Kaduna North Local Government Area Research Articles

Prevalence and Molecular Detection of Plasmodium falciparum among Pregnant Women Attending Selected Hospitals in Kaduna North Local Government Area, Kaduna State

Pregnancy-related malaria is a serious public health issue that significantly raises the risk of death for both mothers and babies in malaria-endemic nations. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of malaria and molecularly detect Plasmodium falciparumamong pregnant women attending selected hospitals in Kaduna North Local Government Area, Kaduna State.Blood samples were collected from 309 pregnant women attending BarauDikko Teaching Hospital Kaduna, General Hospital Kawo and Nigerian Defence Academy Hospital Kaduna. The samples were analysed microscopically and molecularly for Plasmodium falciparum. A self-administered questionnaire was administered to each pregnant woman to obtain information such as occupation, age and gestation period. Results show a prevalence of 65.0% forPlasmodium falciparum malaria among the pregnant women with significant (p < 0.05) difference between malaria and sampling location. The highest prevalence was recorded in pregnant women attending General Hospital Kawo with a prevalence of 76.9%, followed by women attending NDA hospital with a prevalence of 65.0% and those attending Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital had 53.4%. %). Prevalence of Plasmodium falciparum was seen higher in women in their second trimester of pregnancy with 68.9% prevalence, younger aged pregnant women with 66.7% prevalence and self-employed pregnant women with 66.2% prevalence. Results further showed that out of 12 samples with high parasite density subjected to molecular analysis, only 5 (41.7%) were positive for Plasmodium falciparum. The study revealed the prevalence of 65.0% of P falciparum infection among pregnant women attending selected hospitals in the studied area. Adequate utilization of insecticide treated net is essential to prevent exposure to mosquito bites leading to reduction in maternal mortality.

Knowledge and Practice of Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness among Healthcare Providers in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria: A Qualitative Study

Background: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BP&CR) are strategies to reduce the three levels of delays contributing to high maternal mortality and morbidity in developing countries. Knowledge of BP and CR among healthcare providers, especially in Primary Health Care (PHC), is poor, and counselling on BP and CR during antenatal care visits is not routinely done in most healthcare facilities in Northern Nigeria. It is, therefore, imperative to assess the current in-depth knowledge and practice gap regarding BP and CR among health workers in PHCs. Aim: To assess Healthcare providers` knowledge and practice of focused antenatal care in PHC centres in Kaduna North Local Government (KNLG) Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using in-depth interviews. The participants were the officers-in-charge (the heads) of health facilities purposively selected from the four selected PHCs in the state. The data were collected with a tape recorder and note-taking from May to June 2017. The data resulting from the IDI were transcribed verbatim and subjected to using content analysis. Results: Two themes [poor knowledge of FANC and poor practice of BP and CR] emerged from the interviews. Conclusions: This study revealed poor knowledge, awareness and practice of BP and CR among healthcare providers. Therefore, healthcare providers should be trained and retrained on FANC and the concept of BP and CR for sustained improvement in maternal survival.

Knowledge and preventive practices regarding malnutrition among mothers of under-fives in Kaduna North Local Government Area: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Knowledge and preventive practices regarding malnutrition among mothers of under-fives in Kaduna North Local Government Area: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Determining staffing needs for improving primary health care service delivery in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Background: The equitable distribution of a skilled health workforce is critical to health service delivery. Kaduna state has taken significant steps to revamp the primary health care system to ensure access to health care for its populace. However, these investments are yet to yield the desired outcomes due to health workforce shortages and the inequitable distribution of those available. Methods: A Workload Indicator for Staffing Need (WISN) study was conducted at Kaduna state's primary health care level. The study focused on estimating staffing requirements; Nurses/Midwives and Community Health Worker practitioners, Community Health Officers, Community Health Extension Workers, and Junior Community Health Extension Workers in all government-prioritised primary health care facilities. A total of ten focal primary health care facilities in Kaduna North Local Government Area (LGA) were included in the study. Results: Findings from the study revealed a shortage of Nurses/Midwives and Community Health Workers across the study facilities. For the Nurse/Midwife staffing category, nine of the ten PHCs have a WISN ratio < 1, indicating that the number of staff in the Nurse/Midwife category is insufficient to cope with the workload. In two of the ten primary health care facilities, there is an excess in the number of CHWs available; a WISN ratio > 1 was calculated. Conclusion: The WISN study highlights staffing needs in Kaduna State's government-prioritised primary health care facilities. This evidence establishes the basis for applying an evidence-based approach to determining staffing needs across the primary health care sector in the State to guide workforce planning strategies and future investments in the health sector. The World Health Organisation (WHO) WISN tool is useful for estimating staffing needs required to cope with workload pressures, particularly in a resource-constrained environment like Kaduna State.

Determining staffing needs for improving primary health care service delivery in Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Background: The equitable distribution of a skilled health workforce is critical to health service delivery, and Kaduna state has taken significant steps to revamp the primary health care system to ensure access to health care for its populace. However, some of these investments are yet to yield the desired outcomes due to workforce shortages and inequitable distribution of those available. Methods: A Workload Indicator for Staffing Need study was conducted at the primary health care level in Kaduna state. The study focused on estimating staffing requirements; Nurse/Midwife and Community Health Worker practitioners; Community Health Officer, Community Health Extension Worker and Junior Community Health Extension Worker, in all government prioritized primary health care facilities. Ten focal primary health care facilities in Kaduna North Local Government Area were included in the study. Results: Findings revealed a shortage of Nurses/Midwives and Community Health Workers across the study facilities. For the Nurse/Midwife staffing category, 9/10 PHCs have a Workload Indicator for Staffing Need ratio < 1; indicating that the number of staff in the Nurse/Midwife category is insufficient to cope with the workload. In two of the ten primary health care facilities, there is an excess in the number of CHWs available; a Workload Indicator for Staffing Need ratio > 1 was calculated. Conclusions: The Workload Indicator for Staffing Need study highlights the staffing needs in government prioritized primary health care facilities in Kaduna state. This evidence establishes the basis for the application of an evidence-based approach to determining staffing needs across the primary health care sector in the State, to guide workforce planning strategies and future investments in the health sector. The World Health Organisation Workload Indicator for Staffing Need tool is useful in estimating staffing needs required to cope with workload pressures, particularly in a resources-constrained environment like Kaduna State.

Substance Abuse and Criminality: A Study of Youths in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State Nigeria

The increasing rate of criminality among youths in Kaduna North local government area of Kaduna State, Nigeria has necessitated the need to examine the relationship that exists between substance abuse and criminality in the area. Hence, the aim of this study is to examine the relationship between substance abuse and criminality in Kaduna North local government area. The study adopted the Subculture Theory. The research sample a total of three hundred and ninety-two (392), which were obtained through the snowballing method. The data was analyzed using simple percentage tables, cross-tabulation, and Chi-square, which are contained in SPSS Version 20. The following were the findings of this study: Youths who consume substances frequently are more likely to be involved in crime than those who consume less. This also means that youth involvement in crime is influenced by their daily usage of substances. The study recommends that restrictions should be put on the sale of drugs. Government should pass laws that will stiffen the penalty for criminality that is influenced by substance use so that that will serve as deterrent to others. Keywords: Substance Abuse, Criminality, Youths

Knowledge, Attitude and Food Safety Practice among Food Handlers in Kaduna North Local Government Area, Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Food safety practices remain poor in Sub-Saharan Africa despite the significant financial burden that outbreaks of food-borne illness have on individuals. Kaduna State recorded cases and mortalities from the most recent cholera outbreak due to food borne diseases caused by poor safety practices from food handlers. Therefore, this study examined knowledge, attitude and food safety practices among food handlers in Kaduna North Local Government Area, Kaduna State. A descriptive cross-sectional design was utilized in this study. The three-stage sampling technique was used to select two hundred and forty-six food handlers. Data was obtained using a 28- itemed validated interviewer-administered questionnaire. For the entire construct, the Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.75. All statistical tests were conducted at p ≤ 0.05 level of significance. The result showed majority 219 (89%) of respondents had good level of knowledge, 151 (61.4%) had positive attitude and 157 (63.8%) had good food safety practices. There was a significant relationship between respondents’ level of knowledge of food safety practices and their attitude towards food safety practices (r=0.57; p=0.000). Additionally, there was a significant association between respondents’ knowledge of food safety practice and food safety practices (r=0.61; r2=0.372; p=0.00). Further analysis revealed a significant association between respondents’ attitude towards food safety practice and food safety practices (r=0.63; r2=0.402; p = 0.00). In conclusion, findings from this study showed that most of the respondents had good level of knowledge, positive attitude and good food safety practices. Continuous training should be recommended on proper food safety practices by environmental health officers in order to improve their food safety practices. Keywords: Attitudes, Food handlers, Food safety practices, Knowledge.

Physical Attributes in Three Abattoirs Wastewater in Kaduna Metropolis

Effluents discharged into water bodies have high health implications to human and his livestock. The study was carried out in Kakuri, Sabo and Kawo abattoirs located in Kaduna south, Chikun and Kaduna north local government area of Kaduna State, covering major part of Kaduna metropolis, this cover about 1,039,578 population. Kaduna metropolis is the administrative capital of Kaduna State, Nigeria. It is located between latitudes 90°E 3′ and 11°32′ North of the equator and longitudes 6°05′ and 8°38′ East of the Greenwich meridian [1]. Samples were taken for a period of seven months from February to September 2019, Three hundred water samples were analyzed for physico-chemical parameters using the different APHA techniques. The result obtained are lower values of chlorine at means value of 15.20mg/L; calcium means of 62.23mg/L; magnesium mean of 11.80mg/L; sulphate means of 12.90mg/L and poor electrical conductivities means of 250us/cm in the three sites of collection. While higher value of Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Chemical Oxidation Demand (COD), Total Suspended Solid (TSS), Biochemical Oxidation Demand (BOD), turbidity, and nitrate showed high concentration means of 300mg/L at each level of the site collected samples. The water sample obtained from the three abattoirs were observed to have high threat to both terrestrials and aquatic organisms as well as to human being in general due to the concentration value. Wastewater should be treated before discharging into the floating water, because this effluence content a lot of harmful component.

HEARING EVALUATION OF NIGERIAN PRISON INMATES: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Background: Prisoners, due to confinement are isolated from contact with the society and access to many of the facilities, including medical care. This study aimed to evaluate the hearing threshold of inmates of Kaduna convict prison. Method: It was a cross-sectional study of prison inmates at the Kaduna convict prison between April 2017 and February 2019. Ethical approvals were obtained from relevant bodies and all consented inmates aged 18 – 55years in the Kaduna convict prison were enrolled. Equal number of control matched for age and gender were enrolled from the communities in Kaduna North Local Government Area. Data were collated using a structured questionnaire. A diagnostic Pure Tone Audiometry was performed to assess their hearing threshold. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 was used for analysis. Results: Four hundred and thirty inmates and equal number of control group were enrolled. The mean age for the inmates and controls were 30.2±7.5 and 30.4±8.02 years respectively. There were 383 males and 47 females in both groups. Among the 860 ears of the inmates, 238(27.7%) ears had hearing loss while in the control group, 95/ (11.1%) ears had impaired hearing. Conductive hearing loss was the commonest among the inmates 111(46.6%) while sensorineural was commoner among the controls 57(60.0%). The mean pure tone average among the inmates was 25.6±11.3dBHL and 26.1±11.2dBHL on the right and left ears respectively while in the control group, it was 18.4±7.8dBHL on the right and 17.9±7.9dBHL on the left. Conclusion: This study revealed that hearing loss was more prevalent among prison inmates than the general population. In majority of the inmates, the hearing loss was mild, conductive and mostly affecting all the frequencies.

Barriers to adolescents' access and utilisation of reproductive health services in a community in north-western Nigeria: A qualitative exploratory study in primary care.

BackgroundThere is a dearth of qualitative studies exploring in-depth barriers that adolescents face in accessing and utilising reproductive health services (RHS) in Nigerian primary healthcare centres.AimThis study explored the barriers hindering adolescents’ access to and utilisation of RHS in primary healthcare centres.SettingThis study was conducted in three primary healthcare centres in Kaduna North Local government area, Nigeria.MethodsThis study used an exploratory descriptive qualitative design. Fourteen adolescents and three RHS providers were selected and interviewed. The data collection methods included individual in-depth interviews with adolescents and key informant interviews with service providers. Interviews were conducted between January 2017 and April 2017. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data.ResultsThis study identified three thematic barriers to adolescent’s utilisation of RHS. These included individual, social and health system barriers. Individual factors included the following: inadequate knowledge about RHS and poor attitudes of adolescents towards RHS; social factors such as parental influence, community and religious norms, financial constraints and stigma; and health system factors such as poor attitudes of service providers and inconvenient health facility opening hours hindered adolescents from utilising RHS. Most prominent was the strong influence of the social factors that affected adolescents to the extent that they felt constrained to freely utilise RHS out of a sense of commitment to religious values.ConclusionThe findings highlight the need for the development of programmes that would foster collective responsibility for supportive environments within communities and health facilities for positive adolescent RHS experiences.

Prevalence of self-reported occupational diseases/injuries amongst poultry farmers in Kaduna North local government area, Kaduna State

Background: A healthy worker is a productive worker and an asset to the organisation and the country at large. Occupational health and safety in Nigeria is in a poor state; with no comprehensive occupational health monitoring system for work-related diseases and injuries. Work-related accidents and diseases continue to be a serious problem in both developed and developing countries like Nigeria. Poultry farmers, by the nature of their job, are susceptible to occupational and environmental hazards on a daily basis. Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of occupational hazards amongst poultry farm workers in Kaduna North local government area, Kaduna State. Methodology: This cross-sectional descriptive survey was carried out using semi-structured questionnaires to obtain information from 70 respondents selected by multi-stage sampling technique. Data were analysed based on descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Fisher's exact test using SPSS version 21. The results were presented in tables and figures. Results: Majority (75.7%) of the respondents had experienced an occupational injury/disease at work; with the most common (45.7%) being cough. There was a statistically significant relationship between work experience, highest level of education and experience of occupational injury or disease in the past year (0.0015) and (0.004), respectively. Conclusion: In view of the findings from this study, all employees should be continually informed of the hazards they will encounter in the course of their job so that even more experienced workers realise that if necessary precautions are not taken, they will susceptible to the hazards.

Service Quality and Customer Retention: A Study of Microfinance Customers in Kaduna North Local Government Area, Nigeria

The study examined the effect of aspects of service quality (Tangibility, Reliability, Responsiveness, Assurance and Empathy) on customer retention among customers of Microfinance Banks (MFBs) in Kaduna North Local Government Area. Data was collected by means of a questionnaire administered on the 378 sampled respondents in the study area with a total population of 25,000 customers. Area random sampling technique was used in the selection of sample subjects across the local government area. Descriptive statistics in the form of frequency and percentage was used to analyze the demographic data about the respondents. Inferential statistics in the form of multiple regressions was used to determine the effect of service quality on customer retention in MFBs. The findings of the study reveal that among the aspects of service quality, empathy has the highest effect on customer retention in MFBs. Based on the finding, it is recommended that the various Managements of the MFBs in the study area should pay much attention on aspects of empathy comprising individualized attention, show of care, show of respect, show of love and friendliness to customers by staff of the MFBs. Keywords : Service Quality, Customer retention and Microfinance banks. DOI: 10.7176/EJBM/12-14-04 Publication date: May 31 st 2020

Medicinal Utilization of Hydrocotyle asiatica Linn. in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Hydrocotyl asiatica (L.) is commonly used as a medicinal herb in Ayurvedic medicine, traditional African medicine, and traditional Chinese medicine. However, little is known about is medicinal use in Nigeria. Thus, a multistage sampling technique was adopted in selecting 10 marketers and 40 herbal practitioners. Questionnaires were purposively administered to key informants in the Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. However, only 45 were retrieved in the end. The questionnaire focused on demographic information of respondents, ailment treated, preparation and administration protocols. Results revealed various diseases are treated with H. asiatica, which include: headache, cough scurvy and mouth sore, fibroid, menstrual pain, waist pain, back ache, weak libido, sexually transmitted infections, hypertension, amongst others. This herbaceous species can be used alone or mix with other herbs such as Pipper guineensis, Ocimum grandiflorum, Allium cepa, amongst other. Standardization of measurement in the use of H. asiatica is through the use of table and tea spoons. However, it is recommended that adequate storage facilities should be provided to check excessive dryness of the kola and pest infestation during storage. Also, the sustainability of biodiversity and biological resources of the species and other important medicinal plants should be ensured so that individual plants do not go into extinction.

Knowledge of antibiotic resistance among healthcare workers in primary healthcare centers in Kaduna North local government area

Knowledge of antibiotic resistance among healthcare workers in primary healthcare centers in Kaduna North local government area

Prevalence and determinants of diarrhoea among infants in selected primary health centres in Kaduna north local government area, Nigeria.

IntroductionDespite efforts toward the prevention and management of diarrhoea, associated mortality among infants has remained high in Northern Nigeria. This study was designed to determine the prevalence and identify determinants of diarrhoea among infants in Kaduna North Local Government Area (KNLGA), Nigeria.MethodsIn a cross-sectional survey 630 mothers of infants attending three primary health care centers were interviewed. Data was collected on socio-demo graphic characteristics, infant care practices, infant diarrhoea history and mothers knowledge of causes, symptoms and management of diarrhea. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and logistic regression tests at 5% level of significance.ResultsMothers' mean age was 27±5.5 years and 46.1% had secondary education. Infants' mean age was 22.4± 12.8 weeks and 50% were females. Prevalence of diarrhoea in the two weeks preceding the study was 21.1%. Only 11.7% of mothers had poor knowledge of diarrhoea. About 76.3% of mothers always washed their hands with soap after cleaning infants' perineum. Majority of infants (84.6%) completed age appropriate immunization while 31.6% were exclusively breastfed. Infants whose mothers sometimes (OR=2.32; 95% CI: 1.4-3.87) or never washed (OR=2.64; 95% CI: 1.19-5.82) their hands with soap after cleaning the infants perineumand those with incomplete age appropriate immunization (OR=1.87, 95% CI: 1.2-2.896) were more likely to have diarrhoea.ConclusionPromotion of hygiene and nutrition education for mothers particularly on proper infant feeding practices, hand washing practices and complete immunization of infants is needed to address the diarrhea determinants.

Knowledge of occupational hazards and use of preventive measures among bakery workers in Kaduna north local government area, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Background: Workers in bakeries face many hazards in their work environment, and these hazards have the potential to cause injury or illness. The study assessed the knowledge of occupational hazards and the use of preventive measures among bakery workers in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Materials and Method: The cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out in January 2017. The data collection tools were 258 pretested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaires and observational checklist. The collected data were manually cleaned, checked for completeness; entered into SPSS software version 20.0 and analyzed. The results were presented as tables and charts. Results: Majority (77%) were within the age bracket of 15–30 years with a mean age of 23 ± 2.1 years, 63% of males and 37% had secondary education with different job descriptions. The mean working experience was 5 years with only 14% and 2% of the workers having had training on prevention of workplace hazards and the use of fire extinguisher, respectively. The workers had poor awareness of occupational hazards such as tightness on the chest (30%), skin reactions/allergy (16%) and falls (17%) but with better awareness of burns (46%), cuts (37%) and hearing problems from excess noise (40.0%) among others. The most encountered symptoms/problems by workers were a muscular problem (72%), recurrent catarrh (65%), tightness on the chest (54%), recurrent cough (54%) and sneezing (52%) and symptoms of asthma among others. Apron, hand gloves and face masks were the commonly used protective devices by the workers and only 19% of the bakeries had functional first aid boxes. Burning was the most common method of solid waste disposal (52%). Conclusion: The workers had poor to average awareness of some occupational hazards with some encountering some problems as a result of their work. The use of personal protective devices such as apron, hand gloves and face masks were encouraging. However, the availability of functional first aid box and training on the use of fire extinguishers were major problems. There is a need for continuous training of the workers on prevention of workplace hazards, use of fire extinguisher and provision of basic functional first aid box among others in the workplace.

IMPACT OF TEACHERS’ USE OF FOLKTALES ON THE PERFORMANCE OF PUPILS IN READING COMPREHENSION IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

The study aimed at investigating the impact of teacher’s use of folktales on the performance of pupils in reading comprehension in primary schools in Kaduna, Nigeria. The sample of the study consisted of forty (40) primary four pupils from two randomly selected primary school, tagged, school “A” and school “B” in Kaduna North Local Government Area. School “A” was assigned as the experimental group while school “B” was assigned as the control group. Both groups were taught reading comprehension for eight weeks. A pre-test post-test experimental design for equivalent groups was used. Pupils were tested using reading comprehension test called retelling test. Results showed that the experimental group outperformed the control group. This indicates that the use of folktales by teachers in reading comprehension may have a significant positive effect on pupils’ reading comprehension. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others, that teachers should use folktales to enrich their reading comprehension lessons and to make such lessons more lively, interesting and meaningful. The reading component of the English Language Curriculum should be organized around stories that are deeply rooted in core values of the society. The curriculum should include reading comprehension passages that are based on folktales that teach moral lessons. Such moral lessons should be deeply rooted in the core values of the society. Article visualizations:

Measurement Of Gross Alpha And Beta Radioacivity In Ground Water From Some Bore Holes And Wells In Kaduna North Local Government Area Of Kaduna State.

Twenty samples of borehole and well water were taken from the Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna,Kaduna state, Nigeria,in two litre plastic jerrycans.Two drops of concentrated nitric acid were to each container in order to preserve the samples. The total dissolved solids (TDS) were determined for the water samples. An aliquot of each sample was evaporatated to dryness,and transferred to a planchet. Based on the total dissolved solids (TDS) of the sample,the residue was counted for gross alpha and beta activity using the proportional counter. The results show that the counter has low background and good plateau, which were all reproducible: and for the counting modes, results show that alpha and beta activity concentrations range from (0.691.52)x10 -3 to (41.225.7)x10 -3 Bq/L: and from (28677.1)x10 -3 to (9506104)x10 -3 Bq/L respectively.The overall show that that the alpha activity in the study area is far below the practical screening level of radio activity in drinking water of 0.5Bq/L for alpha, as rcommended by CEC-FAO AND WHO.However,a full sixty percent of the samples show beta activity levels above the 1Bq/Las rcommended by CEC-FAO AND WHO.Radionuclide specific tests therefore indicated.

Sensitivity analysis of semi-intensive method of swine production:a case study of anguwar-gwari area of Kaduna north local government area of Kaduna state.

The present animal protein intake level in Nigeria can be improved by increased livestock production in quantity and quality. This can be achieved through adoption of improved production practices and the rearing of high yielding species of livestock. This work therefore sought to determine the sensitivity of swine production under semi-intensive technique in response to increased cost of production and a decline in the price of swine. Data were collected by means of structured questionnaire administered on twenty-one farms practicing semi-intensive technique of swine production with the aid of cluster sampling technique. Data collected was subjected to various measures of return on investment viz: Gross Margin, Benefit-Cost Ratio, Net Present Value, and Internal Rate of Return. Results show that in the first year gross margin was N833, 850.00, Net profit, N449,350.00, Rate of Return 69.5% while BCR of 2.85, NPV N3,879,697.64 at 25% and IRR 55.25% were recorded for a five year estimated cash flow. Result of sensitivity test on increased cost of production 30% and fall in price 30% showed that BCR of 2.19 and 1.99, NPV N3,194,160.60 and N2,030,020.15, IRR, 35.57% and 46.91% were recorded respectively. These are indicators that even with the assumption of increased cost or declined price of output, swine production using semiintensive technique is a profitable venture in the study area. It is therefore recommended that semiintensive technique of swine production be encouraged to enhance animal protein production of higher quantity and quality.Key words: Sensitivity analysis, semi intensive, swine

Hearing thresholds of junior secondary school students in kaduna metropolis

Background: Communication is key to learning. Hearing is an essential part of communication without which acquisition of knowledge is, at best, very difficult. School children require a functioning auditory system for optimal educational development. In hearing impaired children educational development can be stalled should diagnosis not be done in a timely manner. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the hearing threshold and determine the prevalence of hearing loss of a cohort of junior secondary school students attending schools in Kaduna North Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional prospective study of junior school students aged 10 years to 15 years attending selected secondary schools in Kaduna North Local Government area of Kaduna state, Nigeria. Structured questionnaire was administered to obtain relevant biodata, school type, and auditory health. Otoscopy and Pure tone audiometry were done to determine any associated ear pathology and hearing threshold levels respectively. Data obtained were recorded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, USA). The frequency tables were generated showing the distribution of study characteristics. Results: The prevalence rate of hearing loss among junior secondary school students in Kaduna metropolis is 14.7%. Conductive hearing loss was seen in 10.3% of students and sensorineural loss in 4%. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of hearing loss among students of junior secondary school in Kaduna especially in public schools. Other otologic pathologies like wax and foreign bodies were also noted.