African health sciences
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African health sciences · Mar 2022
Factors associated with risky sexual behaviour among clients undertaking HIV testing and counselling services at a secondary referral hospital Lagos, Nigeria.
This study determined the prevalence of risky sexual behaviour and its associated factors among clients who accessed HIV counselling and testing services at a secondary referral hospital in Lagos, Nigeria. ⋯ Age, marital status and HIV status were associated factors of risky sexual behaviour.
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African health sciences · Mar 2022
Train the trainer: improving health education for children and adolescents in Eswatini.
Eswatini has the highest HIV prevalence in the world. One issue at the root of health in Eswatini is a lack of basic health knowledge among children and adolescents, which amplifies the likelihood of disease transmission and poor health outcomes. ⋯ Teaching basic health education knowledge to CarePoint shepherds is effective to increase their knowledge and awareness with respect to relevant health topics. This model of directed medical education could be expanded to other community members in Eswatini to bridge gaps in health knowledge and disease awareness. A similar model could be employed in other developing countries with limited health education and limited access to health information.
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African health sciences · Mar 2022
Mycobacterium tuberculosis mixed infections and drug resistance in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.
Sub-Saharan Africa, is a region that records high rates of TB infection. Mycobacterium tuberculosis mixed strain infection, especially when the strains involved are of different susceptibilities, is an area of great interest because it is linked with an increased risk of treatment failure and transmission of resistant strains within the population. This paper reviewed original studies that reported MTB mixed infection and heteroresistance in the region between 2010 and 2020 to understand the extent of mixed strain infection and heteroresistance in the region. This information is very critical in the control of TB and ending the TB epidemic by 2035 as per the World Health Organization's vision. ⋯ Despite the scarcity of data on mixed infections and heteroresistance in sub-Saharan Africa, various studies have revealed that these conditions are frequent in the region than previously thought. Given the evidence of the effect of mixed infections on drug resistance and treatment outcome, we conclude that mixed infection is an unavoidable topic for future studies.
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African health sciences · Mar 2022
Effects of hypohydration and fluid balance in athletes' cognitive performance: a systematic review.
The effects of progressive body fluid loss on athletic and cognitive performance are known to result from exposure to environmental heat stress, morphologic factors, and limited fluid replenishment. Athletes need to restore lost body water. However, athletes may fail to maintain euhydration during exercise. This systematic review investigated hypohydration and fluid balance effects on an athlete's cognitive function. ⋯ Findings show that hypohydration impairs cognitive performance and mood at higher levels of 3-5% body mass loss. However, sport-specific cognitive protocols of accessing hypohydration and fluid balance in individual and team sports remain equivocal.
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African health sciences · Mar 2022
Alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking: a health-risk behaviour among secondary school learners in South Africa.
Health-risk behaviours such as tobacco smoking and alcohol are now identified among adolescents in most of the secondary schools of South Africa. ⋯ There was high prevalence of alcohol use and smoking among learners in secondary schools. Excessive use of alcohol and smoking could affect the health of learners in their late life and therefore community collaboration to curb the problem is crucial.