BackgroundOccurrence of birth defects (BD) remains an important public health issue. Inadequate knowledge about the defects among prospective mothers could result in delayed interventions. The study determined the knowledge of BD among pregnant women in relation to their socio-demographic profile.MethodFour hundred and forty-three (443) pregnant women gave their consent to participate in this study. A researcher-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic characteristics from the participants and their knowledge about BD. The questionnaire was assessed for test re-test reliability before been administered. The possible scores on the knowledge domain of the questionnaire were categorized into three levels: low knowledge (0–4), moderate knowledge (5–8) and high knowledge (9–12) levels. Data were analyzed using percentages while Spearman’s rank correlation was used to determine the relationship between the knowledge of BD among the participants and their socio-demographic profile. Alpha level was set at p < 0.05.ResultsA greater proportion of the participants, 235(53.0%) were found in the age range 21 to 30 years, and 234(52.8%) attained secondary level of education. Majority of the participants, 205(46.3%) had high knowledge on the risk factors while 213(48.1%) and 224(50.6%) had moderate overall knowledge and specific knowledge about BD respectively. Most of the participants (48.1%) believed that BD were of supernatural origin. The age, level of education, number of antenatal visits and parity of the participants were not significantly correlated (p > 0.05) with their specific and overall knowledge.ConclusionsParticpants generally had moderate knowledge about BD. However, this had no bearing on their socio-demographic profile. The knowledge base about BD seems to be influenced by traditional belief of the participants. This finding should therefore serve as a guide for health care providers while planning awareness campaign about BD.

Background: Childhood age through adolescence mark period of major postural transformation which warrants screening for structural abnormalities. The study provided needs assessment for musculoskeletal screening and determined the prevalence of musculoskeletal deviations (MSDs) among pupils in Junior High Schools. Methods: An all-inclusive qualitative musculoskeletal screening exercise was conducted in eight private and public basic schools within Accra Metropolis. The schools were sampled through multistaged sampling technique from a cluster of 264 schools. After due permissions from the Ghana Education Service Directorate, Head Teachers and parents, pupils were screened for various MSDs. Screening procedures largely involved manual testing, observation and measurements Original Research Articleusing paediatric Gait, Arms, Legs and Spine (pGALS) as a guide. Data were gleaned to descriptive and inferential analysis at 95% CI. Results: A total of 1,532 pupils (mean age: 14.6±1.7 years) were screened. They comprised 696 (45.3%) males. The pattern of MSDs indicate Hallux valgus as the most presented MSDs, 475 (31%) and 242 (15.8%) of them were females. Elevated scapular was the least as found among 21 (1.3%) pupils. There were significant differences (p<0.05) in the frequency of male and female pupils with clawed toes, genu valgus, winged scapular, kyphosis, scoliosis and cubital valgus. Two Hundred and Fifty-Four (16.6%) of the total sampled pupils presented with two or more MSDs. Conclusion:The outcome of the screening revealed high prevalence of MSDs among the sampled pupils with females being more predisposed than their male counterparts. The finding has provided cue for initiating musculoskeletal screening among Ghanaian children in basic schools.