Abstract Diabetes mellitus is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and mortality. Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) exerts it deleterious effects through the blood vessel which may lead to hypoperfusion and end organ damage. The ability to characterize the arterial system and derive related biomarkers that can predict the occurrence of CVDs and discriminate high risk subject for management would be of immense importance. Assessment of arterial stiffness and central hemodynami...
ABSTRACT Childhood and adolescent overweight and obesity is a major global concern in the public health sector. Overweight, as well as obesity occurs when the rate of metabolism of calories in the body is less than the rate of caloric intake. This condition is likely to continue into adulthood if not addressed. The prevalence and conditions that determine childhood and adolescent obesity have not been widely studied in children and adolescents between the age of 5 and 17 years in Ghana. Knowi...
ABSTRACT Background: Stress has often been related to a multitude of negative human behaviours and many health conditions including cardiovascular diseases. In recent times, several harmful dietary practices such as unhealthy eating patterns have been associated with issues of stress. Work-related stress (WRS) is experienced when the demands of the work environment exceed the employees’ ability to cope with (or control) them. Nursing is generally perceived as a stressful and demanding prof...
ABSTRACT Background With improved survival after the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), non-AIDS-related morbidity and mortality have come to the forefront in the management of HIV patients. HAART has been linked to the development of several risks factors for cardiovascular disease including insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia, but its influence on hypertensIon requires further study. The general objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of hyperte...
ABSTRACT Introduction: Medication literacy is the degree to which individuals can acquire, understand, disclose, calculate and process information that is specific to their medication to make informed medication and health related decisions in order to use their medications cautiously and adequately. A low level of medication literacy puts the patient at risk of complications such as medication errors which leads to morbidity and mortality. Medication literacy influences patients adherence to...
Abstract Studies have shown that caring for a child who is intellectually challenged can be very stressful to all members of the family. Currently, care of children with intellectual disabilities is primarily undertaken by mothers who are considered the primary care givers based on the traditional roles they assume which often predispose them to a lot of physical, mental, psychological and economic stress. However, literature about intellectual disability in Ghana is scanty. This study theref...
ABSTRACT Background: Studies have shown that large numbers of women around the world experience maltreatment during pregnancy and childbirth. To date, however, there has been few quantitative estimates of the prevalence of maltreatment of women during facility-based childbirth in Ghana. The objective of this study was to examine maltreatment of women by healthcare providers in Tema General Hospital during childbirth. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional in design using quantitative tools ...
ABSTRACT Social support has been identified as one o f the coping strategies in chronic illnesses especially in HIV/AIDS disease. The purpose of this study was to explore how the people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) experience social support in the Accra M etropolitan area of Ghana. An exploratory, descriptive and qualitative method was employed in this study. A purposive sampling was used in the selection of the fourteen participants living with HIV/AIDS. They were interviewed using semi stru...
ABSTRACT Background: Hepatitis B disease is a major threat to public health and its chronic carriers constitute about 5% of the world’s population. Some regions of Africa and the Middle East have a disproportionately higher carrier rate of 10% and 15% respectively. The risk of developing chronic hepatitis B is 95% for infections acquired during the perinatal period compared with 5% for those who acquired during adulthood and a pooled prevalence of hepatitis B infection among pregnant women...
ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Mortality among children less than five years is a major public health problem in the developing world which includes sub-Sahara Africa. To develop an appropriate public health intervention, adequate knowledge in the trend and spatial distribution of mortality is required to enable in proper planning and execution of interventions. OBJECTIVE This study analysed the trend and Spatial distribution and clustering of facility-based Under-five mortality from 2013 to 2017 in th...
ABSTRACT Introduction Non-adherence to hypertension medications is a major cause of uncontrolled blood pressure which increases the risk of patients to develop complications. Good health provider and patient relationship is an important indicator of effective health care service delivery which can influence patients' adherence to medications. Little information is a ailable on adherence to treatment among patients attending primary health care clinics such in district hospital and health prov...
ABSTRACT Background: Family planning utilization can significantly improve maternal health and reduce maternal mortality. Research have shown that women who have access to better family planning services are more likely to use contraception, are less likely to have unintended pregnancies, and thus have fewer abortions as well as promote gender equality, educational and economic empowerment for women. The objective of this study was to examine the barriers to family planning use among married...
ABSTRACT The recent decades have seen a sharp increase in the labor force participation of mothers with young children throughout their childrearing. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding starting from birth with the establishment of early breastfeeding within 30 minutes after delivery. The benefits of exclusive breastfeeding are shown by numerous studies and include both maternal and infant outcomes. Health workers are in general the first advoca...
Critical thinking is viewed as a necessary skill for nurses to make competent clinical judgments. Critical thinking by nurses in decision making and problem solving is compatible with the revised criteria for accreditation from the National League for Nurses (NLN, 1991). The Nurses’ and Midwives’ Council for Ghana shares similar goals in its nurse educational reform programmes. Nurse educators are expected to teach and assess critical thinking ability in nursing students. Some autho...
Abstract Background: Intussusception is one of the most common causes of acute intestinal obstruction in children. Hydrostatic reduction with barium enema is the widely accepted and preferred mode of treatment of uncomplicated intussusception. The aim of this study was to report our initial experience with hydrostatic reduction of intussusception.