This study aims to assess health insurance uptake and affordability of care among patients with hypertension in a Federal Teaching Hospital in Southwestern Nigeria. This was a cross sectional study involving 138 hypertensive patient selected through systematic random sampling technique from the cardiology clinic of a Federal Teaching Hospital. A semi-structured, interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. A significance level of 5% was used. The mean age (standard deviation) of the patients was 57.4 (12.8) years with median (interquartile range) monthly income of ₦46,500.00 (₦55,000.00) [US$129 (US$152.78)]. The health insurance uptake among them was 26.8%. Out of those who had no health insurance cover, 87.2% of them believed it could make their financial burden less and wish to be registered. Hypertensive patients enrolled under health insurance were significantly less likely to face financial difficulty when paying for drugs (p<0.001) and investigations (p<0.001). Additionally, these patients were significantly less likely to deny or defer project(s) in order to pay for their illness (p=0.004) and to have their source of livelihood being negatively affected by this illness (p=0.002). This study found a low health insurance uptake among hypertensive patients, even though most of the patients who had no health insurance cover were ready to enroll. Additionally, health insurance was identified to promote affordability of care among these patients. It is therefore crucial to put in place measures that will increase health insurance coverage among these patients.

IntroductionUnintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion pose a major reproductive health challenge to adolescents. Emergency contraception is safe and effective in preventing unplanned pregnancy. The objective of this study was to assess the student's knowledge and use of emergency contraception.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was carried out in Ilorin, Nigeria, using multi-stage sampling method. Data was collected using pre-tested semi-structured self-administered questionnaire. Knowledge was scored and analysed. SPSS version 21.0 was used for data analysis. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results27.8% of the respondents had good knowledge of emergency contraception. Majority of respondents (87.2%) had never used emergency contraception. Majority of those who had ever used emergency contraception (85.7%) used it incorrectly, using it more than 72 hours after sexual intercourse (p=0.928).ConclusionKnowledge about Emergency contraception and prevalence of use were low. Contraceptive education should be introduced early in the school curriculum for adolescents.

Background: Hypertension is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Though generally believed to be a disease of the adults, It has been shown to start in early life and tracks through adolescence into adulthood. Aims and Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension and associated factors among adolescents in Ekiti State. Materials and Methods: The study was a cross sectional survey involving 416 secondary school adolescents aged 10 to 19 years. A 'twostage' sampling technique was used to select the subjects. Facilitated self-administered questionnaire was used for the study. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 20. Level of significance was set at P<0.05. Results: A total of 416 students participated in the study. Prevalence of hypertension was 10.1% with male and female prevalence rates of 5.8% and 14.4% respectively (P=0.004). Hypertension was higher among adolescents with BMI ≥ the 85 th percentile for age and sex compared to those with lower BMI (P=0.004). There was a weak positive correlation between BMI and blood pressure in the study (Systolic r=0.33, P=0.001: diastolic r=0.31, P=0.001). Conclusion: The study concluded that hypertension is not a rare phenomenon among adolescents and that female gender and high BMI were the main risk factors for adolescent hypertension in this study.

Background: An understanding of willingness of people to disclose coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms and take the COVID-19 test will help provide important insight for motivators towards the self-surveillance and testing strategies recommended by the World Health Organization to curtail and halt the transmission of COVID-19. Objectives: This study assessed willingness to disclose symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 and willingness to take COVID-19 test as well as their predictors. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey of 524 Nigerian adults, aged ≥ 18 years, residing in Nigeria and who had not taken the COVID-19 test was conducted. Information on willingness to disclose COVID-19 symptoms, take COVID-19 test and possible predictors were collected. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics evaluated at 5% significance level. Results: Mean age of respondents was 35.8 (S.D: 10.7) years and 57.0% were males. Majority (85.8% and 86.2% respectively) were willing to disclose COVID-19 symptoms and take COVID-19 test. Self-risk perception of contracting COVID-19 predicted both willingness to disclose COVID-19 symptoms (aOR=3.236; 95%CI=1.836-5.704) and take COVID-19 test (aOR=3.174; 95%CI=1.570-6.419). Willingness to disclose COVID-19 symptoms (aOR=13.060; 95%CI= 6.253-27.276), knowledge of someone who had taken the test (aOR= 4.106; 95%CI= 1.179-14.299) and thought that it was important for people to know their COVID-19 status (aOR=3.123; 95%CI= 1.516-6.434) also predicted willingness to take COVID-19 test. Conclusion: Nigerians are willing to disclose symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 and take the COVID-19 test. Investment in interventions developed based on the predicting factors will help speed up the finding and testing of suspected COVID-19 cases.

Background: Since the outbreak of Ebola and Lassa Fever in many West African countries, infection prevention has become big business in hospitals and health care settings in affected countries. Emphasis has shifted from the routine prevention of cases to rapid identification of infection symptoms and timely initiation of transmission-based precautions in order to eliminate unnecessary exposure for health care staff, hospital visitors, and other patients. Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore the knowledge and preventive practices on isolation precaution (IP) and quarantine among health care workers in selected health facilities in Ondo State in southwestern Nigeria. Methods: Explorative cross sectional study among 800 health care workers in health facilities in Ondo State Nigeria, selected using multistage sampling method. Research instruments used were semi structured self administered pretested questionnaires. Data was analyzed using the SPSS software version 23.0. Findings: Mean age of respondents was 34.5 ± 8.2 years, 144(18.0%) and 150(18.8%) had heard about isolation precaution and quarantine respectively. Only 82(10.3%) and 118(14.8%) had taken part or witnessed isolation or quarantine procedure respectively. While about 64.6% had good mean knowledge scores of universal precaution, only 7.6% and 10.8% had good knowledge score of isolation precaution and quarantine respectively. Gender, occupation and number of years in practice were statistically significant as associated with knowledge scores of IP and quarantine (p < 0.05). Predictors of good knowledge of IP and quarantine were being female and having spent more than 3 years in service as a health care worker. Conclusion: Poor knowledge of isolation precaution and quarantine was reported among studied respondents. Building the capacity of all health workers on this subject matter would foster this culture of reduction of transmission of infectious disease within and across our hospital settings.