Institution In South-West Nigeria Research Articles

Coronavirus: Nursing students' knowledge and risk perception of clinical practice during the pandemic

Background: The attendance of nursing students in clinical settings is an inherent element of the nursing education, and it is the same even with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Globally, more than 260 nurses have been killed by the COVID-19 disease and the number is still increasing. Objective: The study assessed nursing students' perception of clinical practice amidst coronavirus pandemic in southwest Nigeria. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that utilized a multistage sampling method to select 300 respondents from the selected nursing institution in southwest Nigeria. The questionnaire is made up of three sections namely, sociodemographic variables, knowledge of COVID-19, and students' perception of clinical practice. Data were collected with Google Form and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result: The mean age of the respondents was 22.16 ± 3.11 years and the mean year exposed to clinical practice was 2.73 ± 0.91 years. Majority (71%) had good knowledge of coronavirus, with mean ± standard deviation (SD) 16.16 ± 1.84, while 57.7% had a positive perception of clinical practice during coronavirus pandemic, with a mean ± SD of 3.62 ± 1.22. There was no significant difference between knowledge and perception of clinical practice post coronavirus pandemic, P = 0.088. There is a significant relationship between nursing students' perception of clinical practice with coronavirus and nursing institution (P = 0.001) and level of study (P = 0.001). Conclusion: The study showed that nursing students were willing to continue with their clinical practice even with coronavirus patients in the wards.

Helicobacter pylori-associated gastritis phenotypes in a South-Western Nigerian population

Background: The long-term outcomes of Helicobacter pylori infection ultimately depend on the distribution and extent of gastritis. Three main types of gastritis phenotypes which include pangastritis, antral-predominant gastritis, and corpus-predominant gastritis have been observed. Corpus predominant gastritis is more common in the parts of Asia with a high prevalence of gastric adenocarcinoma. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of H. pylori-associated gastritis phenotypes in a South-western Nigerian population, a sub-Saharan African population. Materials and Methods: The study was a cross-sectional prospective study which included 267 dyspeptic patients who had esophagogastroduodenoscopy at a tertiary health institution in South-west Nigeria. Five gastric biopsies were taken from each subject, and standard histologic examination was performed on the specimens. Both biopsy sampling and histologic examination followed the Updated Sydney System recommendations. The data generated were statistically analyzed. Continuous variables were presented as means ± standard deviation, whereas associations between the categorical variables were determined by the Pearson Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test. P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age was 46.1 (±15.4) years while the age range was 16–84 years. There were 160 (59.9%) female and 107 (40.1%) male participants. All participants had histological gastritis, whereas 79 (29.6%) were positive for H. pylori by histology. H. pylori infection was significantly associated with peptic ulcer disease. Among those who had H. pylori infection, 51 (64.6%) had pangastritis, 26 (32.9%) had antral-predominant gastritis, while 2 (2.5%) had corpus-predominant gastritis. The relationship between H. pylori infection and the gastritis phenotypes showed no statistical significance. Conclusion: The prevalence of corpus predominant gastritis was low in our study population.

Feeding habits, Overweight, Obesity and Hypertension and Associated Factors among Polytechnic Students in Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria

Overweight and obesity is a risk factor to chronic non-communicable diseases. This study assessed level of overweight/obesity and blood pressure among students of a higher institution in Southwest Nigeria. This cross-section study involved 300 students of a public higher institution in Ado- Ekiti, Southwest, Nigeria. A validated self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on personal characteristics, feeding pattern and lifestyle of the students. Body Mass Index (BMI) was categorized into normal weight (BMI<25) and overweight/obesity (BMI ≥ 25). Waist circumference and waist-hip-ratio (WHR) were classified as normal and at risk. Hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥ 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ≥ 90 mmHg. Chi square test was used to establish relationship between variables at 5% level of significance. The mean age of the students was 22.25 years and 62.8% were above 20years. Monthly allowance less than ₦30000.00 was received by 64.4% of the students, 47.3% skipped breakfast meal, 96% consumed carbonated soft drinks and 37.1% did not engaged in physical exercise. Prevalence of general obesity was 17.1% (BMI≥25); 7% and 15.5% were at risk of abdominal and central obesity respectively. Students in systolic pre-hypertension and stage I hypertension were 33.3% and 3% respectively whereas 15.5% and 2.4% were in diastolic pre-hypertension and stage I hypertension respectively. Female gender, monthly allowance less than ₦30000.00 and adolescent stage were associated with obesity. Older age, male gender and monthly allowance less than ₦30000.00 were associated with BP. Nutrition education is recommended for this population group.

Performance Characteristics of Radiographic equipment in Selected Healthcare Institutions in Southwest Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of radiographic equipment performance is the recommended strategy for the verification of factors used in radiodiagnosis. Sometimes, the performance of the equipment is compromised due to the lack of adoption of the appropriate procedures and/or techniques.
 AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the performance quality of the radiographic equipment in the study area in order to optimize the radiation dose delivered to the patients using these facilities and enhance their safety.
 METHODS: The performance characteristic of selected radiographic equipment was determined using MagicMax quality control kits and test object. Radiographic equipment in eight selected radiodiagnostic centers designated as C1-C8 was assessed.
 RESULTS: The results showed that all the radiography units in the studied centers passed the kVp reproducibility and mAs linearity tests with the exception of center C2. The kVp deviation for the centers varied between 2.0 and 7.7%, with the highest deviation in center C5 and lowest value in center C6. Center C7 has the highest deviation (–13%) of mAs, while the lowest value was obtained in center C6 (0%). The dose was lowest in center C1 and highest in center C3. The half-value layer, mAs, and filtration values had a stronger correlation with the incident air kerma dose compared to the other parameters. In addition, 50% of the equipment passed all the performance tests.
 CONCLUSION: The study revealed that the performance characteristics of radiographic equipment in the studied area require improvement. Periodic monitoring of the equipment performance is recommended for adoption and enforcement to enhance quality practices and radiation safety.

Addictive use of smartphone, depression and anxiety among female undergraduates in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study

PurposeThis study examined the prevalence and relationship between addictive use of smartphones and symptoms of depression and anxiety among female undergraduates.Design/methodology/approachStandardized scales were used to measure the addictive use of smartphones, depression and anxiety among 398 female students (mean age 21.75 years, SD = 2.67) at two large higher institutions in southwest Nigeria and were opportunely sampled. Two hypotheses were tested using Spearman's rho and Mann–Whitney U tests.FindingsThe results showed that 1.01% of the respondents were probable smartphone addicts and 17.34% were at-risk, while 14.32% and 16.33% manifested symptoms of anxiety and moderate-to-severe depression, respectively. Depression (r = 0.24, p < 0.01) and anxiety (r = 0.21, p < 0.01) have significant relationship with addictive use of smartphone. Addictive/at-risk smartphone users significantly scored higher on symptoms of depression (average rank of 233.40) than normal smartphone users (average rank of 191.88); U = 9387.50; z = −2.81, p < 0.05; Also, addictive/at-risk smartphone users reported significantly higher level of anxiety (average rank of 229.27) than normal smartphone users (average rank of 192.81); U = 9689.00; z = −2.46, p < 0.05.Research limitations/implicationsGeneralizing these results to a clinical setting and other at-risk demographic groups might prove difficult due to the respondents' condition of homogeneity.Practical implicationsThe findings suggest that relationships exist between the addictive use of smartphones and symptoms of depression and anxiety among undergraduate students in southwest Nigeria. Clinicians should assess smartphone use in the management of depression and anxiety disorders.Social implicationsUniversity administrators should target prevention and intervention strategies that would assist students to be taught positive ways of using their smartphones.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the body of knowledge by revealing relationships between smartphone addiction and mental health in an African sample.

Euphemisms of Corruption among Students of Higher Institutions in South West Nigeria

Corruption is a pervasive practice in Nigeria that is commonly associated with government officials who divert public funds for private use, while minimal attention is paid to acts of corruption in the educational sector. This study, which is part of research on how language is used to drive and conceal corruption in Nigeria, aims at revealing some corrupt practices in Nigerian higher institutions that are concealed because of the euphemistic language used by students to describe and help perpetuate corrupt practices in their relationships with academic and non-academic staff of different institutions. Four institutions of higher education in south-west Nigeria were purposively selected and focus group discussions were conducted with 54 conveniently selected students of these institutions to collect qualitative data on the explanation of linguistic codes derived from the first phase of this study. The findings revealed extensive usage of ‘runs’ as a superordinate code for diverse acts of corruption including: sex for marks, cash for marks, sex/cash for grade alterations, examination malpractice, and the use of fake documents. Parents and guardians need to listen closely to the language of students in higher education for early detection of assimilation and acceptance of corrupt practices as a way of life.

Prevalent Crime in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions and Administrative

This study examined crime in tertiary institutions in southern Nigeria. The purpose of the study was to identify the common crime prevalent in the institution, the administrative strategies for managing crime and find out the extent to which institution managers or Administrators are employing the identified strategies to ensure a crime free environment. Three research questions were asked and answered. The sample of the study was drawn from a population of tertiary institutions in Southern Nigeria A sample of 1020 respondents were selected through stratified random sampling technique from nine tertiary institutions in South-West Nigeria. The questionnaire was the instrument for collection of data from the respondents. It is divided into three sub-scales. Cronbach Alpha for the three sub scales yielded 0.84, 0.80 and 0.76. The finding revealed the common crime prevalent in tertiary institution in South-West Nigeria as examination malpractices, assault, plagiarism, sexual harassment, and certificate forgery. The findings further showed that crime management strategies like mounting closed circuit camera in strategic locations, regular monitoring of activities, use of anti-cult group are some of the identified crime management strategies. The extent of employment of the identified strategies in crime management is low.

Effects of Moonlighting on Job Satisfaction in Public Institutions in Southwest Nigeria (A Comparative Analysis)

This study investigated the effects of moonlighting on job satisfaction between academic staff and medical doctors in Southwest Nigeria. The study employed descriptive research design and multi-stage sampling technique to select the respondents. Questionnaire was adopted as the research instrument and it was administered to 393 academic staff and 348 medical doctors respectively across various Universities and hospitals in Southwest, Nigeria. The returned questionnaire were coded in Excel and IBM SPSS 23 version respectively and were further analysed through t-test, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). The study revealed that moonlighting has positive and significant effect on job satisfaction whereas the academic staffs moonlight more often than medical doctors. The study concluded that It was suggested that Management of Universities and hospitals should develop Human Resources Management practices that has potency of satisfying their employees with the aim of getting them more committed to their primary duties and assignments. In this way, moonlighting will be drastically reduced among academic staff and medical doctors. Keywords: Moonlighting, Job Satisfaction, Public Institutions and Comparative Analysis DOI: 10.7176/JESD/11-4-02 Publication date: February 29 th 2020

Assessment of the Contribution of Online Information Resources in Open Distance Learning Mode to the Development of Lifelong Learning in South-West, Nigeria

Global information resources and sophisticated technology have accelerated the availability and utilization of Online Information Resources (OIR) in the Open Distance Learning environment. The study examines the contributions of OIR to Open Distance and Lifelong Learning in relation to three purposively selected dual-mode institutions in South-West Nigeria. A sample of 425 open distancelearners was purposively selected from three (3) dual-mode institutions and three (3) study centres from the only single-mode university in Nigeria. The finding shows that OIR contributed significantly to both Open Distance and Lifelong learning. The finding highlights the increased desire for continued learning and the suitability of the OIR in enhancing learning and ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education. This, nevertheless, suggests that government should ensure the implementation of the vision of free Wi-Fi in public spaces.

Urinary tract infections and antimicrobial susceptibility pattern among female students in a tertiary institution in southwest Nigeria - A cross sectional study

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) is a common medical problem that affects all age groups but with significant morbidity in females because of the nature of their anatomy and physiology. This study was aimed to identify the common causative organisms of UTI and their antimicrobial susceptibility pattern among female students in Babcock University. Methods: A cross-sectional study, in which 200 female participants with symptoms of UTI were recruited. Mid-stream urine was collected from them and processed using the standard microbiological procedures. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed on isolates from the samples with significant bacteriuria. Sociodemographic and risk factors were obtained using standard questionnaires, and statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 23.0. Results: UTIs were confirmed in 14.5% (29/200) participants. Of the pathogens isolated, Escherichia coli was predominant 30.6% (11/36). Most of the pathogens isolated were susceptible to ofloxacin and gentamicin, while ceftriaxone had the least susceptibility (18.2%). The majority of the participants, 165 (82.5%) though symptomatic, did not have bacteriuria. The participants aged 15–20 years were mostly infected [24 (13.4%)]. No significant association was found between the sociodemographic factors and UTI. Conclusion: The prevalence of UTI from this study was 14.5%. E. coli was the predominant bacteria pathogen isolated, and ofloxacin and gentamycin were the most active antibiotics on susceptibility pattern. The majority of the patients though symptomatic, had no pathogens isolated from their urine. Therefore, caution should be applied on the use of antibiotics when managing UTI based on symptoms alone, to prevent antibiotic resistance

Analysis of factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers working at a tertiary health institution in South West Nigeria

Analysis of factors influencing exclusive breastfeeding practice among mothers working at a tertiary health institution in South West Nigeria

Factors Influencing Nursing Education and Teaching Methods in Nursing Institutions: A Case Study of South West Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Teaching and learning are like two composites sides of a coin. While the indispensability of teaching to knowledge and skill acquisition among professionals including nurses is never in doubt, certain teaching methods have been proven to yield more fruitful results than others. This study therefore explored the lived experience of nurse educators regarding teaching methods and the challenges encountered in nursing education institutions in South West Nigeria.
 
 METHODOLOGY: A qualitative inquiry research approach was used. Fifteen nursing educators were purposively selected from three nursing institutions in South West Nigeria with at least one year of teaching experience. Data was collected through semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews with the selected participants. All interview sessions were audio recorded with participants' permission and later transcribed verbatim. Thereafter, the collected data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. 
 
 RESULTS: The study identified a number of factors that hindering teaching methods that support students learning by nurse educators. Results showed six themes viz: Inadequate preparedness of the students for higher education; Insufficient facilitation skills of the teachers; Misconceptions about teaching practices; Resource constraints; Resistance to change; and Lack of incentives. Further analysis revealed that the dynamic changes occurring in the health care professions, require a radical shift in the way nursing students are taught, to develop them into competent nurses of the future, who are capable of using their skills to solve the health care needs of the populace. 
 
 CONCLUSIONS: The effective use of teaching methods is the cornerstone of the future of general nursing and nursing practice. Nurses need to be trained with an objective to become skilled and competent through effective teaching and learning by taking into account the diversity of higher education institutions and responding effectively to the needs of nursing educators and nursing students, as well as institutional demands.

Physical Activity Level and Energy Expenditure of Clinical Physiotherapists and Physiotherapy Educators in Selected Tertiary Health and Educational Institutions in South-West Nigeria

Background: Physiotherapists are trained in the use of physical activity for health promotion, and therefore are expected to be physically active themselves. Aim of the Study: This study determined the physical activity level and energy expenditure of clinical physiotherapists and physiotherapy educators. Materials and Methods: The research design is cross-sectional survey. Sixty participants were selected using the consecutive sampling technique. A pedometer (Omron) was used to measure the number of steps taken by the participants, the distance covered, and the overall energy expenditure. The number of steps was used to classify the participants’ physical activity levels. The data obtained were analysed using descriptive statistics and frequency, percentages and chi-square inferential statistics, Pearson product-moment correlation, Spearman’s rank correlation, independent t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests. The alpha level was set at 0.05. Results: The mean age and BMI of all participants were 36.81±7.86 years and 26.16±4.46kg/m2 respectively. The average number of steps taken per day was 8002±3411 and the mean energy expenditure was 248.26±182.92kcal. This study revealed that 21.3% of the participants were sedentary, 27.7% were ‘low active’, 27.7% were moderately active, 10.6% were active and 12.8% were highly active. The Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient showed a significant negative relationship between the number of steps and age (r = -0.292 p= 0.047) and a significant positive relationship between the number of steps and energy expenditure (r = 0.325; p = 0.026), respectively. There was a significant inverse relationship between the number of steps, the energy expenditure and the age of the participants. There was no significant difference in the number of steps per day, PAL and energy expenditure between clinical physiotherapists and physiotherapy educators. Conclusion: Physiotherapists should improve their physical activity levels, as most of them (76.7%) were classified in the low activity level category.

Influence of Demographic and Psychological Factors on Attitudes Toward Sport Betting Among Young Adults in Southwest Nigeria.

Prediction and wager on the outcome of games/matches are known as sports betting. Positive attitudes toward sports betting may, in the long run, predict sports betting behavior and gambling-related problems. This study, therefore, examined the influence of gender, age, sports betting knowledge and peer-based gambling on attitudes toward sports betting among young adults in Nigeria. The ex-post facto design was adopted in this cross-sectional survey. The participants were 749 students (42.9% females) of a large tertiary institution in southwest Nigeria. A standardized questionnaire comprising demographics and measures of attitudes toward sports betting, sports betting knowledge and perception of peer gambling behavior was utilized in the study. Results revealed that attitudes toward sports betting are positive for older males who are knowledgeable about sports betting and have friends who gamble. Sports betting knowledge and peer-based gambling stood out as significant predictors of attitudes toward sports betting. The social circles of young adults may be the starting points for initiatives to develop healthy attitudes toward sports betting and preventing gambling-related problems.

Assessment of Patient Absorbed Radiation Dose during Hysterosalpingography: A Pilot Study in Southwest Nigeria.

Background: Hysterosalpingography (HSG) is an indispensable tool for diagnosing infertility in females. The procedure exposes female reproductive organs to ionizing radiation as the genitals are irradiated during the process. Investigating patient absorbed dose during the procedures is essential for effective radiological protection of the patient.Objective: This study aims to investigate the radiation dose received by patient during HSG examination in the study environment in order to enhance optimization of procedures and the associated dose, thereby minimizing radiation risks.Material and Methods: The prospective pilot study, was conducted in four tertiary healthcare institutions in Southwest Nigeria. Thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD 100) was used to determine the Entrance Surface Dose (ESD) of 80 patients presented for HSG investigation. The corresponding effective dose, ovary, uterus and urinary bladder doses were evaluated using PCXMC software.Results: The mean entrance surface doses (ESD) obtained from the four centers were 18.58±6.31 mGy, 15.18±2.27 mGy, 17.44±3.43 mGy and 34.24±11.98 mGy for SW1, SW2, SW3 and SW4 centers, respectively. The corresponding mean of effective doses were 1.54±0.63 mSv, 1.24±0.28 mSv, 1.41±0.30 mSv and 2.53±0.94 mSv for SW1, SW2, SW3 and SW4 centers, respectively. The resulting mean doses to the ovary, urinary bladder and uterus were also presented.Conclusion: The results obtained in general are comparable with international standards. It was, however, recommended that study centers with high doses should conduct dose audit in order to enhance patient safety.

Willingness to Donate Hair Samples for Research Among People Living with HIV/AIDS Attending a Tertiary Health Facility in Ibadan, Nigeria.

The use of hair samples in biomedical research is a rapidly growing field. High acceptability rates for hair collection have been demonstrated in multiple settings. Each setting may have unique issues and, to our knowledge, no previous study has assessed the acceptability of hair sampling for HIV-related research in Nigeria. This study aimed to assess the willingness to donate hair for research among people living with HIV (PLWH). A cross-sectional study was conducted among 381 PLWH in a tertiary institution in Southwest Nigeria, using convenience sampling. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from consenting participants, including a question on willingness to donate hair for research. The mean age of respondents was 42.1 ± 10.5 years and more than three-quarters of the respondents were females. Two hundred and eighty-eight (75.8%) respondents had at least a tertiary education. Only 51.4% of the respondents were willing to donate their hair for research. Possible sample diversion for rituals was the major (60.5%) reason cited for unwillingness to donate hair. In multivariate analysis, respondents with primary education or less exhibited a trend toward being more willing to donate hair than those with secondary education or more (p = .091). Muslims were 1.7 times more willing to donate hair than Christians even after adjusting for other demographic covariates (95% confidence interval: 1.11-2.72); p = .016. There is a moderate willingness to donate hair for research among our population of PLWH in Nigeria. These results underscore the importance of cultural sensitivity and community education when introducing innovative HIV research techniques to new settings.

Awareness and Behaviours Relating to Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) Among Students of Higher Institutions in South West Nigeria

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) constitute a major health concern worldwide, this is particularly so in the developing and low resource countries and important factor in the prevention and treatment is the awareness and attitudes of the people toward these diseases. Methodology: The study was conducted among the students in higher institutions in Ekiti state using a self-administered questionnaires following a two-stage stratified clustered sampling. Results: A total number of 150 questionnaires were distributed, with a response rate of 90% (135) and an average age of 22.94 years. The males were statistically older than the females (P<0.03). Gonorrhoea, syphilis and HIV enjoyed better awareness compared to other STIs with (95.4%), (79.2%) and (77.7%) respectively with Chlamydia being the least known STI with only 16.2% of the respondents being aware. The male students had a higher incidence of multiple sexual partners than their female counterparts, with the difference being statistically significant both in the last 12 months (37.8% vs. 8.7%, P<0.001) and total numbers of sexual partners ever 54.1% vs. 21.7%, P<0.0001). Majority of respondents (50%) had their sexual debut between 15-20 years but a sizable number had first intercourse below 15 years of age (20%). Eighty-two percent (82%) and 50% of the respondents acknowledge the use of condom for prevention of STI transmission and contraception respectively. Conclusion: The knowledge of the students on STIs is above average except for Chlamydia infection. The practice of the students concerning sexual intercourse and prevention of STIs including HIV is disturbing, especially sexual intercourse and low level of condom use.

Comparative analyses of three radiographic dental age estimation methods amongst Nigerians

Background: Age estimation is a critical step in constructing biological profiles from human skeletal remains. This study aimed to compare three radiographic methods of age estimation with tested validity in different populations for accuracy and applicability in forensic investigations amongst Nigerians.Methods: This was a retrospective study of panoramic radiographs (Planmeca Romexis®) captured from 46 young Nigerian patients between ages 6 to 21 years in a Federal Tertiary Health Institution in Southwest Nigeria between July and December, 2017. Parameters on the panoramic radiographs were measured and scored based on Demirjian, Cameriere and Kvaal radiographic dental age estimation methods. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20 at p 0.5). Demirjian method was found to be strongly correlated with chronological age (rs = 0.763); Cameriere method moderately correlated (rs = 0.684) and Kvaal method weakly correlated (rs = 0.476). Demirjian method showed the strongest direct relationship (R² = 0.56) followed by Cameriere (R² = 0.44) and Kvaal method (R² = 0.22). Demirjian system was the only significant predictor of the chronological age of Nigerian subjects using multiple linear regression.Keyword: Age estimation, Demirjian, Kvaal, Cameriere, Nigeria

Linking Psychological Attributes and Gender to Smartphone Addiction among University Undergraduates: A Nigerian Study

The study examined the relative contributions of psychological attributes (loneliness, extraversion and self-esteem) and gender to smartphone addiction. The study was a survey that utilized a cross-sectional design that purposively sampled 271 in-school smartphone users. The sample was made up of 165 male and 106 female undergraduates selected from three public tertiary institutions in southwest Nigeria. Data were collected with a questionnaire that contained standardized scales that measured the study variables. These were revalidated to ascertain their suitability for use in the present study and all yielded acceptable alpha coefficients: loneliness (α = .88), extraversion (α = .61), self-esteem (α = .80), and Test of mobile-phone dependence use (α = .94). Also examined in the study was the influence of gender on smartphone addiction. Result indicated significant positive relationships among loneliness (r = .29; P &lt;.05), extraversion (r = .43; P&lt;.001), self-esteem (r = .48; P&lt;.001) and smartphone addiction respectively. Result further revealed significant joint influence of loneliness, extraversion and self-esteem on smartphone addiction (R2 = .33; P &lt;.01). There was no significant gender influence on smartphone addiction (p &gt;.05). Personality profile of smartphone addicts should form a cardinal ingredient of treatment and management protocols of the condition.

Demand for Selected Fruits Among Students of A Tertiary Institution in Southwest Nigeria

ABSTRACTIncreased demand for fruits among students is pivotal to healthier lifestyles and better learning abilities. However, there is a paucity of information on elasticity of university students’ demand for fruits in Nigeria. The demand for selected fruits among students of University of Ibadan, Nigeria, was therefore assessed in this study. A multistage sampling technique was used to collect primary data from 300 respondents using a questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System model. A majority (65.3%) of the respondents were females, less than 20 years of age (51%), and were in either their first or second year of study. Only 40% of the students with less than N10,000 monthly stipends demanded for fruits daily. Own prices, age, sex, and stipends explained fruit demand among the students. Expenditure elasticities for pineapple (1.30), orange (1.21), banana (1.07), apple (1.38), and cucumber (1.16) indicated that the selected fruits were luxury goods while watermelon was a necessity good (0.67). Own-price elasticity of demand for all the selected fruits was inelastic while the cross-price elasticity revealed that most fruits complemented one another except for watermelon which was the only substitute to other fruits. The study therefore recommended increased students’ stipends in order to drive daily fruit demand among the students of the tertiary institution.