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Background. Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPACR) has been advocated as a strategy to overcome costly delays in decision-making to seek skilled attendance at delivery, which in turn contribute significantly to maternal mortality from obstetric causes. Objective. To assess the determinants of BPACR among pregnant women in a rural community in Edo State, Nigeria. Methods. A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in Anegbette, a rural community in Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State. A house-to-house survey was carried out to identify pregnant women and all eligible women in the study area were included in the study. Results. A total of 277 pregnant women participated in the study. The mean age (standard deviation) of respondents was 28.7 (5.8) years. Less than half (134, 48.4%) of the respondents were well prepared while 143 (51.6%) were poorly prepared. After adjustment for confounding effect using binary logistic regression analysis, educational level (odds ratio (OR) 0.653, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.330 -0.956), occupation (OR 0.384, 95% CI 0.148 -0.990) and utilisation of antenatal care (OR 3.407, 95% CI 1.830 -5.074) were significant predictors of BPACR. Conclusion. BPACR was poor among women in the rural community. In order to improve maternal health among rural women in Nigeria, government and donor agency funding for safe motherhood programmes should focus on female empowerment and encourage community participation towards promotion of maternal health. Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPACR) has been advocated as a strategy to overcome costly delays in decision-making to seek skilled attendance at delivery, which in turn contribute significantly to maternal mortality from obstetric causes.[1] BPACR entails identifying a skilled provider and a birth location, learning to recognise the danger signs that may indicate life-threatening complications for the mother and baby, saving money and arranging for transportation, identifying a blood donor, identifying the nearest emer gency obstetric services should pregnant women, their families and communities need to seek assistance in case of emergencies.[2] In addition, BPACR requires health providers and facilities to be prepared to attend births and treat complications. [2] BPACR among pregnant women is significantly influenced by their socioeconomic characteristics, among other personal factors. A study conducted among women attending antenatal care in south eastern Nigeria found that although 70.6% of women were aware of BPACR, knowledge of key danger signs in pregnancy was low; educational status was identified to be the best predictor of BPACR.[3] Similarly, having a higher education, upper socioeconomic status and being married were identified as factors associated with good BPACR among women receiving antenatal care in Benin City [4] and Ile-Ife, [5] Nigeria. A community-based survey in northern Nigeria among 5 083 rural women recruited from three states found that BPACR practices were generally poor, with...

IntroductionWorkers in the quarry industries are exposed to hazards resulting from the inhalation of air borne particulates. The study determined the prevalence of respiratory symptoms and assessed ventilatory functions among quarry workers in Edo state, Nigeria.MethodsQuarry workers (site workers and office workers) were interviewed using structured questionnaire. FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC and PEFR were measured using a KoKo Legend spirometer.ResultsA total of 113 quarry workers (76 exposure and 37 controls) were studied. The exposure group had significantly higher occurrence of chest tightness (35.5%) compared with 16.2% of the controls (p < 0.05). The occurrence of cough (23.7% versus 13.5%), sputum (21.1% versus 16.2%), and dyspnoea (7.9% versus 5.4%), were higher in exposure groups while wheeze (10.8% versus 10.5%) and nasal congestion (27.0% and 25.0%) were higher in the control groups. The mean (SD) FEV1, and FVC were significantly lower among the exposure compared with the control group; 2.77L (0.73) versus 3.14L (0.78), p < 0.05, and 3.48L (0.84) versus 3.89L (0.92), p < 0.05. In both groups, smokers had significantly lower mean (SD) FEV1, FVC and PEFR compared with non-smokers; 2.91L (0.77) versus 3.39L (0.69), p = 0.01, 3.61L (0.91) versus 4.26L (0.74), p < 0.05 and 6.56L (2.43) versus 7.98L (1.67), p < 0.05.ConclusionChronic exposure to quarry dust is associated with respiratory symptoms and reduced lung function indices among quarry workers. The enforcement of the use of PPEs and periodic evaluation the lung function status of quarry workers is advocated.

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Objective: The aim was to determine the breastfeeding practices of mothers of children two years and below in Egor Local Government Area (LGA) of Edo State. Design: This is a community-based descriptive cross-sectional study. Subjects were recruited consecutively by multi-staged sampling technique. A semi-structured researcher-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information from the respondents. Setting: Subjects were from the Edaiken community in Egor LGA State, Nigeria. Subjects: Mother and child pairs were recruited. Outcome measures: The early initiation of breastfeeding rate, prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding and the duration of breastfeeding were calculated from the information obtained from the mothers. Factors associated with the practice of early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding were also determined. Results: A total of 186 mothers (44.5%) of the 418 recruited initiated breastfeeding (early) within one hour of delivery. The prevalence of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) was 36.6%. Maternal education was significantly associated with the practice of EBF while maternal age and delivery facility were significantly associated with early initiation of breastfeeding. The median duration of breastfeeding was 15.1 ± 2.3 months. Conclusion: Less than half of the mothers of children aged 1-24 months in Egor LGA practised early initiation of breastfeeding and exclusive breastfeeding. Nutritional education at the community level should be embarked upon by the Local Health Authority of Egor LGA to improve these practices.Keywords: breastfeeding practices, children aged 1-24 months, early initiation of breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding rate, Egor LGA, mothers IntroductionUnder-nutrition is estimated to cause 3.1 million child deaths annually worldwide. About half of all child deaths have been associated with under-nutrition.1 It has been estimated that optimal breastfeeding of children under two years of age has the potential to prevent 1.4 million deaths in children aged under five in the developing world annually.2 The period from birth to the second year of life is a vulnerable period for undernutrition as well as a critical window period for the promotion of optimal growth, health and behavioural development. Poor nutrition during this critical period is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, and delayed motor and mental development as immediate consequences, while impairments in intellectual performance, work capacity, reproductive outcomes and overall health during adolescence and adulthood constitute long-term consequences. The World Health Organization and the United Nation Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) have recommended that children should be exclusively breast fed for the first six months of life after which nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods are commenced while continuing breastfeeding up to two years and beyond. 4 In addition to the nutritional benefits of breastfeeding there are other non-nutritional benefits to both the baby and ...