BackgroundDepression is a leading cause of disability and has been projected to become the 2nd most burdensome disease by the year 2020; depression has also been found to be the strongest single risk factor for attempted or completed suicides. Adolescent-onset mood disorders are frequently unrecognized or misdiagnosed and often go untreated. While there is a growing literature on the mental health literacy of adults, there has not been a parallel interest in the mental health literacy of young people in Nigeria.MethodsThe study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey conducted among students of a Federal Government College (high school) in south-east Nigeria. All consenting students in the senior secondary classes (grades 10–12) were recruited, making a total of 285 participants. The participants were presented with the ‘friend in need’ questionnaire designed to elicit the participants’ recognition of the disorder depicted in two vignettes and their recommendation about the appropriate source of help-seeking. One vignette was of a clinically depressed case while the other vignette was about a girl undergoing normal life crisis.ResultsOut of the 285 students recruited into the study, 277 questionnaires were adequately completed indicating a response rate of 97.2%. A total of 4.8% (n = 13) participants correctly identified and labelled the depression vignette. Only four respondents (1.5%) recommended professional help from a Psychiatrist or Psychologist. Insomnia was the most identified symptom of distress for depression (17.1%). Females demonstrated higher mental health literacy, in terms of their ability to correctly label the depression vignettes, their expression of greater concern over a depressed peer than males, their expectation that depression requires a longer recovery than normal teenage problems and in their ability to identify individual symptoms of depression. Family and friends were the most recommended source of help.ConclusionMental health literacy was abysmally low amongst the adolescents surveyed. There’s an urgent need to increase mental health awareness in Nigeria.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s13033-018-0186-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine the health status of type 2 diabetes patients in a Nigerian tertiary hospital, and examine the sociodemographic and clinical variables that predicted the health status of type 2 diabetes patients in terms of utility valuations and EuroQol Visual Analogue Scale (EQ-VAS) score.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study of 147 diabetes patients attending the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu State, Nigeria. The EQ-5D-5L instrument, version 2.1, was used to evaluate patients’ self-reported health status, and patients who gave informed consent completed the questionnaire while waiting to see a doctor. Descriptive and multiple linear regression analyses were performed using SPSS version 20.ResultsOverall, 147 patients participated in this study, with a mean age (± standard deviation) of 56.7 years (± 10.33). Over half of the respondents were females (55.1%) and more than half were older than 60 years of age. The mean EQ-VAS and utility valuations of respondents were 72.59 ± 10.51 and 0.72 ± 0.13, respectively. The age of respondents independently and significantly predicted EQ-VAS by −2.659 per year, while the age of respondents, level of education, duration of diabetes, and presence of other illnesses independently and significantly predicted utility valuations by −0.020 per year, +0.029 per level of education, −0.008 per year, and −0.044 per illness, respectively. Less than 39% of patients experienced no problems for each of the dimensions, except self-care (68%).ConclusionThe results of this study revealed a relatively low health status among type 2 diabetic patients in Nigeria. Old age, duration of diabetes and the presence of other illnesses were major contributors to the negative impact on health status, while a higher level of education contributed positively to health status. Adequate family support, as well as regular and effective patient counseling and education, may be worthwhile.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s41669-017-0056-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Objectives Globally, persons with mental illness are victims of stigma, even among healthcare professionals and trainees. However, in Nigeria, little is known about the attitudes of pharmacy students towards people with mental illness. Therefore, the objectives of this paper were to assess and compare the attitudes of pharmacy and non-pharmacy students towards mental illness and explore its associated demographic factors. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among pharmacy and selected non-pharmacy students of a Nigerian university. The Attitude Scale for Mental Illness was used for data collection. The survey instrument was distributed to and completed by selected students in batches after normal class lectures. Descriptive statistics, chi-square test and Student’s t-test were used for data analysis. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Key findings The key findings showed that pharmacy and non-pharmacy students generally demonstrated positive attitudes towards mental illness. Pharmacy students had more positive, less stigmatizing attitudes compared with students of non-pharmacy courses. Students' attitudes towards mental illness were significantly influenced by gender, age, a previous visit to a mental hospital and knowing a family member or friend with a mental illness. Conclusions Our findings suggest that students' attitudes towards mental illness were positive but sub-optimal. Student pharmacists demonstrated more positive attitudes towards mental illness compared with non-pharmacy students. However, the major contributors to positive attitudes were male gender, older age, a previous visit to a mental hospital and having a close associate with a mental illness. Therefore, educational interventions addressing students’ misconceptions of mental illness are recommended.

IntroductionIncreasing knowledge of factors predisposing individuals to depression appears to be an important preventive strategy. However, there is no validated instrument for evaluating knowledge of risk factors for depression among adolescents. Therefore, we aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire to assess knowledge of risk factors for teen depression.MethodsExtensive literature search and expert consultations were carefully conducted. The content, face, and convergent validity of the prefinal Knowledge of Risk Factors for Teen Depression Questionnaire (KRFD‐Q) were performed. The Cronbach's alpha and test‐retest reliability of KRFD‐Q were conducted. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was used to delineate the final items into distinct clusters. Participants’ demographic characteristics were presented using descriptive statistics. All analyses were performed using SPSS version 20.ResultsA total of 17 items were generated after an extensive literature search and expert consultations. Two items were considered as repetitions and thus deleted. The overall Cronbach's alpha of KRFD‐Q was 0.72. Test‐retest reliability (r = 0.83, P < .0001) and convergent validity (r = 0.61, P = .034) were satisfactory. The corrected item‐total correlation of KRFD‐Q ranged from 0.13 to 0.45. The EFA identified three factors, (1) family abuse, stress, and self‐criticism (7 items), (2) social/relationship factors (5 items), and (3) genetic and economic factors (3 items).DiscussionThe findings of this study demonstrate that 15‐item KRFD‐Q developed is satisfactorily valid and reliable to measure the knowledge of risk factors for teen depression among university undergraduate students.

Objective: Zika virus infection is fast becoming a major public health concern in both developed and developing countries of the world because of its association with microcephaly and Guillain Barre Syndrome. Assessment of its knowledge and understanding among different healthcare practitioners are essential for prevention and control especially in developing countries such as Nigeria. Our aim was to assess the knowledge of the virus and its associated factors among healthcare professionals (HCPs). Methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 10 to August 28, 2016, among health care professionals who were selected by nonprobability convenience sampling technique. The respondents were selected from various practice settings including academic institution, private and government hospitals in Enugu State, Nigeria. A validated and pilot tested 15 item questionnaire was used to evaluate respondents' knowledge of ZIKV infection. Descriptive statistics and chi-square were used to analyze respondents' level of knowledge and its associated factors using SPSS version 16. Results:Two hundred (200) respondents participated in this study with more than half (53.0%) being male, and most were either Physician or Pharmacist (59.5%). Our results also showed that most of the respondents (128, 64.0%) had poor knowledge of ZIKV infection. However, among the respondents assessed, the Pharmacists and the Physicians had better knowledge of the disease as the test statistics were statistically significant at X 2 =16.722, p=0.033. HCPs in the academia had better knowledge compared to those that are self-employed or practicing in private or government hospitals (X 2 =17.178, p=0.028). Conclusion:Our findings suggest that most of the HCPs assessed in this study had poor knowledge of ZIKV infection. However, professional status, place of service, and study site were found to be associated with the respondents' level of knowledge. Hence, through sensitization and awareness campaigns through the media, seminars, and workshops aimed at educating HCPs on the disease should be encouraged.