Background: Cannabis is one of the commonly abused psychoactive substances worldwide. The increasing abuse of this psychoactive substance is recognized as a significant public health problem in many developing countries. A proper assessment of the patterns and trends of cannabis use disorders will be useful because of the increasing number of cannabis abusers worldwide and demand for appropriate treatment. Aims: This study examined the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of cannabis abusers admitted for treatment in a tertiary healthcare institution in the South-South region of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study involving 105 subjects of cannabis abusers admitted for treatment over a one year period from August 2017 to July 2018. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were obtained from a careful chart review using a 35 item questionnaire. Diagnoses were made according to the International Classification of Disease Criteria (ICD-10). Effiong et al.; JAMPS, 22(1): 32-39, 2020; Article no.JAMPS.54278 33 Results: 105 subjects were included in this study. The mean age of patients was 29.71±8.2. The mean age of initiation of substance use was 19.05±3.0 years. Males were predominantly involved in cannabis abuse practices. The age of initiation of substance use was significantly different between the male and female subjects (t=-2.86, P=.009). The age of initiation and duration of substance use was significantly related to the risk of developing substance dependence and psychotic symptoms. Conclusion: Cannabis was commonly abused by people who were often unemployed, single, young males involved in multiple drug abuse. The low mean duration of use, multiple substance abuses together with increasing frequency of psychiatric morbidity forms a major challenge for our mental health care services. There is the need for preventive, curative, and rehabilitative strategies to reduce the public health impact of this scourge. Original Research Article

Background: Despite the fact that anaemia is a preventable morbidity in most cases, its prevalence among pregnant women is still unacceptably high especially in rural and sub-urban settings. This is worrisome considering the enormous contribution of anaemia to maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Objective: This study aimed at determining the prevalence of anaemia at booking, identifying and describing its risk factors among pregnant women who attended the antenatal clinic of General Hospital, Etinan, a sub-urban area in Akwa Ibom State, South-South Nigeria. Methodology:  This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving 375 pregnant women seen at the antenatal (booking) clinic of General Hospital, Etinan, between April and October 2018, recruited through non-probability consecutive sampling technique. A pretested semi-structured interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain data on socio-demographic, family and nutritional characteristics and obstetric and medical history of the respondents. Blood sample of each respondent was obtained from the median cubital vein, analysed with haemoglobinometer and their haemogloin (Hb) level determined and classified. Results:  The age of the respondents ranged from 15-49 years with mean and standard deviation of 26.62 + 6.29 years. Results obtained show that out of 375 pregnant women, 265 had Hb <11g/dl giving 70.67% of anaemia among them. While 18.49% had mild anaemia (Hb:10.0-10.9g/dl), 4.15% had severe anaemia(Hb:<7.0g/dl). Anaemia was statistically associated with rural residence (p=0.024), low educational status (p=0.02), low family income (p=0.003), being married (p=0.016), lower parity (p=0.000), late booking (p=0.001), non-use of family planning (p=0.000), non-use of insecticide-treated nets (p=0.000), febrile illness in index pregnancy (p=0.000) and poor nutrition (p=0.000). Conclusion: The prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women in the study is high. This has far-reaching negative implications on the health status of the women during pregnancy, delivery and puerperum and that of the fetus. The need for preconception  counseling and screening, health and nutrition education, early booking, contraception, treatment and prevention of causes of febrile illness, priority to girl child education and overall poverty eradication measures and recommended.

Knowledge and beliefs a community holds about mental illness, has remarkable impact on help seeking path to care and stigmatizing attitudes expressed towards the mentally ill. Aims: This study examines causal attributions, the perceptions and attitudes towards mental illness and the help seeking behaviour of a community in the south-south region of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This is cross sectional descriptive study which was conducted among residents of Ekom Iman community in Akwa Ibom State in the South-South region of Nigeria between March, 2019 and July, 2019. Multistage sampling technique was employed to select the study participants. Causal belief, attitude toward mental illness and help seeking behaviour were assessed using a structured questionnaire.  Results: A total of 130 respondents participated in the study. The average age of respondents was 31.62±8.2 years, consisting of 64.4% males and 35.6% females. Majority, 74.6% had secondary education. Poor knowledge of mental illness and stigmatizing attitudes are common. Most of the respondents prefer to keep a high social distance from the mentally ill and are unwilling to maintain close social contacts with them expressed as refusal to share a room (74.7%), marry (92.5%), keeping friendship with them (66.4%). Many believe psychoactive substance abuse (86.2%), brain illnesses/trauma (55.4%) and supernatural factors (72.6%) are etiologic to mental illness. Most respondents considered faith healers (64.3%) and orthodox medical professionals (30.8%) as first choices of treatment and the options best able to treat them. Conclusion: Causal beliefs of mental illness affects help seeking behavior. Poor knowledge and exposure to mental illness was common. Attitudes towards mental illness were generally negative and stigmatizing. Multidisciplinary community interventions are required to ensure high social acceptance and preference for orthodox professional treatment of mental illness.

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