Rural Area Of Nigeria Research Articles

Assessment of the toxic influence of locally formulated pesticides on hepatic and renal biomarkers in male Wistar rats.

There is growing concern of the potential damage to vital organs after long term exposure to locally formulated pesticides in rural area of Nigeria. This study was designed to assessed the effects of the individual chemical compound and their combination on the kidney and liver of rats' model. Fifty-four rats divided into six groups and three sub-groups were exposed to 25, 50 and 75% dose of each of the pesticide's LD50 for 4h at 3days interval in an inhalation chamber for 28days. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total bilirubin (TOT_BIL), creatinine and urea assay showed significant increase at the aforementioned doses in comparison to the control group. The red blood cell counts, hematocrit and hemoglobin concentrations were significantly altered in the rats administered varying doses of the pesticides when compared with the control. Similar result was obtained for the differential white blood cell counts. Histopathological examinations of the liver tissue of rats showed infiltrated sinusoids, traces of karypyknosis, vacuolar degeneration and microvesicular steatosis while that of the renal tissue showed glomeruli atrophy leading to widened Bowman's spaces as well as few shrunken glomeruli and varied level of degenerative tubular changes to tubular necrosis. This study established that individual pesticides and their mixture is toxic to the liver and kidney, as evidenced by the elevated markers of renal and liver functions and distortion of the structure of both organs as revealed by their photomicrographs. Therefore, it is a matter of public health significance to regularly monitor pesticide residues in foods and humans in order to assess the food safety risk and population exposure to pesticides.

Preference for Traditional Medical Care to Orthodox Medical Care Among Secondary School Students in Rural Area of Nigeria

Most rural dwellers of developing countries often patronise unstandardized traditional medical care when they are ill. The study determined the reasons for preference of trado- medical care to standard orthodox medicine among secondary school students in Nigeria. A cross sectional study was carried out in three secondary schools located at Imesi-Ile, Osun State Nigeria. Respondents were recruited by multistage sampling technique. Fifty students each were selected from final year Junior Secondary School class, senior secondary classes 1 and 2 without gender bias. Pre-tested semi- structured questionnaires were employed to elicit data on their choice of preference for traditional medicine to orthodox medic-care. The results were analysed using SPSS version 20. Most respondents were females, 77 (51.3%). About 113 (75.3%) reported that they preferred traditional care to orthodox treatment because the later was too expensive for them to afford. About 108 (72%) adopted traditional medicine because of parents’ choice. Those who reported easy accessibility to traditional medicine as a choice for its preference were 85 (56.6%), while 78 (52%) believed that traditional medicines cure faster than orthodox, others reported they have been using traditional medicine from childhood (60.7%), and for some traditional medicine was preferred due to their friend’s choice (54.0%). Most youths preferred trado-medical care due to high cost of orthodox medicine and wrong perceptions. Proper education to correct wrong notions among youths and improving the economic power of the people will help the community.

Voluntary Counselling and Testing for HIV Among Allied Workers in Rural Area of Nigeria: Evaluation of Community-Based Interventions

Background: Knowledge of human immunodeficiency virus status is a key tool in the fight against the spread of the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic.
 Objectives: This study sought to evaluate the impact of community-based intervention towards the prevention and control of human immunodeficiency virus on the voluntary testing for human immunodeficiency virus among allied workers in rural Bonny Kingdom of Rivers, State, Nigeria.
 Methods: The study comprised two quantitative surveys; the baseline survey conducted before a three years human immunodeficiency virus prevention intervention programs and the post-intervention survey conducted after the interventions. A structured questionnaire was employed to collect information from a representative sample of the allied workers aged 15–49 years. The questionnaire item for this survey is broadly divided into six categories comprising the basic socio-demographic information, the knowledge of HIV testing, desire for HIV testing, self and solution efficacy; access to products and services including voluntary counselling and testing. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0.
 Results: The study comprised 419 participants in the baseline and 587 in the post-intervention survey. The overall knowledge of voluntary counselling and testing services was 76.8% of which 37.5% have been tested and 88.9% of which 68.0% have been tested at both surveys. Three of every 5(67.0%) had the desire to be tested at baseline while- 4 of every 5(81.1%) were willing to be tested at post-intervention. The major reasons for unwillingness to be screened include poor perception about voluntary counselling and testing and feeling of not being at risk. The prevalence of human immunodeficiency at baseline was 8.5% and 2.0% at the post-intervention survey with a prevalence ratio of 4.3 (p<0.0001]. HIV prevalence was 12.4% among women compared 4.8% in men at baseline. The prevalence among adolescents was12.0% and 10.1% among singles.
 Conclusions: This study has demonstrated that the struggle to prevent and control human immunodeficiency can be successful if intervention programs are put in place, particularly in rural communities where acquired immunodeficiency syndrome related information is limited.

Improving the Quality of Foundation System of Traditional Dwelling in Rural Area of Nigeria

Improving the Quality of Foundation System of Traditional Dwelling in Rural Area of Nigeria

Evaluation of HIV/AIDS secondary school peer education in rural Nigeria

In this study, we assessed whether peer education is an effective method of HIV/AIDS awareness, in terms of knowledge, misconception and behavior, among adolescents in the rural area of Nigeria. A comparative case series (n = 250), cross-sectional structured survey (n = 135) and focus group discussions (n = 80) were undertaken among adolescents. In both the case series and structured survey, a questionnaire was used which addresses the following issues: socio-demography, knowledge on transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS, accessibility to different sources of HIV/AIDS information, stigmatization and sexual behavior. Binary logistic regression was applied to compare responses from the peer-educated and not peer-educated populations. The model was adjusted for confounders. We demonstrated increased knowledge and decreased misconception and sexual risk behavior in adolescents receiving peer education as compared to adolescents not receiving peer education. These differences are apparent both over time (2005-2007) and cross-sectional (2007). In conclusion, peer education in rural areas can be effective in HIV/AIDS prevention. Knowledge and behavior can be influenced positively.

Health promotion intervention for hygienic disposal of children's faeces in a rural area of Nigeria

Objective Community-based health promotion intervention for improving unhygienic disposal of children's faeces was conducted in a rural area of Nigeria. Setting The study was conducted in Ife South Local Government area of Osun State, Nigeria. Design The study was conducted in 10 randomly selected rural villages: five control and five active. Method The intervention, which lasted for nine months, consisted of hygienic use of chamber-pots for the disposal of children's faeces, discouraging children from defecation around households, construction and use of affordable Ventilated Improved Latrines (VIP) and hand-washing with soap and water by mothers after cleaning up the children's faeces. It was undertaken by primary health care workers, using group and individual discussions, plus demonstrations to mothers and community leaders. Results Significantly more mothers in the intervention communities (68 per cent compared with 6 per cent) were using chamber-pots ( pow) for defecation, a much smaller proportion of children in the active group (25 per cent compared with 72 per cent) defecated on the floor of the households. Significantly more households in the intervention group upgraded their unsanitary latrines to sanitary ones by ventilating them (7 per cent compared with 3 per cent). Also, significantly more mothers washed their hands with soap and water (20 per cent in the intervention group compared with 9 per cent in the control group). Conclusions This study has brought about positive changes in the knowledge, attitude and practice of mothers and their children towards the disposal of children's faeces in rural communities. The study therefore has significant implications for the development of programmes for the control of childhood diarrhoea in developing countries.

Epidemiology of hepatitis B infection among expatriates in Nigeria.

Adult expatriates in countries where hepatitis B virus (HBV) is highly endemic have an increased risk of HBV infection, but little is known about risks to their children or about patterns of spread. The epidemiology of HBV infection was studied among 124 unvaccinated Dutch missionaries and family members who lived in a rural area of Nigeria. Antibodies to hepatitis B core antigen were found in 5 (9.8%) of 51 adults (incidence rate, 1.7 per 1000 person-months at risk [PMAR]) and 9 (12.3%) of 73 children (incidence rate, 2.8 per 1000 PMAR). Vertical transmission of HBV was a likely source of infection in 1 child and was a possible source of infection in 2 others. The prevalence of HBV infection showed strong family clustering (P<.0001), was associated with a history of temporary adoption of Nigerian children (P=.004), and increased with both the number of adoptive children (P=.009) and the total time that these children had stayed in the family (P=.036). Horizontal transmission from adoptive Nigerian children probably played an important role in the spread of HBV infection in this expatriate community.

An evolution of public policies for rural development in Nigeria

The rural area of Nigeria has long been recognized as very basic to the attainment of the overall national development. This is because of its association with highly valued land uses including farming, grazing, lumbering, forestry, hunting, fishing, mining and settlement among others. Despite these, the rural environment in Nigeria experiences socio-economic difficulties which make their inhabitants to be highly deprived. Since political independence in 1960, however, several policies and programmes have been put in place with a view to overcoming rural underdevelopment. This paper examines a range of these strategies and evaluates the extent of their success. An improved citizen mobilization and participation approach is therefore suggested as the most realistic means of achieving the goal of rural development.

Feeding practices of mothers during childhood diarrhoea in a rural area of Nigeria.

Our main objective was the identification of different types of foods given or withheld for various kinds of childhood diarrhoea. The study was conducted in rural Yoruba communities of Osun State, Nigeria. Questionnaires and focus group discussions were used and a total of 335 randomly selected mothers with children under 5 years of age were interviewed. The diets chosen by the mothers reflect cultural perceptions of the aetiology of illness and of the therapeutic properties of local foodstuffs. Raw corn starch is believed to be an anti-diarrhoeal agent and therefore given for all types of diarrhoea, while rice is avoided. Sugar, sweet foods and groundnut preparations, which are perceived as causes of bloody diarrhoea and related illnesses, are proscribed. Sixty per cent of mothers would reduce the intake of fluids for the most common types of diarrhoea. Their level of education does not make any significant difference. To ensure adequate home management of childhood diarrhoea, educational interventions must take into account prevailing beliefs in the community.

Maternal health care and outcome of pregnancies in Kainji Lake Area of Nigeria

A study of maternal health care and outcome of pregnancies in a rural area of Nigeria is presented. Over 80% of women sought maternal health care from the traditional midwives. The chance of survival of the child born was found to decrease with parity. In 95% of families child spacing was between 1-3 years. The peak incidence of multiple pregnancy occurred earlier and the rate was found lower than has been reported elsewhere. The health institutions in the urban area were found to differ in the quality of maternal services provided. The best service was not accessible to a larger population. The relevance of training the traditional midwives to the improvement of maternal health care was stressed, and the provision of referral centres to support them was recommended.

Effectiveness of primary health-care nurses in the promotion of oral rehydration therapy in a rural area of Nigeria

Using a pre- and post-intervention method, this study evaluates the effects of verbal instructions and demonstration by the primary health-care nurses on knowledge, attitude and practice of home management of childhood diarrhoea by mothers in a rural area of Nigeria. Although the proportion of mothers that knew how to prepare and give oral rehydration therapy (ORT) increased significantly from 6.2 to 47.0%, few (9.5%) were practising it during subsequent episodes of diarrhoea. The use of starvation by the mothers also decreased significantly from 43.0 to 8.2% however the use of traditional medicines and medicines from chemists did not show any significant change. The beliefs that sugar worsens diarrhoea, that home-made ORT was not a medicine, and continued reliance of the mothers on traditional healers and medicine dealers for advice were factors constraining adoption of the ORT by the mothers. For effectiveness, therefore, the educational programmes of the nurses should also be directed at the traditional healers and the medicine dealers.

Prevalence of intestinal parasitic disease agents in stools of people in a rural area of Nigeria.

Little is known of the prevalence of intestinal parasites in rural areas of Nigeria because there are few published data and laboratories in these areas are rarely well equipped for parasitological work. During a survey of a Nigerian village, Ascaris and hookworms were found to be the commonest helminths and Entamoeba coli the commonest protozoan. Differences in parasite prevalences between rural and urban areas of Nigeria are related to occupation, cultural patterns, and physical, social and biological environments.

The effects of sex, birthweight, birth order and maternal age on infant mortality in a Nigerian community.

Corrected registration returns in a rural area of Nigeria show that the average infant mortality rate during one five year period was 88.2 per 1000 per annum. The rate was 89.4 per 1000 for females, which did not differ significantly from that of 87.0 per 1000 for males. There were significant variations in the rates by maternal age and by birth order. Forty-two per cent of the infant deaths were of low birth-weight, the mortality rate among this group being approximately six times as high as for those with greater weights.

The impact of public health services on mortality: A study of mortality differentials in a rural area of Nigeria

Summary An attempt was made to measure the effect of providing health services in rural Nigeria by selecting two communities matched so as to be as similar as possible in culture, socio-economic characteristics, the supply of water and the disposal of human wastes, but contrasting in the provision of health services. One centre had enjoyed the services of a doctor and a well-staffed hospital for over a decade, while the other was over ten kilometres from even the nearest maternal health centre or shop selling pharmaceutical products. A sample of households in each village was interviewed about morbidity, mortality and the treatment employed for sickness. A substantial difference in the use of modern medical services was reflected in a wide mortality differential largely explained by very great differences in mortality under five years of age. It was concluded that mortality decline during the last half century may be almost wholly explained by introduced modern health services, and that the mortality decline even in areas far from health centres has probably resulted largely from campaigns against infectious disease, some employment of the distant health facilities together with the use of certain Pharmaceuticals and perhaps mosquito nets. Continued mortality decline depends primarily on the provision of a denser network of medical facilities.

The Impact of Public Health Services on Mortality: A Study of Mortality Differentials in a Rural Area of Nigeria

The Impact of Public Health Services on Mortality: A Study of Mortality Differentials in a Rural Area of Nigeria