Introduction: Focused antenatal care (FANC), based on fewer goal-oriented visits, is the WHO's recommended care for pregnant women. The objectives of the study were to assess the acceptability of FANC and barriers to its implementation at the hospital. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study conducted among antenatal clinic attendees between January and March 2011 at Obio Cottage Hospital, Port Harcourt Nigeria. Women were recruited by systematic sampling technique into the study. Questionnaires which sought demographic data, acceptability or rejection of fewer antenatal visits and reasons for decisions were administered to them. Data analysis was performed using Stata 10. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine associations between demographic parameters and acceptance of FANC. Significance level was set at P<0.05. Results: The analysis was based on 456 out of 500 completed questionnaires. The mean age and parity of the women were 28.6±4.2 and 1±1 respectively. The mean number of preferred visits was 13.4±6.9 visits, (IQR 9-18). Reduced visits were acceptable to 75% of the women. The main reason for accepting reduced visits was to save time 164 (40.6%). The main reasons for rejecting reduced visits were for better monitoring of pregnancy (35.1%) and early detection of problems (21.6%). The likelihood of accepting fewer visits increased with age. OR=1.04; 95% CI (1.09-1.10), P=0.01. Conclusion: Focused antenatal care was acceptable to most women in the clinic. The concern it would compromise monitoring of pregnancy should be addressed during health education.

Background: The Expanded Program on Immunization was launched in Nigeria in 1980 but the target for immunization coverage has been elusive. As part of its social responsibilities the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) supported immunization activities in the Niger Delta region of the country. In this study a cross sectional study was carried out to estimate the coverage of BCG, OPV, DPT and measles vaccines and, to determine the predictors of full immunization coverage among children aged 12 to 23 months in selected SPDC supported communities in the Niger Delta. Using modified cluster randomization, 2432 children were included in the study. Results: Of 2432 children studied 1585 (65.2%; 95% CI: 61.9% to 68.5%) were fully immunized with the four vaccines; 2323 (95.5%) had received at least one dose of a vaccine (card and history). About one third (36.6%) of the children aged 12 to 23 months with immunization card were fully immunized by their first birthday. The proportion of children fully immunized with valid doses of vaccines by one year was 19.9% (485 of 2432) based on card only. One hundred and nine (4.5%) had never received immunization. Major reason for failure to be immunized was fear of side reactions. Main predictor for full immunization was availability of a health facility in the community. Discussion: The coverage of immunization was high in the study area; but the proportion of valid doses administered was low. Training of health workers and strategic behavioral communication to dispel fears of side reactions are recommended

A study of childhood injuries of 0-17-year-old Jewish children based on emergency room records of the four major hospitals and the first aid stations was conducted in Jerusalem during 1986. The incidence of visits was 99.7/1000 child-years with 95% confidence intervals (CI) = 98.0-101.5. The rate was 97.2/1000 child-years (CI = 94.4-100.0) among the 0-5-year-old, 114.6/1000 child-years (CI = 111.3-118.0) in the 6-12 age group, and was 93.6/1000 child-years (CI = 90.1-97.1) among 13-17-year-old. The male to female rate ratio was 1.7 for the 0-5-year-olds, 2.1 for the 6-12-year-olds and 2.3 for the 13-17-year-olds. The most frequent causes of injuries were falls, 38.5/1000 child-years (CI = 37.4-39.6), being struck or caught, 21.1/1000 child-years (CI = 20.3-21.9), and road accidents, 5.4/1000 child-years (CI = 5.0-5.8). Only burns among children aged 6 years and over and poisoning among 13-17-year-olds showed a higher incidence among females than among males. The head was the most frequently injured part of the body (45.2/1000 child-years, CI = 44.0-46.4). Head injuries decreased as age increased, while injuries to the extremities and trunk increased with increasing age. Two per cent of the injured children were admitted to hospital.