Study aim: The purpose of this study was to ascertain how young women in Calabar South, Cross River State, were aware of the reasons and preventative measures for obesity. Material and methods: The study adopted the descriptive survey design using simple random sampling technique to select 400 participants (14–26years of age). Self-made and approved questionnaire was employed as a tool for data collection. With the use of descriptive statistics, the data was analyzed using frequency and percentages while chi square analysis was used to test hypothesis. Results: According to the results, a majority of respondents 65.9% had high understanding of the factors that contribute to obesity, compared to just 34.1% who had poor awareness. It was also revealed that short sleep duration, excessive use of technology, parenting and social hindered the preventive practice of obesity. Chi-square analysis showed that the calculated value 28.005a was greater than the critical value 7.81 (p-value = 0.000), thus the null hypothesis was rejected. This shows that there is a significant correlation between level of awareness of the causes of obesity and the educational level of young women. Conclusion: Nurses and midwives should educate young women about obesity during health consultations and prenatal clinic appointments in other to elevate their awareness to enhance their preventive practices

Effective communication is evident when the sender conveys a message that the receiver readily receives and understands. The study examined the effective communication practices and challenges among nurses as perceived by student nurses in Anambra state. The population was 425 students from two randomly selected schools of nursing and one Department of nursing science in Anambra State. Yaro Yamane’s formula was applied to draw a sample size of 206 respondents. Using validated structured questionnaire data were collectedand presented in charts and tables with frequency and simple percentages. The descriptive statistics was employed in the data analysis while Chi square was applied in testing the two null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significant. Findings from the study revealed that the student nurses in Anambra state have positive perception towards effective communication practices in nursing with an average mean score of 3.3. The Majority of the students 99.5% saw effective communication to mean a two-way process through which the sender conveys a message that the receiver readily receives and understands. 96.1% saw it as feedback, documentation, report writing and handover. 97.5% were of the opinion that manner of approach to client is an aspect of effective communication. 97.1% saw it to embraces patient education, informed consent and involving client in his care. (94.6%) believed that asking open ended questions (95.2%), and attention to non-verbal communication (99%); were the best approaches to effective communication in nursing practice. 80.6% were of the opinion that time, conflict among health workers (91.2%), language barrier (90.8%), heavy workload (69.9%) constitutes the cogs in the wheel of effective communication in nursing practice. Gender (p > 0.692) and training institution (p cal = 0.106) had no significant influence on their perception. The study recommends that lectures on communication skills be given to the students in both native and English languages.

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that enhance and hinder interdisciplinary collaborative practice (ICP) among doctors and nurses at the Nnamdi Azikiwe teaching hospital, Nnewi, southeast Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey and the quantitative method of data collection was employed. The population was all doctors irrespective of area of specialty and all nurses employed and working in the hospital as at the time of study. Proportionate stratified and convenience sampling methods were used to select study participants according to their categories. Using validated structured questionnaire, data were collected from 110 doctors and 95 nurses in the teaching hospital on their perception on ICP and factors that enhance/hinder ICP. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Specifically, frequencies, percentages, standard deviation and graphic presentation were used for descriptive analysis of scores while the unpaired t test of mean score using Graph Pad Prism, Version 5.30 was used to determine the influence of profession, gender, and years of experience on perception of ICP at 0.05 level of significance. The study found that both doctors and nurses have positive perception on ICP. Their years of experience have significant influence on their perception. Clear individual roles and good working relationships enhance ICP while giving priority to professional status rather than expertise was seen as a prominent hindrance to ICP. The study recommends collaborative continuing education for doctors and nurses to enhance ICP in patient care. In addition, the inclusion of interdisciplinary collaborative practice programmme into the curriculum of medical and nursing students (where it does not exist) would go a long way to strengthen ICP and decrease hindrances when they graduate.

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