scholarly journals IMPACT OF MATERNAL MORTALITY ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN THE SELECTED WEST AFRICAN COUNTRIES

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (31) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Afolabi Ibikunle
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Maternal Mortality ◽  
Maternal Mortality Ratio ◽  
West African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The West ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Cross Sectional Dependence ◽  
The Impact

Over half a million females die every year as a result of pregnancy and birth complications. The vast majority of these fatalities can be avoided. SDG 3.1’s objective is to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio by 2030 to below 70 per 100,000 live births. Despite a number of policies put in place maternal mortality in Africa remains unacceptably high. This study investigates the impact of maternal mortal- ity on sustainable development in 9 selected West African countries for the period from 1990 to 2015. Data used were adjusted net savings, maternal mortality, consumer price index, per-capita income and financial development. The second-generation econometric methods were employed: cross sectional dependence, slope homogeneity, Westerlund cointegration, Eberhadt and Teal AMG regression, and the Emirmahmutoglu and Kose bootstrap Granger causality test. Findings confirm the following: First, cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity exist among the West African countries. Second, there is a long run relationship between maternal mortality and sustainable development. Third, maternal mortality impacted negatively and signifi- cantly on sustainable development. Fourth, the direction of causality varies across countries between maternal mor- tality and sustainable development. Lastly, causality runs from maternal mortality to sustainable development when analyzing the causal relationship among all countries. The findings suggest that the West African government needs to commit more funding to the health care sector and ensure access to free healthcare service to pregnant women or at low cost with quality and effective health care services if the countries must attain sustainable development by 2030.

scholarly journals Understanding forgotten exposures towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 3: the case of herbal medicine use in Tanzania

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Tengia Kessy ◽  
George Chombe Msalale
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Herbal Medicines ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Development Goal ◽  
Pregnancy And Delivery

Abstract Background: In most sub-Sahara African countries, herbal medicines are widely used during pregnancy and labour for various motives despite their unclear pharmacology and potential toxicity. Considering the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, exposure to herbs during pregnancy should be restricted in order to safeguard the health of mothers and newborns. This study aimed to assess the proportion of mothers using herbal medicines during pregnancy and delivery and to determine factors associated with the practice.Methods: This cross-sectional quantitative study gathered information from 340 mothers who delivered a live baby in the preceding two years. Using a two-stage-sampling technique, we selected and interviewed mothers attending reproductive, maternal and child health clinics in Tabora, in central Tanzania. We compared proportions using chi-square test and performed a Poisson regression analysis to determine independent correlates of herbal use.Results: Over 60% of mothers in Tabora used herbal medicines during pregnancy and delivery. Major reasons for use were shortening of labour duration, 81 (38.9%) and reducing labour pain, 58 (27.9%). Independent factors of herbal use were distance to the nearest health facility, adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR = 1.12, 95%CI = 1.00,1.25), perception of herbs as safe, (aPR = 1.16, 95%CI = 1.05,1.29) and health care providers’ stance on the use of herbs, (aPR = 1.14, 95%CI = 1.04,1.25).Conclusions: Use of herbal medicines during pregnancy and delivery in Tanzania is high. This calls for comprehensive investigations on the effects of herbs used during pregnancy and delivery as a step towards understanding contributions of forgotten exposures en route for achieving SDG 3. Additionally, health care providers ought to include health education messages during antenatal visits on the undesirable effects of using herbs.

scholarly journals Maternal Mortality and Associated Factors in a Tertiary Care Center of Western Nepal

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 58-63
Author(s):  
Junu Shrestha ◽  
Sangeeta Gurung ◽  
Ashika Shrestha ◽  
Anjali Subedi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Maternal Mortality ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
Maternal Mortality Ratio ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Educational Status ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Maternal Deaths

Introduction: Identifying the cause of maternal death is important. The aim of this study was to determine the causes of maternal deaths and the factors associated with it. Methods: This was an observational, cross-sectional, analytical study conducted at Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Manipal Teaching Hospital from July 2013 to June 2017. Women who died during pregnancy, delivery, or puerperium were included in the study. Demographic factors, clinical profile, cause and type of maternal deaths were noted by taking history and by inquiring with the medical personnel involved in managing patients.  Data analysis was done using SPSS version 16. Results: There were 15 maternal deaths and 9923 livebirths. The maternal mortality ratio was 151 per 100,000 live births. Mean age of mothers was 28 years (SD = 7.5). Most of them were from rural areas, had low educational status. The mean gestational age at time of death was 33 weeks (SD = 7.5). Most of deaths (73%, n = 11) occurred in the postnatal period and 60% (n = 9) were critical at presentation. Direct obstetric causes like eclampsia was the most common (26.7%, n = 4) direct obstetric cause and cardiac disease was one of the important indirect cause (13.3%, n = 2). Delay in seeking health care and delay in reaching health center was the major reason for maternal deaths. Conclusion: Maternal mortality were mostly associated with direct obstetric causes, eclampsia being the most common. Most of the deaths were associated with delay in seeking health care and reaching health care centers.

scholarly journals Health seeking behavior after the 2013–16 Ebola epidemic: Lassa fever as a metric of persistent changes in Kenema District, Sierra Leone

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. e0009576
Author(s):  
Mikaela R. Koch ◽  
Lansana Kanneh ◽  
Paul H. Wise ◽  
Lianne M. Kurina ◽  
Foday Alhasan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Lassa Fever ◽  
West African ◽  
Lower Percentage ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
The West ◽  
Health Seeking Behavior ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Impact

Background The West African Ebola epidemic of 2013–2016 killed nearly 4,000 Sierra Leoneans and devastated health infrastructure across West Africa. Changes in health seeking behavior (HSB) during the outbreak resulted in dramatic underreporting and substantial declines in hospital presentations to public health facilities, resulting in an estimated tens of thousands of additional maternal, infant, and adult deaths per year. Sierra Leone’s Kenema District, a major Ebola hotspot, is also endemic for Lassa fever (LF), another often-fatal hemorrhagic disease. Here we assess the impact of the West African Ebola epidemic on health seeking behaviors with respect to presentations to the Kenema Government Hospital (KGH) Lassa Ward, which serves as the primary health care referral center for suspected Lassa fever cases in the Eastern Province of Sierra Leone. Methodology/Principal findings Presentation frequencies for suspected Lassa fever presenting to KGH or one of its referral centers from 2011–2019 were analyzed to consider the potential impact of the West African Ebola epidemic on presentation patterns. There was a significant decline in suspected LF cases presenting to KGH following the epidemic, and a lower percentage of subjects were admitted to the KGH Lassa Ward following the epidemic. To assess general HSB, a questionnaire was developed and administered to 200 residents from 8 villages in Kenema District. Among 194 completed interviews, 151 (78%) of respondents stated they felt hospitals were safer post-epidemic with no significant differences noted among subjects according to religious background, age, gender, or education. However, 37 (19%) subjects reported decreased attendance at hospitals since the epidemic, which suggests that trust in the healthcare system has not fully rebounded. Cost was identified as a major deterrent to seeking healthcare. Conclusions/Significance Analysis of patient demographic data suggests that fewer individuals sought care for Lassa fever and other febrile illnesses in Kenema District after the West African Ebola epidemic. Re-establishing trust in health care services will require efforts beyond rebuilding infrastructure and require concerted efforts to rebuild the trust of local residents who may be wary of seeking healthcare post epidemic.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Psychological Impact on Health Care Workers in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6076
Author(s):  
Hasan S. Alamri ◽  
Wesam F. Mousa ◽  
Abdullah Algarni ◽  
Shehata F. Megahid ◽  
Ali Al Bshabshe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Psychological Impact ◽  
Psychological Outcomes ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
The Impact

Objective: Little is known about the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the psychological impact of COVID-19 among the health care workers. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted from May till mid-July among 389 health care workers from government and private hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected using a pre-structured online questionnaire that measured adverse psychological outcomes, including the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7) scale. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the distribution of depression and anxiety among health care workers. Results: A high level of anxiety was recorded among the health care workers, and 69.3% of health care workers below the age of 40 were found to have depression. There was a significant increase in depression among staff with chronic health problems (72.1% vs. 61.9%; p = 0.048). High anxiety levels were detected among young staff compared to others (68.7% vs. 43.8%; p = 0.001). Moreover, 82.1% of the female staff were anxious, as compared to 55.6% of the males (p = 0.001). Conclusions: We found increased prevalence of adverse psychological outcomes among the health care workers in Saudi Arabia during the outbreak of COVID-19. Therefore, there is a need for proper screening and development of corresponding preventive measures to decrease the adverse psychological outcomes.

scholarly journals Community hygiene against lassa fever disease and its predictors in a Nigerian rural settlement

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
A A Gobir ◽  
C L Ejembi ◽  
A A Aliyu ◽  
M B Garba ◽  
C J C Igboanusi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Lassa Fever ◽  
West African ◽  
World Health ◽  
Food Storage ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Viral Haemorrhagic Fever ◽  
Hygiene Measures

Abstract Background Lassa fever disease (LFD) is a viral haemorrhagic fever that is endemic in some West african countries where an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 cases and 5000 deaths occur yearly. The World Health Organization described it as a global health threat. At community level, its prevention relies on promoting good “community hygiene”. This study was conducted to assess practice of community hygiene measures against LFD and its associated factors. Methods A cross-sectional, community based descriptive study conducted during a LFD epidemic in a a rural community of Nigeria. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 556 adult respondents, selected using systematic random sampling technique. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Results A majority of the respondents were females (52.9%). Educational attainment was significantly associated with safe food storage at the multivariate level (aOR= 1.31, 95% CI: 1.10-1.54,P= 0.002) while having a good knowledge of LFD was a significant predictor of maintaining good housing standards (aOR= 3.73, 95% CI: 1.09-12.80,P=0.036). Conclusions Predictors of practice of community hygiene against LFD include education and having an excellent knowledge of LFD. To improve community hygiene practices in the community, there is need for a comprehensive LFD behavior change communication intervention. Key messages Cubing the global threat of LFD depends on its effective prevention in endemic West African communities. This study shows that such preventive measures are poor and there is need for more response to address the problem.

Assessing the Preparedness of Healthcare Facilities for Disasters and Emergencies in Damghan, Iran

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Behrad Pourmohammadi ◽  
Ahad Heydari ◽  
Farin Fatemi ◽  
Ali Modarresi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Health Care Facilities ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Health Staff ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Care Facilities ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives: Iran is exposed to a wide range of natural and man-made hazards. Health-care facilities can play a significant role in providing life-saving measures in the minutes and hours immediately following the impact or exposure. The aim of this study was to determine the preparedness of health-care facilities in disasters and emergencies. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Damghan, Semnan Province, in 2019. The samples consisted of all the 11 health-care facilities located in Damghan County. A developed checklist was used to collect the data, including 272 questions in 4 sections: understanding threatening hazards, functional, structural, and nonstructural vulnerability of health-care facilities. The data were analyzed using SPSS 21. Results: The results revealed that the health-care facilities were exposed to 22 different natural and man-made hazards throughout the county. The total level of preparedness of the health-care centers under assessment was 45.8%. The average functional, structural, and nonstructural vulnerability was assessed at 49.3%, 31.6%, and 56.4%, respectively. Conclusions: Conducting mitigation measures is necessary for promoting the functional and structural preparedness. Disaster educational programs and exercises are recommended among the health staff in health-care facilities.

scholarly journals Association of Livestock Ownership and Household Dietary Quality: Results from a Cross-Sectional Survey from Rural India

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 6060
Author(s):  
Adithya Pradyumna ◽  
Mirko S. Winkler ◽  
Jürg Utzinger ◽  
Andrea Farnham
Keyword(s):  
Rank Correlation ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Milk Consumption ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional Survey ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Dairy Animals ◽  
Livestock Ownership ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Dairy Animal

Studies from India and several eastern African countries found that the impact of dairy animal ownership on household nutrition varied greatly, depending on the socio-geographic context. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between livestock ownership and household dietary quality in rural Kolar district, India. We collected data from a household survey in four study villages (n = all 195 households of the four villages) of Kolar district, applying a cross-sectional design. Kendall’s rank correlation coefficient was employed to determine the correlation between milk consumption and other dietary variables. Multivariable logistic regression was used to describe the relationship between dairy animal ownership and household milk consumption. Households owning dairy animals more often had access to irrigation (58.3% vs. 25.2%) and were less often woman-headed (2.4% vs. 22.5%). Household milk consumption was significantly correlated with consumption of vegetable variety, egg, and meat (all p-values < 0.05). After adjusting for multiple confounders, the odds ratio of milk consumption between dairy animal-owning households as compared to other households was 2.11 (95% confidence interval 0.85, 5.45). While dairy animal ownership was found to be associated with improved dietary quality, larger households were in a better position to adopt dairy animals, which, in turn, might contribute to better household nutrition.

Political Stability in Africa: A Cross-National Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 002190962110544
Author(s):  
Gizachew Tiruneh
Keyword(s):  
Political Stability ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Founding Fathers ◽  
Colonial Legacy ◽  
Development Regime ◽  
French Colonial ◽  
British Colonial ◽  
National Analysis ◽  
The Impact

The main objective of this paper is to test the influence of Africa’s founding fathers and the impact of British colonial legacy on the political stability of Africa. We relied on a sample of 50 African countries and employed cross-sectional research designs, which covered two separate periods (1960–1989 and 1990–2018). Using logistic regression and OLS estimators and controlling for French colonial legacy, economic development, regime type, ethnic heterogeneity, and ethnic polarization, we found that the founding fathers were conducive to Africa’s political stability between 1960 and 2018. We also found that British colonial legacy had some impact on former British colonies’ stability between 1960 and 2018. In addition, GDP per capita had a significant impact on Africa’s political stability over the two periods.

IMPACT OF JOINT COMMISSION INTERNATIONALACCREDITATION (JCIA) ON HEALTH CARE PROCESSES AND THE CHALLENGES FACED BY PHYSICIANS AND NURSES.

2021 ◽  
pp. 34-35
Author(s):  
Binu Thomas ◽  
Ankur Joshi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Employee Engagement ◽  
Interdisciplinary Collaboration ◽  
Joint Commission ◽  
Health Centers ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Care Processes ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Collaboration And Communication ◽  
The Impact

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of joint commission international accreditation on health care processes as well as to assess the challenges faced by the physicians and nurses . Method: Conducted a cross sectional study in 11 health centers belong to Dubai health authority. Prepared a checklist and questionnaire to assess the changes in the processes brought by accreditation as well as the challenges faced by employees respectively. Studied perceived challenges by recruiting physician (n=106) and nurses (n=194) using convenience sampling technique. Done content validity of the tools with clinical quality experts. Conducted pilot study for the questionnaire and checked the reliability using Cronbach alpha (0.924). After obtaining ethical clearance and consent from subjects, the researcher visited health centers and administered questionnaire to the participants. To evaluate the process improvements, the researcher audited documents for the availability of processes before and after accreditation using the validated checklist, which consisted of 25 processes reecting various domains of quality, employee engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration and communication. Results: Observed tremendous improvements in the availability of processes. The proportion of processes before and after the accreditation was statistically signicantly different (p <.001) for quality of health care. However for employee engagement (p=.250) and interdisciplinary collaboration and communication (p=1.000) no statistical signicance were noted even though there were signicant improvements. Majority (57.5%) of doctors and nurses perceived that the accreditation processes were challenging. Discussion: Observed processes improvements ensuring quality, employee engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration and communication after accreditation.However,majority ofthe employees perceived that, the accreditationwas challenging in terms ofworkload, communication and documentation.

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