Prevalence of High Blood Pressure and Associated Factors among a Population of Apparently Healthy in-School Adolescents in Delta State, Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Background: Adolescence is a vulnerable phase when risky behaviours like smoking, poor diet, and physical inactivity set the stage for health problems like hypertension.

Objective: This study assessed the prevalence of high blood pressure (HBP) and associated factors among apparently healthy inschool adolescents in Delta State, Nigeria.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among apparently healthy in-school adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, using a multi-stage random sampling technique.

Predictors of the willingness to accept a free COVID-19 vaccine among households in Nigeria.

Background: To inform vaccination policy and programmatic strategies to increase COVID-19 vaccine uptake, an understanding of the factors associated with the willingness to vaccinate is needed.

Methods: We analyzed data collected from the sixth and tenth round of the Nigerian COVID-19 National Longitudinal Phone Survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics and the World Bank in 2020 and 2021, respectively. Exploratory data analysis and feature selection techniques were used to identify important variables.

An Assessment of Enrollees' Knowledge and Satisfaction with Delta State Contributory Health Scheme: A Cross- Sectional Survey of Civil Servants in Delta State, Nigeria.

Background: Delta State Contributory Health Scheme (DSCHS) was established to provide quality and affordable healthcare services to all Deltans, irrespective of socioeconomic status and geographical location. This study assessed the knowledge and satisfaction of formal sector enrollees with the Delta State Contributory Health scheme.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving 400 public/civil servants enrolled in DSCHS using a multistage sampling technique.

Risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma associated with hepatitis C genotype 3 infection: A systematic review.

Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne virus which globally affects around 79 million people and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Chronic infection leads to cirrhosis in a large proportion of patients and often causes hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in people with cirrhosis. Of the 6 HCV genotypes (G1-G6), genotype-3 accounts for 17.

Effectiveness of online training in improving primary care doctors' competency in brief tobacco interventions: A cluster-randomized controlled trial of WHO modules in Delta State, Nigeria.

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly recommends that brief tobacco interventions should be routinely offered in primary care. However, medical doctors do not consistently and effectively intervene during their encounters with cigarette smokers. There is a paucity of studies assessing the effect of training on the tobacco intervention competency of primary care doctors in Nigeria.

Sociodemographic predictors of non-communicable diseases risk-related knowledge and behaviours: a cross-sectional study of in-school adolescents in a southern Nigerian State.

Introduction: the adolescence period is a significant phase in development of non-communicable diseases. Public health interventions that reduce risky behaviors among adolescents are beneficial across the life course. This study assessed the level of non-communicable diseases (NCDs´) risk-related knowledge, the prevalence of NCDs´ risk behavior, and the sociodemographic predictors of NCDs´ risk-related knowledge and behaviors among in-school adolescents in a Southern Nigerian State.

Family planning service availability and readiness assessment of primary health care facilities in Delta State, Nigeria: a mixed methods survey.

Background: The availability of contraceptives, family planning guidelines, and Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) materials can increase access to family planning services. This study assessed the availability of commodities and readiness of primary health care (PHC) facilities in Delta State to offer family planning services.

Methods: A cross-sectional design with an explanatory mixed-method approach was used i.

Prevalence and Predictors of Hypocalcaemia among Adolescent Girls in Rural Public Secondary Schools in South-South Nigeria.

Background: Adolescent girls are at risk of developing skeletal inadequacy due to an imbalance between calcium intake and high requirements of calcium during this period of increased modeling and skeletal consolidation. This study assessed the prevalence and predictors of hypocalcaemia among adolescent girls in rural public secondary schools in south-south Nigeria.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted to assess the prevalence and predictors of hypocalcaemia among 238 adolescent girls selected by a multi-stage sampling technique.

A cross-sectional analysis of respiratory ill-health among charcoal workers and its implications for strengthening occupational health services in southern Nigeria.

Objectives: This study was conducted to assess the concentration of air pollutants at charcoal sites, the dose-response relationship between site-based exposure levels to air pollutants and prevalence of respiratory symptoms among charcoal workers, and the measures these workers employ to safeguard their health.

Design: Cross-sectional but comparative design SETTING: Charcoal production kiln sites in Sapele, Delta State, Nigeria.

Participants: Overall 296 charcoal workers and age-matched, sex-matched and height-matched non-exposed traders (comparison group).

Research priority setting for health policy and health systems strengthening in Nigeria: the policymakers and stakeholders perspective and involvement.

Introduction: Nigeria is one of the low and middle income countries (LMICs) facing severe resource constraint, making it impossible for adequate resources to be allocated to the health sector. Priority setting becomes imperative because it guides investments in health care, health research and respects resource constraints. The objective of this study was to enhance the knowledge and understanding of policymakers on research priority setting and to conduct a research priority setting exercise.

Promotion of hand hygiene strengthening initiative in a Nigerian teaching hospital: implication for improved patient safety in low-income health facilities.

Background: Health care-associated infection remains a significant hazard for hospitalized patients. Hand hygiene is a fundamental action for ensuring patient safety.

Objective: To promote adoption of World Health Organization Hand Hygiene Guidelines to enhance compliance among doctors and nurses and improve patient safety.

Assessment of organizational capacity for evidence-based health systems operations in Nigeria.

In Nigeria, health outcomes are unacceptably low largely due to the inability of the health system to function optimally. As part of a strategy to strengthen the health system, an assessment of institutional capacity for use of evidence for health system operations was conducted. The health system operations in terms of stewardship, health administration, service delivery, and access to essential medical products/technologies were fairly adequate.

Enhancing leadership and governance competencies to strengthen health systems in Nigeria: assessment of organizational human resources development.

The lack of effective leadership and governance in the health sector has remained a major challenge in Nigeria and contributes to the failure of health systems and poor development of human resources. In this cross-sectional intervention study, leadership and governance competencies of policy makers were enhanced through a training workshop, and an assessment was conducted of organizational activities designed to promote evidence-informed leadership and governance to improve human resources for health (HRH). The training workshop increased the understanding of policy makers with regard to leadership and governance factors that ensure the functionality of health systems and improve human resources development, including policy guidance, intelligence and oversight, collaboration and coalition building, regulation, system design and accountability.

Promotion of evidence-informed health policymaking in Nigeria: bridging the gap between researchers and policymakers.

In Nigeria, the lack of adequate understanding of the complex nature of translating research into policy and the incompatibility existing between researchers and policymakers constitute a great challenge to evidence-informed policymaking. To address these challenges a one-day evidence-to-policy training workshop was organised for policymakers, researchers and other major stakeholders in the health sector in southeastern Nigeria. Of the 104 individuals invited to the workshop 87 (83.

Assessment of the risk status of pregnant women presenting for antenatal care in a rural health facility in Ebonyi State, South Eastern Nigeria.

Background: Nigeria has one of the worst maternal and child health indices globally.

Aims: The objective of this study was to assess the risk status of pregnant women presenting for antenatal care in a rural health facility in Ebonyi State, South East Nigeria.

Subjects And Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study of pregnant women selected by systematic random sampling.

Development of health policy and systems research in Nigeria: lessons for developing countries' evidence-based health policy making process and practice.

Health policy and systems research (HPSR), which aims to produce reliable and rigorous evidence to inform the many critical decisions that must be made about health systems, is a new concept in Nigeria. In this study, policy makers and other stakeholders in the health sector identified the challenges and the potential intervention strategies to HPSR evidence use in policy making in Nigeria. The major challenges identified included capacity constraints at individual and organizational levels, communication gaps and poor networking between policy makers and researchers, and the non-involvement of healthcare recipients in identifying and planning care delivery needs.

Bacterial contamination of stethoscopes used by health workers: public health implications.

Background: This study was designed to assess both the potential for bacterial transmission by stethoscopes used by health-care workers in Nigeria and the implications for patient safety and control of hospital-acquired infections.

Methodology: A structured questionnaire was administered to health workers and the surface of the diaphragm of their stethoscopes swabbed for bacteriological analysis using standard techniques.

Results And Conclusions: Of the 107 stethoscopes surveyed, 84 (79%) were contaminated with bacteria; 59 (81%) of the contaminated stethoscopes belonged to physicians and 25 (74%) were from other health workers.