Browsing by Author "John C"

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    Factors influencing the pattern of malnutrition among acutely ill children presenting in a tertiary hospital in Nigeria
    (Niger J Paed, 2014) Ocheke IE; John C; Puoane T
    ntroduction: The bur-den of childhood malnutrition in Nigeria has remained unchanged for nearly a decade between the two Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS) of 2003 and 2008. The causes of malnutrition are complex and multifactorial. It results from the interplay of so-cioeconomic, dietary inadequacy and environmental factors. Objective: To describe factors that influence the pattern of malnutri-tion in acutely ill children in a tertiary Hospital in central Nige-ria. Methods: Cross sectional and descriptive study. Children aged 6 to 59 months presenting with acute illnesses to the paediatric emergency unit were concurrently recruited over a 7 month period, (April-October 2012). All had comprehensive clinical assess-ment done including anthropom-etric (weight, mid arm circumfer-ence, height/length) measure-ments and z-scores calculated for the individual nutritional charac-teristics. Results: A total of 379 children were recruited with a mean age of 21.7±13.9 months. There was no difference in the mean age be-tween male and female (P=0.8). The prevalence of wasting was (26.9%), (18%) for stunting and (18.9%) for underweight. The prevalence of severe wasting, WHz scores <-3SD was (5.9%), (5.4%) for stunting and (4.6%) for underweight. The highest preva-lence of wasting and stunting were in age groups 6-11 and 12-23 months, at 9.3% and 6.3% respec-tively. The factors associated with malnutrition included early intro-duction of complementary diets, number of children in the home, maternal illiteracy and lower so-cioeconomic status of the parents. Female children were commenced on complementary diets much ear-lier than male (P=0.01). Conclusion: This study demon-strates the association between childhood malnutrition and factors such as early initiation of comple-mentary diet, maternal illiteracy, number of children in the home and poor parental socioeconomic status
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    Sexual risk behavior and HIV infection among adolescents in secondary schools in Jos, Nigeria
    (Nigerian Journal of Paediatrics, 2014) John C; Okolo SN; Isichei C
    Abstract Background: In adolescents sexual risk behaviours are believed to enhance the transmission of HIV infection. This study, therefore aims to examine prevalent sexual risk behaviours of adolescents in secondary schools in a town in northern Nigeria and its relation to HIV infection. Method: A total of 883 subjects drawn from 10 schools out of 37, were recruited for the study. Structured self administered questionnaire was given to each subject. Consenting subjects received group pretest counseling and had HIV screening using Determine HIV test kits. HIV positive subjects had confirmatory test using Unigold test kit. Result: Males accounted for 42.5% (374) out of the 883 students studied. Of this, 169 (19.2%) were sexually active. Mean age at sexual debut was 13.8±2.9 years; 13.3±2.7 years for males and 14.6±3.2 years for females, p=0.006. Males 101 (27%) were more sexually experienced as against 13.4% of the females, p<0.0001. Among the sexually active37.6% had two or more sex partners, and 63.9% of them never used condoms. In the sexually active, 54 (42.5%) had nonconsensual sex (NCS), with more of NCS occurring in younger subjects p<0.0001, more females p<0.0001, associated with less condom use (p=0.02). Nine (eight females and one male) of the 883 subjects tested HIV positive. among the sexually active subjects, only four tested HIV positive. Condom use among the sexually active, HIV positive subjects was 25%. Conclusion: Prevalent sexual risk behaviors noted were early sexual debut, nonconsensual sex, unprotected sex and multiple sex partners.