Browsing by Author "Dozie, Ugonma Winnie"

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    Perception and uptake of malaria rapid diagnostic test among caregivers of under-five in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria
    (European Centre for Research, Training and Development (ECRTD) UK, 2019) Dozie, Ugonma Winnie; Ebirim, Chikere Ifeanyi Casmir; Nwobi, Uchenna Onyeka; Okorie, Onyinye Mary; Ezelote, Chinelo Judith; Chukwuocha, Uchechukwu; Ibe, Sally Nkechinyere Onyeka; Dozie, Ikechukwu Nosike Simplicious
    The launch of RDT is hoped to enable in reducing the rate of presumptive treatment of malaria. However, simply making RDTs available has not led to high uptake of the test, in light of this, it is crucial to understand the perception of RDT and its uptake among caregivers concerning the treatment of malaria in under five children, therefore the aim of the study was to determine the perception and uptake of rapid diagnostic test in the treatment of malaria among care givers of under five children in Owerri West Local Government. Descriptive study was employed and a multi stage cluster and systematic sampling techniques was used to select 420 respondents in the LGA. The Instrument for data collection was structured pre- tested questionnaire which was administered by trained researcher after gaining informed consent from the respondents. Results of the study showed that more respondents were aged 30 -49 years 161(38.3%), females 268 (63.8%), Married 216 (51.4%), Primary education 126 (63.8%) and civil servant was 196 (46%) respectively. Perception of malaria RDT showed that 175 (41.7%) respondents were of the opinion that mRDT was useful, 102 (24.3%) not useful, 101 (24%) dangerous while 16 (2.8%) felt it was not good. Malaria RDT uptake indicated that majority of the respondents 223 (53.1%) did not know about RDT and 215 (51.2%) did not carry out mRDT test. 300 (73.8%) indicated that malaria rapid diagnostic test is not very useful and 373 (88.8%) of caregivers were of the opinion that mRDTs w ere expensive. From the study it is evident that the perception of malaria rapid diagnostic is negative and low, therefore sensitization of the caregivers about mRDTs will be of benefit.
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    Use of facemask during the COVID-19 pandemic in Southeastern Nigeria: An observational study
    (U. P., 2022) Chukwuocha, Uchechukwu Madukaku; Ogboeze, Joshua Chisom; Bosede, Ayoola Oluwaseun; Dozie, Ugonma Winnie; Ekeleme, Uzochukwu Godswill; Akam, Victoria Ngozi; Chukwu, Rita Ogechi
    The use of facemask for the control of the spread of the novel corona virus among the population has been recommended by the health authorities. This is as a result of its effectiveness in the control of various infectious respiratory diseases during past epidemics and pandemics. This observational study was carried out to assess the frequency of use, appropriateness of application, type, and the quality of the used facemasks among the residents of southeastern Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic and to be able to draw inference from this observation on whether facemask usage can aid in controlling the spread of the disease in the study area and the country at large. Using a two-stage sampling technique, a total of 3100 individuals were observed for the type, quality, appropriateness, and frequency of facemasks usage from both rural and urban settings in the study area. Frequency distribution tables were used to categorize and describe the observed variables, Chi-square (X2) test was used to check the association between categorical variables. Among the observed individuals, 46.4% used facemasks. The most common facemask used was cloth mask (28.6%). About 16.0% of the participants correctly used their facemasks. The highest usage was observed in the urban location (49.2%). More people used facemasks in urban areas (p<0.001), in the bank (p< 0.001), in the morning (p< 0.001) among the males (p< 0.001), and among the adolescents (p< 0.001). The observed rate of facemask usage, however, may not be good enough to protect the population against the spread of COVID-19, therefore adequate sensitization on the need for proper use of facemasks by the public should be prioritized