lack of commitment on the part of the government. To attend and implement the needs of the disabled persons, which are hindrances to access to justice for the disabled persons in Nigeria. Thus this writer used Therapeutic Day Care Centre (TDCC) as a case study by interviewing the people that work with them as well as primary and secondary data. The conclusion points to the needs of these ‘special’ groups or disabled persons that were explicitly listed herein to be strictly adhered and for the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to take a proactive stand to redress the lawful inadequacies so as to enhance their access to justice. Keywords: Alternative Dispute Resolution; Multi-door courthouse; Litigation; Access to Justice; Disabled Person; Therapeutic; Human rights.

Social Participation Among Older People with a Physical Disability in Nigeria: A Qualitative Study

Social Participation Among Older People with a Physical Disability in Nigeria: A Qualitative Study

'We only got Coca-Cola': Disability and the paradox of (dis)empowerment in Southeast Nigeria.

BackgroundEmpowerment is the generic name for support services for persons with disability in Nigeria. In it, the elites of the society play leading roles. Special events such as anniversaries, Christmas seasons, wealthy people’s birthdays, investiture of new titles and campaigns before general elections often provide occasions for empowerment programmes.ObjectivesThis article explores discourses of empowerment of persons with disability in Southeast Nigeria. We concentrate on the relation between local elites and the disability community and how it impacts our understanding of empowerment. Conceptualising empowerment as worldmaking, and disability as something that is ambiguous, we challenge the assumption that the aim of empowerment of disabled people is to improve their (disabled people’s) quality of life.MethodThis article relies on research data (collected between January 2014 and January 2017) comprising 72 interviews and participant observations from 27 persons with disability, and 13 social workers and senior government officials.ResultsWe conclude that discourses of empowerment of disabled people frame disability as loss and tend to conceal the personal stories and survival operations of disabled people.ConclusionEmpowerment discourses ironically provide the platform for local power elites to ‘ride’ to fame on the backs of disabled to extend their influence in society. In the current neoliberal environment of unequal access to opportunities, disabled people must ‘play along’ as a survival strategy. Our qualitative data provide opportunities to reflect on the tensions between the ‘local and the global’, thus indicating how disability issues intersect with other wider questions.

Rights of People with Disability in Nigeria: Attitude and Commitment

Rights of People with Disability in Nigeria: Attitude and Commitment

Religion, culture, and discrimination against persons with disabilities in Nigeria.

BackgroundThere is not a lot in the literature on disability in Nigeria concerning the role that religion, culture and beliefs play in sustaining discriminatory practices against persons with disabilities.ObjectivesMany of these practices are exclusionary in nature and unfair. They are either embedded in or sustained by religion, culture and beliefs about disability and persons with disabilities.MethodsDrawing on various resources and research on disability, this paper looks at these practices in respect of these sustaining factors. Some of the discriminatory practices that constitute the main focus of the paper are the trafficking and killing of people with mental illness, oculocutaneous albinism and angular kyphosis, raping of women with mental illness and the employment of children with disabilities for alms-begging.ResultsThe examination of these practices lends some significant weight and substance to the social model of disability, which construes disability in the context of oppression and the failure of social environments and structures to adjust to the needs and aspirations of people with disabilities.ConclusionGiven the unfairness and wrongness of these practices they ought to be deplored. Moreover, the Nigerian government needs to push through legislation that targets cultural and religious practices which are discriminatory against persons with disabilities as well as undertake effective and appropriate measures aimed at protecting and advancing the interests of persons with disabilities.

The Importance of Social Relationship and Support System after Stroke: A Qualitative Inquiry

Background: Stroke is currently the main cause of neurological disability in Nigeria. The impact of stroke can be devastating, leaving a person with significant residual impairment of physical, psychological, and social functions. The residual physical consequences can pose a significant threat to a survivor’s quality of life: yet, we have an incomplete understanding of how stroke affects long-term quality of life.Objective: To develop a thorough understanding how essential social relationship and support systems are to enabling long-term QOL following stroke.Methods: This study reports finding from an in-depth interview with 15 stroke patients to understand the importance of social relationship and support system as essential dimensions of long-term quality of life following stroke.Results: The key themes identified by the patients were: social and instrumental supports, communication, autonomy, social role adjustments, sexual relationship and stigma. A lot of the interviews with the patients consisted of narratives regarding how stroke altered social relationships with families, spouses, friends and significant others. Conclusion: The finding of this study is consistent with the pre-existing researches attesting the importance of social relationship and support systems after stroke and therefore recommend including assessment of social functions and social support in estimating stroke-related quality of life.

Commodifying the “Sacred,” Beatifying the “Abnormal”: Nollywood and the Representation of Disability

This paper examines the representations of disabilities and the disabled in the Nigerian film industry. It explores the contiguity between disability and sacrifice in Evil Agenda, Ti Oluwa Ni Ile, and Land of the Dwarfs, and interrogates some commonsensical assumptions about disability and the disabled in Nigeria and Africa. I argue that disability in Nigeria is a “socio-cultural and as well as a physical” problem and contend that its representations in Nollywood exploit and simultaneously beatify disabled actors. While Nollywood perpetuates some myths about disability and the disabled, it economically empowers disabled actors and increases their social status and privileges.

Family quality of life in Nigeria

The limited literature that exists about intellectual disabilities (ID) in Nigeria suggests that perceptions of ID may be shaped by social and cultural beliefs, and that socio-economic factors have prevented the development of policy and services. The present study sought to explore these suggestions in more detail by administering the Family Quality of Life Survey, an instrument used extensively throughout the world to collect comprehensive data on family quality of life. Its specific purposes were: (1) to describe the family quality of life of Nigerian families that have a son or daughter with ID and (2) to provide some initial ideas about the relationship between the families' life experiences and government policy and provision of services. Eighty main caregivers from 80 families that received services for their sons and daughters with ID from two community agencies volunteered to participate. Two trained assistants administered the Family Quality of Life Survey in accordance with the administration methods set out by the Survey authors. Quantitative data and explanatory comments were also collected. Regarding the first study purpose, all nine life domains of the Family Quality of Life Survey were rated as important. The two main outcome measures, Attainment and Satisfaction, showed that three domains (Family relationships, Influence of values and Health) were sources of quality for families, but that three domains (Support from services, Support from others and Leisure) detracted from family quality of life. Measures of Opportunities, Initiative and Stability were somewhat related to one another, and with the two main outcome measures. Participants' explanatory comments suggested that the main caregivers perceived some domains to make their lives better and others did not. Regarding the second study purpose, it was only possible with the data available to make suggestions, but it seemed that there is a strong need for the development of government policy and services, and for education and training. The results of this study suggest that some areas of family life contribute to quality of life for Nigerian families and other areas of life are problematic for families. Although this study is not representative of all Nigerian families that have a son or daughter with ID, it provides important initial information on the family experience with disability in Nigeria.

The Face of Disability in Nigeria: A Disability Survey in Kogi and Niger States

Disability, CBR and Inclusive Development aims to enhance knowledge in the field of disability and inclusive development, addressing the needs of practitioners, policy makers, DPOs and the scientific community.

Providing For The Gifted And Talented Children With Disability In Nigeria: A Rethink

This paper focuses attention on the education of gifted and talented children with one form of disability or the other. It discusses the major problems facing the education of gifted children with disability in Nigeria. It also points to the need for a way forward in assisting this category of children to measure up with other children given the necessary opportunity. The paper recommends that conferences should be devoted to the problems of the gifted handicapped children. Also, efforts should be made to create public awareness of the needs of the gifted handicapped learners in our society. African Journal of Cross-Cultural psychology and sport facilitation (AJCPSF) Vol. 8 2006: pp. 71-79

Comorbidity and Impact of Chronic Spinal Pain in Nigeria

A cross-sectional survey of households selected using multistage stratified sampling. This paper investigates the prevalence of chronic spinal pain, its profile of comorbidity, and its impact on role disability in Nigeria. Study was conducted in 21 states representing 57% of the national population. A probability sample (n = 2143) was interviewed. Self-reports of chronic spinal pain, other pain conditions, as well as comorbid medical conditions were obtained. Composite International Diagnostic Interview, version 3, was used to evaluate mood, anxiety, and substance use disorders. Functional role impairment was assessed with questions about days out of role. Chronic spinal pain was present in 16.4% (95% confidence interval, 14.5%-18.5%) of the sample. Prevalence increased with age of respondents, with 1 in 3 persons 60 years of age and older reporting chronic spinal pain. Persons with chronic spinal pain were at elevated risk to have chronic pain at other anatomic sites, to have a range of medical comorbidities, and to have mood and substance use disorders. Even though about one third of the decrement in functional role performance associated with chronic pain condition was attributable to demographics and comorbid conditions, chronic spinal pain was independently associated with significant role impairment. Chronic spinal pain is a common problem in the Nigerian community, and persons 60 years of age and older may be at particularly elevated risk. Chronic spinal pain is associated with increased probability of comorbid physical and mental disorders. These comorbid conditions partly but do not fully explain the disability associated with chronic spinal pain, which therefore constitutes a substantial health burden on the society.