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Background: Mental health challenges particularly depression is common among people living with HIV/AIDS and has been largely neglected. This is of great concern because depression is associated with high morbidity among its sufferers. An assessment of depression among PLWHA and its predictors will enhance their quality of life and improve their health outcomes. Aim: To determine the prevalence and determinants of depression among patients attending the adult HIV clinic in University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria. Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at the adult HIV outpatient clinic of University of Uyo Teaching Hospital Uyo. A total of three hundred and fifty one eligible respondents were recruited over three months. Their levels of perceived social support, depression, HIV stigma and substance abuse were assessed using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ 9), Internalized AIDS-related Stigma Scale and CAGE questionnaire respectively. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 39.8 ± 10.7 years. Two hundred and sixty six (75.8%) of the respondents were females, while eighty five (24.2%) were males. The overall prevalence of depression was 10%. Majority of respondents had disclosed their status and were experiencing HIV stigmatization representing 84.6% and 95.4% respectively. Most of the respondents (65.8%) had low perceived social support. Depression was found to be statistically associated with unskilled workers (χ2 = 13.08, p = 0.008), unmarried respondents (χ2 = 8.45, p = 0.03), low perceived social support (χ2 = 7.76, p = 0.02), shorter duration of ART use (χ2 = 8.41, p = 0.04), adverse life events (χ2 = 4.05, p = 0.04) and increasing levels of HIV stigma (χ2 = 7.66, p = 0.02) among the study participants. Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that the prevalence of depression in PLWHA was high. Therefore, the screening and prompt treatment of depression in HIV positive persons should be inculcated into their management plan. Furthermore, policies should be made to minimize discrimination and stigmatization of PLWHA in the communities and healthcare systems. Finally, the relevant stakeholders should work in unison to improve the social welfare conditions of HIV infected persons.

Background: Antenatal care is the care that a woman receives during pregnancy that helps to ensure healthy outcomes for the women and newborns. It is one of the pillars of safe motherhood initiative. Nigeria’s maternal mortality ratio is estimated to be 814/100,000 live births with regional variations. Proper antenatal care is a viable option at reducing maternal mortality rate in Nigeria. Materials and methods: This was a longitudinal study carried out at the antenatal clinic of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. A purposive sampling method was adopted to recruit 330 eligible antenatal clinic attendees. A Semi-Structured Interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on the background characteristics of respondents including socio-demographic characteristics and reasons for utilizing antenatal care. The data entry and analysis were done using SPSS version 17.0 with the level of significance set at p

Background: Under five morbidity constitutes serious public health challenge with attendant deleterious sequelae on children globally, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and other least developed countries. This is further aggravated by inadequate research data on the state of health of under five children especially in rural areas. This study was done to describe the pattern of morbidity among under five children presenting at a rural secondary health care facility in Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Southern Nigeria. Method: This was a descriptive retrospective study involving 494 children aged 0-59 months who presented at the general out patient and emergency units of Qua Iboe Church Leprosy Hospital (QICLH) Ekpene Obom, Etinan Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, between June 2014 to June, 2017. The case records of the under five children who presented at the period of the study both at the out patient and the wards were collated and entered into a spread sheet. The age, sex, diagnoses, causes and outcome of admission were extracted from the records. Results: The mean age of the children was 21.63 ( ±15.34) months. Results obtained showed that 259 (52.43%) of the children were male while 235 (47.57%) were female, giving a male to female ratio of 1.1:1. Out of 526 morbidities presented, 262 (49.81%) were malaria, 133 (25.29%) were acute respiratory infections (ARI’s), 37(7.03%) were skin infections, 23(4.37%) were diarrhoea while haemoglobinopathy was the least presentation of only one case (0.19%). There were 74 cases of admission, giving an admission rate of 14.17%. Complicated malaria was the commonest cause of admission while 89.19% of those admitted were successfully treated and discharged. Conclusion: Most of the morbidities that presented in the facility during the period of the study were preventable through improved socioeconomic condition, health education and immunization. The need therefore to improve the socioeconomic conditions of the populace especially those aspects that affect the wellbeing of under five children and strict adherence to immunization programme as a panacea for reduction of morbidity among the under five children in rural areas is recommended.

Background: Contraception is a topical issue globally considering its enormous benefits to individual users, families, communities, nations and the world at large. Its practice, especially among married women, is influenced by several factors at different settings. This study was done to find out the socio-demographic factors influencing the practice of contraception among married women age 15-49 years attending the family planning clinic of the University of Uyo Teaching hospital, Uyo, South-South Nigeria and to identify sources of information on contraception among the married women. Method: This was a cross sectional descriptive study involving 165 married women aged 15-49 years who attended the family planning clinic of UUTH, Uyo, between May and September 2013, recruited through simple random sampling technique. A semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire was used to obtain information on socio-demographic factors and sources of information on contraception among the respondents. The data obtained were analysed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS), version 17.0. Results: The mean age of the subjects were 32.22(±5.56). Results obtained showed that higher contraceptive use was found among older women, higher educational level, higher employment status, higher income level, husbands higher educational and employment status, urban residence, lower parity, Christian faith and mixed sexes of the respondents children. However, only parity (P=0.001) and Christian religious grouping (P=0.000) had statistically significant influence on contraceptive practices among the married women. Most respondents (76.9%) obtained their contraceptive information from health care wokers while IUCD was the most preferred method of contraception (38.2%). Conclusion: Contraceptive use among married women in the study is mainly influenced by their high social status. There is need therefore to step up information propagation to women across all social classes if the benefits of contraceptive use are to be achieved in the society.

Background: Low back pain is a common musculoskeletal disorder. However, there is very little information about low back pain in the general population in developing Countries. This study was aimed at identifying the job-related risk factors for low back pain in adults attending the General Out-patient Clinic of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, Uyo, Nigeria., Methods: A cross-sectional study design was utilized. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information from Four Hundred (400) consenting adults aged 18 years and above, attending the General Out-patient Clinic of University of Uyo Teaching Hospital from May 2011 to July 2011. The data obtained was analyzed using Epi Info statistical software version 3.2.2., Results: The mean age of the subjects was 38 ± 14.2 years. There were 176 male subjects and 224 female subjects in ratio 1:1.3. The prevalence of low back pain was 31%. Statistically significant job-related risk factors were heavy lifting activity (Χ2 = 27.52, P = 0.0001) and stressful jobs (Χ2 = 29.57. P < 0.0001). Low job satisfaction (Χ2 = 1.22, P = 0.26) and prolonged sitting or bending (Χ2 = 0.28, P = 0.50) were not statistically significant., Conclusion: This study showed that stressful jobs, and jobs involving heavy lifting activity are significantly associated with low back pain. Health education on proper lifting techniques and the reduction of stress at work should be encouraged.

Introduction: Overweight and obesity are global public health problems because of their effect on individuals, families and communities. The objective of this study was to describe the profile of overweight and obesity amongst adult out patients in Uyo in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria., Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study done between October 2011 and March 2012. Using a systematic sampling technique, 584 subjects aged 18-65 years were recruited; data were collected with a structured questionnaire. Subjects were measured for height, weight, waist and hip circumferences. Body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) were calculated. Subjects with a BMI of 25.0 kg/m2 - 29.9 kg/m2 were regarded as being overweight whilst a BMI of > 30.0 kg/m2 was regarded as obese. Subjects with a WHR of > 0.90 for men or > 0.85 for women were regarded as having abnormal WHR., Results: Of the 584 subjects, 196 (36.6%) were men and 388 (66.4%) women. The mean age for men and women was 43.3 ± 17.8 years and 50.2 ± 13.6 years, respectively. The prevalence of overweight amongst men was 39.8% versus 31.7% for women; obesity in men was 28.0% versus 52.0% in women. Overweight and obesity were more prevalent in subjects aged 25-54 years and amongst married subjects. There was a significant relationship between obesity and television viewing (p = 0.003). Hypertension (p = 0.008) and osteoarthropathies (p = 0.043) were more prevalent amongst the obese than the non-obese subjects., Conclusion: Overweight and obesity are now common in our environment. There is therefore a need for more public education about the health consequences of big body size.

Background Increasing morbidity and mortality associated with HIV/AIDS may be attributable to the lifestyle of individuals. Appropriate sexual behaviour and lifestyle modification may be helpful strategies for prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in many countries. Aim The study was designed to assess the impact of attitudes and sexual behaviour on control of HIV/AIDS among unmarried people living with HIV/AIDS in Uyo, a community in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Method A total of 365 unmarried individuals living with HIV/AIDS were assessed at the HIV clinic of the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital. Attitudes and sexual behaviour were evaluated using the Attitude and Sexual Behaviour Questionnaire adapted from previous studies. Results Of the 365 individuals living with HIV/AIDS, 142 (38.9%) were male and 223 (61.1%) were female. The majority of the subjects were below 50 years of age. The mean ages (± SD) of men and women were 36.8 ± 3.9 and 29.2 ± 1.7 years, respectively. Sexual attitudes and behaviours were variable. There was no change in the partner's reaction to sex for 28.9% of men and 27.8% of women, abstinence in 7.7% of men and 8.1% of women, and breakdown of the relationship with the partner for 4.9% of men and 7.2% of women. More women than men agreed to undergo testing after their partners had tested positive for HIV. Sexual activity was higher in women than men, with 4.9% of men and 10.3% of women reporting daily sexual intercourse, 16.2% of men and 15.7% of women reporting weekly intercourse, and occasional sexual intercourse being reported by 44.4% of both men and women. After testing positive, 58.4% of male partners and 56.9% of female partners were persuaded to use condoms during sexual intercourse. Conclusion This study has demonstrated unhealthy attitudes and sexual behaviour among individuals living with HIV/AIDS in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. This can potentially limit efforts and investment in controlling HIV/AIDS in this region. Therefore there is a need to initiate concrete policies and programmes that would encourage people living with HIV/AIDS in the Niger Delta region to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

Background: Erectile dysfunction (ED) in men is increasingly becoming a major problem worldwide. The damaging effects on the psyche and the anxiety regarding sexual performance and overall life satisfaction could be irreversible., Aims: The objective of this study was to compare domains of quality of life (QOL) in men with ED in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria in order to determine the contextual social variables., Method: In a cross-sectional study, 400 male patients attending the general outpatient clinic between January and March 2009 were randomly assessed for ED and QOL, using abridged version of the International Index of Erectile function and the World Health Organization Quality of life instrument., Results: A total of 166 (41.7%) subjects suffered from ED, 80 (48.2%) from medical illness, 56 (33.7%) from surgical problems and 30 (18.1%) from undiagnosed problems. Social relationships and psychological health indices of QOL were severely impaired in men with ED than the general, overall, physical and environmental health., Conclusion: An inference from this study suggests that sexual function promotes psychological well-being as well as interpersonal relationships. Therefore, monitoring these indices of QOL in men with ED is important to boost their confidence and self-esteem needed for a better QOL.

Introduction: There is increasing evidence that self-medications among pregnant women are common in many developing countries. Despite the adverse impact on pregnancy, there are few programs available for their control. The objective of this study was to assess the level of self-medication amongst Nigerian pregnant women in order to determine possible harmful effects on fetus., Methods: Five hundred and eighteen 518 pregnant women, aged between 18 and 40 years, drawn from three General hospitals in Akwa Ibom State were assessed for self-medication and substance abuse using an instrument, adapted from a modified form of 117-item self-report questionnaire based on the WHO guidelines for students' substance use survey., Results: Of the 518 pregnant women assessed, 375 (72.4%) indulged in one form of self-medication or the other; 143 (27.6%) used only drugs prescribed from the antenatal clinic. A total of 157 (41.9%) pregnant women self-medicate fever/pain relievers; 47 (9.1%) mixture of herbs and other drugs; 15 (4.0%) sedatives; 13 (3.5%) alcohol; while 5 (1.3%) used kolanuts. Reasons for using these substances range from protection from witches and witchcrafts, preventing pregnancy from coming out, for blood; poor sleep, fever and vomiting and infections. There was a significant difference in the rate of using analgesics (X2=9.43, p=0.001); and antibiotic (X2=4.43, p=0.001) among pregnant women who were highly educated compared to those with little or no education. However, the level of education has no impact in the usage of native herbs., Conclusion: This study shows that self-medication is common among pregnant women in our environment. There is need for adequate education of pregnant women during antenatal clinics on the potential danger of self-medication so as to prevent child and maternal morbidity and mortality.

Background: We sought to determine the prevalence of echocardiographically determined left ventricular systolic dysfunction in asymptomatic hypertensive subjects seen in Abeokuta, Nigeria., Methods: Echocardiography was performed in 832 consecutive hypertensive subjects referred for cardiac evaluation over a three-year period., Results: Data were obtained in 832 subjects (50.1% women) aged 56.0 ± 12.7 years (men 56.9 ± 13.3 years, women 55.0 ± 12.0 years, range 15-88). The prevalence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) was 18.1% in the study population (mild LVSD = 9.6%, moderate LVSD = 3.7% and severe LVSD = 4.8%). In a multivariate analysis, male gender, body mass index and LV mass were the predictors of LVSD., Conclusion: Significant numbers of hypertensive subjects in this study had varying degrees of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. Early introduction of disease-modifying drugs in these patients, such as angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers may retard or prevent the progression to overt heart failure.