No abstract

General medical examination is a common form of preventive medicine. Periodic medical check-up generally involves thorough history, physical examination and screening of asymptomatic persons by physicians on a regular basis as part of a routine health care process. Periodic medical check-up is considered effective in preventing illness and promoting health and reducing morbidity and mortality. This study is therefore designed to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of periodic medical check-up among residents of Osun, Ondo & Ekiti States of Nigeria. It is also to determine the influence of educational status on its practice and compare the outcomes in the three states. Materials & Methods: The cross-sectional survey study utilizing both qualitative and quantitative method of data collection was conducted at various locations across the three states. The locations included those of public servants, private sector workers, artisans, traders, business men/women, farmers, among others. Results: 1200 consenting residents participated in the study in each of the three states. 518 (43.2%) of the respondents in Ondo State are males while 682 (57.8%) are females. 465 (38.8%) of the respondents in Ekiti State are males while 735 (61.2%) are females. 494 (41.2%) of the respondents in Osun State are males while 706 (59.8%) are females. The mean age in Ondo, Ekiti & Osun were 43.8 ± 10.7 years, 44.6 ± 11.5 years and 41.7 ± 10.1 years respectively. 89.2%, 88.3% and 87.4% of the respondents are aware of periodic medical check-up in Ondo, Ekiti and Osun states respectively. Conclusion: There is high level of awareness of periodic medical checkup in all three states but the level of practice of routine medical checkup is low. The majority of the respondents probably don't practice it because their health insurance plan does not cover the medical checkup or due to individual/organizational financial constraints.

ÖZETGiriş: Doğum kontrolü, çiftlerin, sahip olmayı planladıkları çocukların hangi yıllar arasında doğmasını planladıkları bir uygulamadır. Herhangi bir doğum kontrol planı uygulamayan kişilerin uygulamaya erişimlerinin yetersiz olabileceği ya da kullanmada engellerle karşı karşıya kaldıkları yaygın olarak bildirilmektedir. Dolayısıyla bu çalışma, Nijerya'daki üreme çağında bulunan kadınların doğum kontrol planlarını ve çocukların doğumu arasında bırakılan zamanı incelemek, doğum kontrolü uygulamalarını ve bilgilerini etkileyen değerleri ve normları belirlemek ve doğum kontrolü uygulamalarını geliştirmelerine yardımcı olabilecek gerekli önerilerin oluşturulabilmesi için yürütülmüştür. Yöntem: Kesitsel tipteki bu çalışma, Batı Nijerya'da pilot bir anketin kullanılmasıyla gerçekleştirildi. Hedef kitle bu bölgede üreme çağında bulunan kadınlardı. Yanıtları değerlendirmek için çok aşamalı örneklem yöntemi kullanıldı. İstatistiksel olarak anlamlılık ki-kare testi ile gerçekleştirildi. Sonuçlar: Çalışmaya 1219 katılımcı katıldı ve ortalama yaş ± SD (32.37 ± 8.95) idi. Doğum kontrolünde seçilen yöntem için temel neden güvenirlilikti, ana bilgi kaynağı devlet hastanelerinde çalışan sağlık personeli idi, en sık kullanılan yöntem erkek kondomu (prezervatif) iken en yaygın bilinen yan etkisi ise yoğun menstrüel kanamaydı. Tartışma: Göstergeler; eğitim durumunun, din faktörünün ve ekonomik durumun doğum kontrolü yöntemi seçimlerini etkilediğini göstermektedir; bu nedenle, modern doğum kontrol yöntemleri ile bunun önemi, seçenekleri ve yararları konusunda toplumu aydınlatacak daha fazla program ve en önemlisi dini liderleri de içeren kampanyalara gereksinim bulunmaktadır ki bilgi akışı hızlanıp modern doğum kontrol yöntemleri kullanımı gelişip yaygınlaşabilsin.Anahtar kelimeler: doğum kontrolü, kadınlar, Nijerya, uygulama ABSTRACT Background: Birth control is a practice by which couples space the number of years between children they plan to have. It is widely reported that people who do not use any birth control plan may lack access or face barriers to using it. This study is therefore carried out to determine the birth control plans and child spacing, obtain the values and norms that influence the knowledge and practice of contraception, among women of reproductive ages in Western Nigeria with a view to making necessary recommendations that would help improve contraception practices. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Western Nigeria using a pilot-tested questionnaire. The target population was women of reproductive age group in this district. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select the respondent. Statistical test of significance was performed with Chi-Square test. Results: A total of 1219 consenting respondents participated in the study with a mean age ± SD of 32.37 ± 8.95 years. The main reason given for choice of contraception was reliability, main source of information is through government-owned hospital health personnel, male condom is the most widely used current method while heavy me...

Background: Malaria is a vector-borne infectious disease caused by eukaryotic protist of genus Plasmodium and transmitted by female Anopheles mosquitoes. Those living mainly in the world's poorest countries are at risk of malaria as it is more endemic in the tropical and subtropical regions. Malaria spread have been linked to environmental changes, malaria vector dynamics, host immune status as well as individual or community factors such as the socioeconomic status, knowledge of malaria, and the protective behavior. Objectives: To assess knowledge and practice of malaria prevention among non-medical students of higher institutions in Osun State, Nigeria. Materials and Methods: An open-ended structured questionnaire was administered consecutively to 1420 consenting non-medical students by the interviewer at various higher institutions. The cross-sectional survey questionnaire comprised sections on socio-demographic data, knowledge about causes of malaria, and knowledge about malaria prevention and practice. Results: The mean age (standard deviation) was 22.8 (12.7) years. 733 respondents (61.3%) are male while 462 respondents (38.7%) are female. 1124 students (94.1%) stated that malaria can be prevented. Out of those that stated that malaria can be prevented listed methods to prevent malaria to include reducing exposure to mosquitoes by use of insecticide treated mosquito nets and indoor residual spraying. 570 students (47.7%) reported that malaria is more common in the tropical region. Only 181 (15.1%) students know the cause of malaria in humans to be Plasmodium. 1013 (84.3%) reported malaria to breed more during the rainy season and 473 (39.6%) students reported female Anopheles mosquito to be responsible for malaria. Conclusion: Non-medical students have relatively reasonable knowledge about malaria preventive measures and practices, although, certain aspects are still not well-understood, probably due to the scope of their educational curricula. Hence, there is a need to intensify malaria public enlightenment programs and promote affordable preventive measures.

Nutrient needs are higher during adolescence and those with sickle cell disease require a diet that provides plenty of calories, protein, vitamins and minerals. It is therefore pertinent to study the dietary practices of older children who are mainly adolescents with sickle cell disease. This study took place at the sickle cell center Benin City, Edo state using a cluster of clients who are adolescents within the study period of 4 weeks. Clients who participated in this study were both out-patient and in-patients.A total of 60 clients were interviewed using an interviewer/self administered questionnaire with 51.7% females and 66.6% were 15 years or less. Although 83.3% of the adolescents reportedly take adequate diet, only 35% include fresh vegetables, 41% include fresh fruits, 15% include wheat and 17% include beans in their daily diet. Majority (68.3%) reportedly take 'special diet' only when in crisis. This study has shown that adolescents under study do not adequately eat diet that are beneficial to their health and good sources of macro and micronutrients evidenced by the poor irregular intake of fruits, vegetables, beans and wheat products though they claimed to be taking adequate diet. Consequently, emphasis need to be placed on intake of adequate nutritious diet regularly and not just the intake of 'special diet' when they are in crisis.