Northwest Region Of Cameroon Research Articles

Indications and complications of lower extremity amputations in two tertiary hospitals in the North West Region of Cameroon.

the study aimed to outline the common indications and complications of lower extremity amputations among amputated patients in two tertiary hospitals in the North West Region of Cameroon. this hospital based retrospective study was conducted in the Bamenda Regional Hospital and Mbingo Baptist Hospital over a 5-year period from 2015-2019. We identified and reviewed amputee´s medical records over the 5-year period. A well designed extraction form was used for data collection and the data obtained was analysed using Epi-info version 7.2.4. a total of 148 patients underwent 159 amputations in Bamenda Regional Hospital and Mbingo Baptist Hospital with a mean age of 54.28 years (SD ±19.28). Males out-numbered females with a ratio of 2: 1. The most common indication for lower extremity amputation was Diabetic foot gangrene (42.14%) followed by trauma (22.01%). The most frequently performed procedure was Below Knee Amputation (48.42%). Post-amputation complication rate was recorded at 40.25% with surgical site infection being the most common (25.8%). Mortality rate was recorded at 6.28%. diabetic foot gangrene is the leading indication of lower limb amputation in our setting and the most frequently performed procedure is Below Knee Amputation with surgical site infection being the most common complication.

Water quality enhancement in Kumbo Municipality- North West region of Cameroon

Water quality enhancement in Kumbo Municipality- North West region of Cameroon

Predictors of Herbal Medicine Use amongst Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in an Urban Setting in Cameroon

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is currently a major global public health burden associated with elevated blood glucose. The use of herbal medicine in the management of type 2 diabetes is currently on the rise both in developed and developing countries. This study sets out to determine the prevalence of herbal medicine use and to identify the factors associated with herbal medicine use amongst type 2 diabetes patients. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study involves 123 adults living with type 2 diabetes (90 males and 30 females), mean age 58.7 ± 9.5 years in the Bamenda III health district of the North West Region of Cameroon. Data on the different types of herbs used, frequency and mode of herbal medicine use as well as reasons for using herbal medicines in the management of T2DM were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometric and diabetes related measurements were carried out following standard procedures. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors of herbal medicine use. Results: The prevalence of herbal medicine use was 24.4% (n = 30) amongst which 37.4 % used both herbs and orthodox medicine. A higher proportion of diabetic males used herbal medicines compared to females and this difference was significant (X2 = 5.243, p X2 = 10.75, p = 0.005). The most commonly used herbs were Vernonia amygdalina leaves (19.10%), Aloe vera (13.48%), Mangifera indica leaves (11.24%) including its bark and Carica papaya leaves (8.99%). Bivariate analysis indicated that being male (OR 2.8, 95% CI, 1.14 -6.79) and having attained secondary/tertiary education (OR 13.2, 95% CI, 1.6 - 29.9) were significantly (p 0.05) associated with herbal medicine use. Multivariate analysis revealed that having attained secondary /tertiary education (OR 10.5, 95% CI, 1.30 - 35.23) was an independent predictor of herbal medicine use in the study population. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that amongst T2DM patients in Cameroon having attained secondary/tertiary education positively influences the use of herbal medicine in the management of T2DM.

Relationship between measures of adiposity and hypertension amongst secondary school adolescents in an urban setting in Cameroon.

measures of obesity such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) have been shown to be associated with high blood pressure (BP) in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of secondary school adolescents with elevated BP and high BP in relation to some measures of adiposity (BMI, WC, WHtR) and to examine the association between BP and adiposity indices amongst the children. the study was an institutional-based cross-sectional study involving 534 adolescents (mean age 15.1 ± 2.3 years) attending 4 secondary schools (2 public and 2 private) in the Bamenda municipality of the North West Region of Cameroon. Anthropometric and BP measurements were carried out following standard procedures. Diagnosis of hypertension in the children was done by obtaining three elevated systolic or diastolic BP readings (BP ≥ 95th percentile for the child's age, sex and height). Linear regression was used to determine the relationship between BP and some measures of adiposity (BMI, WC, WHtR) amongst the children. the prevalence of elevated BP and hypertension amongst the study participants was 33.3% and 33.3% in the BMI-obese children, 25.9% and 25.2% in the WC overweight/obese children and 29.4% and 41.2% in the "high risk" (WHtR ≥ 0.5) children respectively. Body mass index-obese, WC overweight/obese and "high risk" (WHtR ≥ 0.5) children had a significantly (p <0.05) higher mean SBP and DBP compared to their healthy weight counterparts. Linear regression indicated a significant association (p <0.001) between WC (β=0.75; 95% CI = 0.57, 0.92), BMI (β=0.88; 95% CI = 0.49, 1.25) and WHtR (β= 67.08; 95% CI = 45.64, 88.51) with systolic BP for the unadjusted analysis. After adjusting for age, gender and school type, only WC (β= 0.66; 95% CI = (0.43, 0.89) showed a positive significant (p <0.001) relationship with systolic BP. this study has demonstrated that WC is positively associated with high BP in children and adolescents. Thus, WC can be used in predicting children and adolescents with a high risk of developing high BP in our setting.

Perception of Condoms and Emergency Contraceptive Pill Use among Students in the University of Bamenda

Background: Globally, university students fall in the youth group prone to unattended sexual risks which may lead to unwanted pregnancy and STI/HIV. In Cameroon, more than a third of maternal deaths occur among adolescent girls and young mothers. Unwanted pregnancies results from the infrequent use of modern contraceptive methods and is one of the main causes of death in this population. Condoms are barrier contraceptive that have a beauty of dual protection-against pregnancy and transmission of STI/HIV, meanwhile emergency contraceptives has just one function which is protection against unwanted pregnancy. Aim: To assess the perception of condoms and emergency contraceptive pill use among students in the university of Bamenda, Cameroon. Materials and Methods: A university-based cross-sectional study was conducted among students in the University of Bamenda, North West Region of Cameroon, a cosmopolitan area approximately about 19 km from Bamenda main town (Commercial Avenue). The study was carried out over a period of three months. Data were collected using a structured interviewer questionnaire administered through Google form. Data collected were extracted into excel sheet and analysed with SPSSv23. Results: The study included 719 students (318 males and 401 females). The rate of male and female condom use was 28.5% and 8.1% respectively. The mean age of our study populations was 24.5 ± 4.97 years with 52.7% of population between 20 to 24 years of age. Knowledge about condoms was high at 98.3%, however, 91.9% of participants have never used the female condoms before. Highest factor recorded for non-utilisation of the male and females condoms were reduction in sexual pleasure (47.4%) and lack of knowledge on usage (44.1%) respectively. 95% of students have knowledge on Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECPs) but just an average (52.4%) have used it before. Fear of side effects (47.4%) was the main reason for not using ECPs. Conclusion: There is a very high knowledge about condom and emergency contraceptive pill among students. However, the rate of usage recorded was very low with highest source of information being the media/internet and lowest among relatives/family.

The North-West Women Empowerment Forum (NOWWEF): an Institutional Strengthening in Women Development in the North-West Region of Cameroon, 2005 – 2015

Before the 1990s, the role of North-West women in the economic activities of the province was very minimal. They were mainly involved in the food production sector, which did not contribute much to the family’s cash income. The 1990 laws of freedom of association in Cameroon (Law N0 90/053/19/12/1990) were an impetus for the formation of women’s groups, whose activities now form the bedrock of rural livelihoods. Thus, the North-West Women Empowerment Forum (NOWWEF) as a National Women’s Forum was created in 2007 with objectives to advance the leadership, cultural, and economic empowerment of women in the North-West Region (NWR). This forum connects women of significant and diverse achievement for the purpose of idea exchange, inspiration, and learning. As an empirical study of the situation of women in the North-West of Cameroon, this paper is particularly focused on the women’s struggle to empower themselves and improve their quality of life through engagement and how the government and other development partners are helping to promote this.Thus, it also aims at in-depth descriptions of the activities of NOWWEF, which stands as an umbrella that unites all the women from different areas of the region and also acts as an institutional strengthening for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the region. Content analysis has been adopted in the collection and processing of data. Our materials embody both primary and secondary data collected from private archives, interviews, books, journals, articles, and academic works.

Church Economics: Why Tithes May Not Be Enough Anymore In Christian Denomination in Cameroon

Every organization, be it the state or the Church, needs money to be able to operate. While the state raises revenue through the imposition of taxes on the citizens, the Church does it through collection of tithes and other offerings from her members. Among other collections, tithe constitutes a major source of revenue to the modern Church. This work thus sets out to determine the factors influencing tithes compliance by members of some selected Christian Denominations in Bamenda. Specifically, it investigates the effect of: (a) demographic characteristics; (b) perceived benefits derived from tithing and (c) management approach on tithe compliance. Data was collected from Christians of selected church denominations in Bamenda, Mezam Division in the North West Region of Cameroon using the stratified random sampling technique. The data was obtained from 351 questionnaires, 193 of which were issued to Presbyterian Christians, while 67 were issued to Roman Catholics, 47 to Full Gospel and 44 to Apostolic Christians respectively. Descriptive statistics, correlative research design and inferential econometric approach base on the binary logistic regression were employed. Results show that payment of tithe statistically depends on gender as women were more likely than men to pay tithe. The occupation of the Christians, their marital status and denomination also significantly influenced their compliance to tithe. As the index for perceived benefits from tithe increased, the more likely were the Christian to pay tithe. Christians who perceived that tithes were not well managed were significantly more likely not to have paid tithe in the past three months. We thus recommend that Christians be taught to pay tithe as their Christian duty, not due to benefits previewed and strict management principles be applied to tithe to increase the adherence rate of tithe payments.

Determinants of credit access among rice farmers in rural Cameroon

Inadequate access to credit remains a major constraint to agricultural production in Africa. However, not all farmers face this difficulty. This article assesses the determinants of agricultural credit access among rice farmers who are members of the Ngoketunjia Cooperative Credit Union in the Northwest Region of Cameroon. A structured pretested questionnaire was administered to 126 randomly selected credit beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries, all of whom are members of the study credit union. Binary logistic regression was performed, with the dependent variable (access to microcredit) being 1 (yes) if the respondent received a loan during the 2018/2019 farming season, and 0 (no) otherwise. 12 explanatory variables were used in the analysis, which adopted a 10% level of significance. Statistically significant relationships were observed between farm size, inputs, farm output, and access to loans, suggesting that access to microcredit has a positive impact on agricultural production. The three key factors facilitating access to microcredit were farming experience (B = 0.38, p = 0.06), the educational level of the farmer (B = 0.81, p = 0.06), and the diversion of loans to solve other problems (B = 1.64, p = 0.06). Based on these results, we recommend better financial inclusion of rice farmers in microcredit schemes to increase local rice production and reduce imports in Cameroon.

Conflict, healthcare and professional perseverance: A qualitative study in a remote hospital in an Anglophone Region of Cameroon.

Armed conflicts are a major contributor to global disease burden owing to their deleterious effects on health and healthcare delivery. The Anglophone crisis in Cameroon is one of the ongoing conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa and has led to massive displacement of healthcare workers (HCWs). However, some HCWs have stayed back and continued working. An understanding of their experiences, perspectives and professional perseverance is lacking. We designed a phenomenological study using Focused Group Discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews to: understand the experiences of 12 HCWs in a remote hospital in the North West region of Cameroon with armed groups; evaluate how it affects healthcare delivery from HCWs perspective and examine HCWs coping mechanisms during the conflict with a view of informing HCW protection policies in conflict zones. Results revealed that HCWs go through all forms of violence including threats, assaults and murders. Overall insecurity and shortage of health personnel were major barriers to healthcare delivery which contributed to underutilization of healthcare services. Participants observed an increase in complications due to malaria, malnutrition and a rise in maternal and infant mortality. The hospital management and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) played an essential role in HCWs adaptation to the crisis. Nevertheless they unanimously advocated for a cease fire to end the conflict. In the meantime, passion for their job was the main motivating factor to stay at work.

Seroepidemiological Evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii Immunity and Relationship with White Blood Cells and Haemoglobin Levels Among HIV-positive and HIV-negative Subjects in the North West Region of Cameroon

Seroepidemiological Evaluation of Toxoplasma gondii Immunity and Relationship with White Blood Cells and Haemoglobin Levels Among HIV-positive and HIV-negative Subjects in the North West Region of Cameroon

Structure Conduct and Performance of Rice Marketing in Ndop, North West Region Cameroon

The notion of ensuring food for all through rice production in Cameroon dates back to 1954 with the creation of SEMRY (Sociétéd Expansionet de Modernization de la Riziculture de Yagoua). Consequently, rice production in Cameroon was left at the mercy of untrained farmers with limited or no access to input and technology. This study examines the effect of market structure and conduct on the performance of Ndop rice marketing. The research interviewed a total of 50 respondents (19 farmers-traders, 12 millers, 9 wholesalers and 10 retailers) who were selected randomly. The data was analyzed with the use of Statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 16.0 and Excel while the Weighted Least Squares regression technique was employed for the estimation of coefficients and test of hypothesis. Performance of the Ndop marketing was captured in a broad dimension which included aspects of product quality and product efficiency, market structure was captured by product homogeneity, entry and exit and market growth rate, while market conduct was captured by the marketing strategy, price strategy and product strategy. Result of the findings revealed that market structure and conduct positively and significantly influences the performance of the Ndop rice marketing. Effort should be directed towards improving the quality and quantity of local rice for it to compete with imported counterpart. This can be achieved by subsidizing cost of milling and monitoring the processing and packaging of locally produced rice at every stage in the marketing chain. The improvement of farm to market roads, the varieties of seeds as well as subsidizing the production process will go a long way to improve market performance.

Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change Through Agroforestry: Case Study of Small-Scale Farmers in the Northwest Region of Cameroon

Reducing Vulnerability to Climate Change Through Agroforestry: Case Study of Small-Scale Farmers in the Northwest Region of Cameroon

Growth, Morbidity and Neurological Outcome of a Cohort of Neonates in a Kangaroo Mother Care Program, in a Regional Hospital in Cameroon

Background: Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) is a cost-effective intervention for the management of low birth weight babies in resource-limited settings such as Cameroon. Outcome data on babies followed through this intervention have been scarce since the implementation of the KMC programme in the Regional Hospital of Bamenda (RHB), North West region of Cameroon. Objectives: This study aimed at assessing growth, morbidity and outcome of neonates in the Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) at the Regional Hospital Bamenda, Cameroon. Methods: It included 132 neonates with a birth weight of &lt;2500 g who received KMC and followed up after discharge from 40 weeks post-conception, then 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months of age. Motor development was evaluated using the Infant Neurological International Battery (INFANIB) test. Results: Weight and height followed the same pattern as for term new-borns on the World Health Organization (WHO) curves. The same pattern of growth for head circumference was noted except at 6 months in boys and 9 months in girls, where an acceleration at the 95th percentile was observed. The three most common morbidities observed were upper respiratory tract infections (46.96%), diaper rashes (15.91%) and abdominal infant colics (9.85%). Neurological evaluation was appropriate when compared with WHO standards. Conclusion: Growth and neurological evaluation was appropriate and comparable with WHO references and few morbidities were noted. Keywords: Kangaroo Mother Care; Neonates; Growth; Outcome; Cameroon

Agricultural Practices and Environmental Degradation in Santa Sub-division, North West Region of Cameroon

Agriculture is the mainstay of Cameroon’s economy, engaging an estimated 70 percent of the economically active population and accounting for an estimated 80 percent of the primary sector’s contribution to the country’s GDP. It also provides 1/3 of foreign exchange earnings and 15 percent of the country’s budgetary resources. This study set out to investigate agricultural practices and environmental degradation in Santa Sub-division, North West Region of Cameroon. The major types of agricultural practices studied were food crop, market gardening and animal farming. The study made use of primary and secondary data sources. Primary data sources included field observation, interviews and questionnaires. A total of 170 questionnaires were administered using stratified random sampling technique and the data obtained was complemented by secondary sources from published and unpublished materials. Findings revealed that agricultural practices have precarious impacts on the environment in Santa. Climate change was seen to have a silver lining in the crop sector. Declining soil fertility and climate change were some of the major problems faced by farmers in Santa. Adaptation measures amongst others were mixed crop farming, crop rotation, soil management practices and mulching. The study recommended the need to determine the carrying capacity of various grazing, range lands and regulatory control of herd size. This study also proposes the adoption of climate-smart agriculture to minimize the effects of climate change on agriculture in Santa. Farmers in Santa should strengthen their economic security by adopting sustainable agricultural systems, and targeting their production to take advantage of new demands and consumption patterns.

An Assessment of Landslides along Mountain Forest Roads: Bamenda Ring Road Segment through Bafut and Befang Forests on the Cameroon Volcanic Line.

Purpose: Landslides cause distress in communities worldwide, disrupt socio-economic activities and cause damage to roads infrastructure. The purpose of this study was to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the recurrent landslide events along the Bamenda Ring Road (BRR) segment through the Bafut and Bafang mountain forests in the North West Region of Cameroon, located along the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL).&#x0D; Methodology: Topographic and geologic map studies, foot-borne surveys, hydro-meteorological data analysis and soil permeability tests were employed to the study. Results at the time of this study reveal 35 new slide scarps in Bafut and 16 along the Befang forests.&#x0D; Findings: The topography culminates between 670-1300 m altitude, while more than 50% of the slopes in the study area are convex, the rest are convexo-linear, concave, while a few of them are linear. Natural slope gradients vary from 35-600, while prevalent number of slides occur on sub-vertical road-cut embankments. The slides are classified as small volume, short distance-travelled shallow translational than rotational debris flows. Base rocks of the study zone are essentially coarse-grained leucocratic granites with quartz, feldspars, biotite and muscovite minerals which appear liable to weathering. Meanwhile, residual soil samples are permeable, have increased pore water pressure and has a high liquefaction tendency due to its high clay content. The absence of recent or historic earthquakes suggests that causative factors of landslides could be linked to steep gradients, lithology, deep weathering profiles, considerable affinity for water of the weathered materials and prolonged rainy seasons. As such we highlight the contribution of the landslide hazard with the direct risk based on the extensive deterioration of the road characterized by multiple road defects and reduced socio-economic activities and the indirect risk linked to difficulties in the movement of goods and persons and management of resources.&#x0D; Recommendations: This study recommend present officials to improve on their documentation and skills in monitoring rainfall and landslide hazard and manage disaster emergency; sensitize the population on landslide hazard and associated risk. There is need for government to establish a road authority for the management of landslide hazard, disaster relief and the land inside and outside the road.

The Prevalence of Tuberculosis among BCG Vaccinated Individuals at the North West Region of Cameroon

Aims: This study focuses as it main objective to determine the effectiveness of early BCG vaccination in preventing tuberculosis.&#x0D; Study Design: It was a cross sectional descriptive study. The study population being all early BCG vaccinated individuals.&#x0D; Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out from March to June 2017 at the Saint Elizabeth General Hospital Shisong, situated in Kumbo Town (Bui Division), North West region of Cameroon.&#x0D; Methodology: It was based on the administration of a structured questionnaire to all early BCG vaccinated individuals. Biological data were obtained from sputum collected from participants. Sputum was analyzed using Xpert MTB/RIF assay which simultaneously detects MTB-complex and rifampin resistance strain by amplifying and identifying a MTB-complex specific sequence of the rpoB gene.&#x0D; Results: This finding shows an overall prevalence of 13.08% on early BCG vaccinated individuals seeking medical care at the Saint Elizabeth General Hospital Shisong. The prevalence of TB in HIV positive subjects was 22.05%. The occurrence was high among HIV subjects not living on ART, 6 (33.33%) against 3 (13%) in HIV subject on ART. This study also showed that male patients 11 (15.94%) developed TB compared to female patients 3 (7.89%). The rate of infection, 9 (28.13%) occurring within the age range of &gt; 28 - 38 associated to the development of TB with no correlation. Drinking habit was found to be associated with the development of TB with weak correlation and the occurrence of TB do not seem to be associated drinking duration.&#x0D; Conclusion: These results show the necessity of the application of a suitable measure to prevent TB in adults, especially those at high risk of developing the disease irrespective of early childhood BCG vaccination status.

An analysis of social dimensions of podoconiosis and leprosy on affected households in endemic health districts of the North West Region of Cameroon

BackgroundPodoconiosis and leprosy are Neglected Tropical Diseases associated with low quality of life, social stigma and isolation of affected people and families. Despite the substantial social burden it imposes, podoconiosis has largely been ignored in the global health literature until recently unlike leprosy. This study assessed and compared the quality of life and social impact of podoconiosis with that of leprosy among affected households and neighborhoods in North West Cameroon. MethodsA comparative cross-sectional design was used. Eighty-six households: 43 podoconiosis and 43 leprosy, plus household neighbours were enrolled from July and August 2015 from three health districts. Podoconiosis patients living in households within Batibo and Ndop health districts were sequentially sampled using a list of confirmed podoconioisis cases from previous studies. Leprosy patients living within communities in Mejang Health Area were sequentially sampled using the Mbingo treatment center register. WHO BREF tool was used to assess quality of life. Franklin Stigma Scale was adapted to assess felt and enacted stigma. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare differences in stigma and QoL. ResultsPhysical domain showed a significant difference in the distribution in quality of life between groups (p < 0.05, median:70; U:635, r = 0.2). Overall enacted stigma revealed significant differences with p < 0.05 and r = 0.4. Overall stigma from family members (median:17, U:627 and r = 0.3) and neighbours (median:67, U:336 and r = 0.5) showed significant differences with p < 0.05 in the distribution of scores for both diseases. Sex and age showed significant associations with QoL and stigma. ConclusionThis study reveals the quality of life and stigma associated with podoconiosis on affected households to be comparable to that experienced by households with a leprosy patient. There is need for intensified preventive, management and control schemes to fight podoconiosis in Cameroon, just like leprosy.

Nso, Mbum and Iyamho Creative Imagination and Social Concerns: The Study of Proverbs

This study investigates the relevance of oral performance in addressing social concerns within the context of the three oral communities under study. It contends that the oral literature of the Nso and Mbum people of the North West region of Cameroon and Iyamho people of Edo state, Nigeria lodge cherished African values that are still significant to the people’s conception of development in this evolving society. Every community strives to reinforce positive values in order to enhance development. The paper considers the collection and documentation of proverbs that are on the lips of Nso, Mbum and Iyamho people relevant because this cultural heritage that habours their valuable mores, lores and customs are threatened by globalization. Many have thought that oral literature is outdated and that given its mode of transmission which is by word of mouth, it cannot address serious contemporary social issues. Through the participant observation method and interviews with members of the communities under study, the findings tentatively reveal that orature which generally consists of material that is several generations old and is transmitted orally contains local knowledge systems that can be useful in the discussion in addressing social concerns to enhance sustainable development within the various communities under reference. Considering the crucial position of context in oral literature, new historicism, interpretative cultural translation and pragmatic functionalism theories guided the analysis, and revealed, that since all successful development efforts begin with the right decision which is anchored on good human qualities and resources, the indigenous knowledge system expressed in Nso, Mbum and Iyamho proverbs can be exploited and applied alongside some innovative methods to foster development. The study therefore assumes that since sustainable development anchors on the quality of the mind, we need to conceive our projects locally and think globally.

Parental Involvement and Pupils’ Academic Performance in English Language

This cross sectional survey investigated the extent to which parental provision of required text and work books, expression of concern towards academic work, support with homework and level of literacy influenced pupil’s academic performance in English language in Tubah Sub-Division, North-West Region of Cameroon. The target population of this study consisted of the 631 class six pupils and their respective parents in the 20 state-approved primary schools within Bambili and Bambui in Tubah Sub-Division. Data were obtained from a sample of 80 parents of pupils of four primary schools obtained through purposive and simple random sampling techniques. The pupils’ scores in English language were used to compare with respective parental responses. The Chi Square test (χ2) was used to verify the hypotheses given that data were non parametric. The findings showed that a significant relationship exists between parental involvement and pupils’ academic performance in English language. It showed that the more parents provided the required text books (χ2=6.401; P=0.011), assist their children directly or indirectly in the completion of their homework (χ2 test P&lt;0.001) and express concern towards their academic progress (493.84, P&lt;0.001), the higher their academic performance. It was also found that illiteracy is not a limitation to parental involvement in pupils’ academic work (χ2=0.001; P=0.970). Significant recommendations were made from the findings. Parents should be proactive towards their pupils’ academic work, provide recommended text and workbooks, verify their books constantly, offer assistance in the completion of homework, attend parent-teacher association meetings and maintain contact with school to monitor pupils’ progress. Teachers and school authorities should encourage parents to set attainable standards for their children, reinforce their commendable achievements, encourage the use of English language at home, and regulate and monitor study time at home. The findings are meaningful within the theories of Lev Vygotsky (1978), Gonzalez-Pienda et al. (2002), Fan and Chen (2001) and Van Voorhis (2003).

Prevalence and risk factors of coliform-associated mastitis and antibiotic resistance of coliforms from lactating dairy cows in North West Cameroon.

Coliform bacteria are major causative agents of bovine mastitis, a disease that has devastating effect on dairy animal health and milk production. This cross-sectional study, carried out in the North West region of Cameroon, sought to determine the prevalence of bovine mastitis, coliforms associated with bovine mastitis, risk factors for infection and the antibiotic resistance pattern of coliform bacterial isolates. A total of 1608 udder quarters were sampled from 411 cows using a questionnaire, clinical examination, California Mastitis Test and milk culture. Primary isolation of coliform bacteria was done on MacConkey agar while identification of coliforms employed Gram-staining and biochemical testing. Each coliform bacterial isolate was challenged with 11 antibiotics using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The prevalence of mastitis was 53.0% (218/411) and 33.1% (532/1608) at the cow- and quarter-levels respectively. Overall, 21.9% (90/411) cows and 8.2% (132/1608) udder quarters showed coliform mastitis. Escherichia coli was isolated in 7.0% of mastitis milk, and other coliforms isolated were Enterobacter cloacae (12.6%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (2.4%), Enterobacter sakazakii (1.1%), Klebsiella oxytoca (0.8%), Citrobacter freudii (0.4%), Serratia ficaria (0.4%) and Serratia liquefaciens (0.2%). Lactation stage, breed, history of mastitis and moist/muddy faeces contaminated environment were significantly associated (P-value < 0.05) with coliform mastitis. Coliform isolates (99.0%; 203/205) were resistant to at least one antibiotic tested. Amoxicillin had the highest resistance (88.8%) while norfloxacin had the least resistance (3.4%). Multidrug resistance was exhibited by 52.7% (108/205) of the isolates in a proportion of 27.8% Enterobacter cloacae, 10.7% E. coli, 6.3% Klebsiella pneumoniae, 2.9% Enterobacter sakazakii, 2.0% Klebsiella oxytoca, 1.0% Citrobacter freundii, 1.0% Serratia ficaria, 0.5% Serratia liquefaciens and 0.5% Serratia odorifera. Results indicate a need to educate these dairy farmers about mastitis (particularly subclinical), proper hygiene methods in milking and the public health implications of consuming contaminated raw milk.