Background: Understanding the features of preventive care uptake is critical for assessing the performance and viability of primary care in any healthcare system. There are gaps in previous studies that focused on primary healthcare features, challenges and way forward in Nigeria but were mainly public sector focused and do not characterize the features of preventive care. Since private healthcare sector remains the most accessed and utilized in Nigeria, this study sought to characterize the features of uptake of preventive care to better understand the current preventive healthcare landscape. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study, using survey questionnaire were randomly administered to adult patients attending the Family Medicine Out-Patient Department (OPD) at Nisa Premier Hospital, Jabi Abuja. The study was conducted over a three-month period. (January to June 2017). Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 23 (IBM SPSS, Chicago, IL, USA). Descriptive statistics in the form of frequency and percentage were used to report the results. Results: A total of 381 participants completed the survey. The results revealed that while an over overwhelming majority (> 90%) of participants indicated knowledge of benefits of preventive care, and preferred interventions aimed at preventing a disease before they occur, 48% preferred interventions aimed at reducing disease or injury impact or interventions aimed at ameliorating the impact of ongoing disease or injury with long lasting effect (43%). Unfortunately, less than 40% of respondents would visit the hospital when their health condition is not serious. Important barriers to uptake of preventive care were revealed as cost (45%), distance to the healthcare provider (36%) and lack of health insurance (33%), whereas poor education (19%), social norms (13%) as well as cultural and religious beliefs (10%) towards accessing certain health services appeared to be lesser barriers.Conclusion: Although people are aware of the benefits of preventive care, its uptake will greatly be enhanced through improved health insurance coverage, refocusing primary healthcare functions on preventive rather than curative care and instituting policies that mandatorily prescribe uptake for the insured, both at the individual and the insurer's level.

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Drinking water is a major source of Fluoride intake, which at certain concentration is the cause of Fluorosis.The disease is preventable by having passable knowledge of fluoride sources, concentration levels and management technique. This study was aim at presenting concentration levels of Fluoride (F) in drinking water sources from this region of northeastern Nigeria where cases of dental fluorosis have been reported. Samples of surface water and groundwater were analysed by the colorimetric SPADNS METHOD (CODE 3647-01-SC). Results revealed that F concentrations in surface water ranges between 0.03mg/L and 2.07mg/L, while in groundwater this ranges between 0.02mg/L and 2.42mg/L. The results also revealed up to 43% of sampling points within a location showing high F concentrations (≥1. 5mg/L) in groundwater. This is beyond the permissible limits set by World Health Organization. Since groundwater is a major source of drinking water in this region, the hazards posed by high F concentrations in this region still remains and would require constant monitoring and effective implementation of management practice to curtail.

Quality status of sources of drinking water supply in Gombe metropolis was investigated and was found to have generally improved significantly within the last decade as a result of intervention of the State, Federal Government of Nigeria and international agencies such as the UNICEF/DFID. The study revealed that groundwater (borehole, hand pump well) is the largest source of drinking water in Gombe metropolis and only about 36% of the metropolis has direct access to treated drinking water. The quality status of the drinking water sources analysed revealed that in comparison with the USEPA reference standard, drinking water in Gombe metropolis is generally within acceptable limits. Sustainability and management of drinking water sources in the metropolis would depend on the improvement of sanitation status around public water supply, regular monitoring by responsible authorities to ensure safety of drinking water supply in Gombe Metropolis.