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Domestic violence (DV) is a 'pandemic' with an estimated 30% of women experiencing violence by their intimate partner. This study aimed to determine and compare the prevalence, forms, risk factors, coping strategies, and consequences of DV among WCBA in rural and urban areas in Akwa Ibom State (AKS). The study, conducted in 2022, was a comparative cross-sectional study that used a mixed method of data collection. Four communities were chosen via multistage sampling, three in rural and one in urban areas. A total of 1,054 respondents participated in the survey. An interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire and FGD guide were used for data collection. The response rate was 99%. Both descriptive and inferential data analysis were used to answer the research questions. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. The results showed that DV was prevalent in urban and rural areas in the 12 months that preceded the study (36.4 and 36. 2%). Physical, verbal and sexual abuse were more prevalent in urban areas than rural areas (41.6% vs 38.7%,65.7% vs 63.4% and 39.5% vs 25.6% respectively) p = 0.001. Moreover, the odds of emotional abuse also increased eightfold in urban than in rural areas while FGD showed physical violence as prevalent and the most harmful effect of DV was noted in rural areas than urban. It was concluded that the prevalence of DV among WCBA in both rural and urban areas in AKS was high with verbal violence being the highest. Various forms and risk factors of DV were more prevalent in urban than rural areas., Competing Interests: The Authors declare that no competing interest exists, (Copyright © 2024 by West African Journal of Medicine.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Introduction: Stroke has become a problem of public health importance worldwide. Knowledge and practices related to stroke prevention among hypertensive and diabetic patients are important in the control of the disease. In Nigeria, recent reports indicate an emerging epidemic of stroke. This study aimed to determine the knowledge and practices related to stroke prevention among hypertensive and diabetic patients in Sokoto, Nigeria., Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among 248 patients attending hypertension and diabetes clinic of Specialist Hospital, Sokoto, Nigeria, selected by systematic sampling technique. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data on the research variables. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 20 statistical package., Results: The mean age of respondents was 48.21 ± 15.07 years and they were predominantly females (65.7%). The respondents had good knowledge of stroke (70.3%), organs or parts of body affected by stroke (89.1%), signs or symptoms of stroke (87.0%), stroke risk factors (86.6%) and stroke prevention (90.8%). Formal education was the sole predictor of good knowledge of signs or symptoms of stroke (aOR = 3.99, 95% CI = 1.58-10.13, p = 0.004), stroke risk factors (aOR = 4.24, 95% CI = 1.68-10.67, p = 0.002) and stroke prevention (aOR = 3.45, 95% CI = 1.09-10.93, p = 0.035). Stroke prevention practices were sub-optimal and significantly associated with formal education and being employed., Conclusion: These findings suggest the need for all stakeholders to focus on both patients' education and empowerment in halting the rising burden of stroke across the globe.

Cervical cancer is the most common female genital tract carcinoma worldwide. It is increasingly becoming the leading carcinoma seen among women in the developing world. The aim of our study was to showcase the effect of educational intervention on the knowledge of cervical cancer and subsequently the uptake of Pap smear test amongst market women in Niger state, Nigeria. The state has a rich network of markets in all the local government areas because of the fishing activities, bountiful agricultural produce yearly and its situation to the North of the national capital, Abuja. This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in two groups with pre and post intervention data collection. Sample size was determined based on a previous similar study done in Nigeria. Multi stage sampling technique was used for recruiting the study participants. SPSS statistical software was used for data entry, editing and analysis. Respondents' knowledge of cervical cancer were comparable at pre-intervention but were statistically significantly better (P<0.0001) at post-intervention in the intervention group compared to the control group for every variable measured. However, there was only a (Fisher's exact, P=0.621) compared to the control group. This study showed an increase in knowledge about cervical cancer and Pap smear test however the uptake of Pap smear test remained low even after intervention. This underscores the need for sustained intervention programs to eventually translate knowledge acquired to habitual practice., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: the authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Background: The amount of time a patient waits to be seen is one factor which affects utilization of healthcare services. Patients perceive long waiting times as barrier to actually obtaining services and keeping patients waiting unnecessarily can be a cause of stress for both patient and doctor., Aim: This study was aimed at assessing the determinants of patients' waiting time in the general outpatient department (GOPD) of a tertiary health institution in northern Nigeria., Subjects and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among new patients attending the GOPD of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, North Western Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information from 100 patients who were recruited into the study using a convenience sampling method. Data collected were entered and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 17; Chi-square test was used to compare differences between proportions with the level of statistical significance set at 5% (P < 0.05)., Results: Sixty-one percent (59/96) of the respondents waited for 90-180 min in the clinic, whereas 36.1% (35/96) of the patients spent less than 5 min with the doctor in the consulting room. The commonest reason for the long waiting time in the GOPD was the large number of patients with few healthcare workers., Conclusion: There is an urgent need to increase the number of health workers in the GOPDs which serves as the gate way to the hospital if the aims of the Millennium Development Goals are to be realized.

Background: For almost all infants, breastfeeding remains the simplest, healthiest and least expensive feeding method that fulfils the infants' needs. Despite strong evidence in support of Exclusive breast feding (EBF) for the first six months of life, its prevalence has remained low worldwide., Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving women of child bearing age in Kware town of Sokoto State. One in eight samples of 179 mother-child pairs were selected and information regarding their knowledge and practice of exclusive breastfeeding obtained using a set of structured interviewer administered questionnaires., Results: A total of 54(31%) of the mothers had adequate knowledge of exclusive breastfeeding with 94(53%) of them initiating breastfeeding immediately after birth. Only 55(31%) of the mothers practiced exclusive breastfeeding. Out of the 53 mothers that stopped breastfeeding, 85% of them did so between 16-20 months., Conclusion: Although breastfeeding was universal in this community, the knowledge and practice of EBF was low. There is a need to institute interventions aimed at early initiation of breastfeeding and improving the knowledge and practice of EBF towards achieving the goals of MDG-4 in the study community.