Notes

Predictors of long term pacemaker attachment right after TAVR: An organized evaluation and up to date meta-analysis.
We present the key themes that emerged from the symposium and some strategies for advancing NCD research in West Africa. These include interdisciplinary collaboration between NCD researchers in the region, generation of accurate data on disease burden and strengthening stakeholder and public engagement on NCDs.
Funding for the symposium was provided by NIH Fogarty International Center-Grant number D43TW008330, under the

Funding for the symposium was provided by NIH Fogarty International Center-Grant number D43TW008330, under the Wits Non-Communicable Disease Research Leadership Training Program.
Evidence supporting successful task sharing to increase Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUD) uptake exist in some developing countries that have challenges with availability of trained health professionals. Although Community Health Nurses (CHNs) in Ghana are trained to provide primary health care including emergency deliveries in rural communities, they are not professionally mandated to provide IUD services.

To explore stakeholders' views on task sharing IUD services with CHNs in Ghana.

This qualitative case study was conducted in Accra, Ghana between June and September 2018. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were used to collect data from purposively selected participants. Included in the study were policy makers, policy implementing institutions, service regulators, Non-Governmental Organisations, field providers and service end users. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. We manually performed thematic analysis of data and findings were appropriately described by paraphrasing and/or quoting relevant responses verbatim.

There is a general mixed feeling towards task sharing IUD services with community health nurses in Ghana. Policy makers, programmers, gynaecologists and IUD users interviewed believed that CHNs are capable of providing safe IUD services when well trained, adequately resourced and supervised. Based on some field experiences of complications associated with IUD insertions, participants who were midwives clearly indicated the need for effective training and careful implementation strategies.

Despite concerns about user safety, respondents endorsed task-sharing IUD services with trained CHNs in Ghana. Implementation study focusing on competency-based IUD training for selected CHNs is recommended to provide empirical evidence to back policy decisions.

Marie Stopes Ghana funded the field work.
Marie Stopes Ghana funded the field work.
The Ibadan Low Back Pain Disability Questionnaire (ILBPDQ) was developed to meet the need for a LBP treatment outcome measure that was appropriate for the Nigerian culture and environment. The objective of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of ILBPDQ.

This study used the validation design. One hundred and forty-two participants with LBP (LBPPs) and 142 age and sex-matched participants without LBP (NLBPPs) were included. The LBPPs were recruited consecutively from Physiotherapy clinics of selected tertiary hospitals in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. Both LBPPs and NLBPPs completed the ILBPDQ - the LBPPs completed the Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). The ILBPDQ was completed by 113 LBPPs two days after initial assessment. Sixty-four of the LBPPs received physiotherapy for 5-weeks, after which they were reassessed using ILBPDQ and NPRS.

ILBPDQ score of LBPPs was significantly higher than that of NLBPPs (construct validity) and LBPPs NPRS score correlated significantly with their ILBPDQ score (r = 0.50) at baseline and post intervention (r =0.35) (divergent validity). ILBPDQ scores at baseline and 48 hours later for LBPPs correlated significantly (Intra Class Correlation =0.80) (test re -test reliability). ALK inhibitor Cronbach's α for ILBPDQ was 0.84 (internal consistency). The postintervention ILBPDQ and NPRS scores for LBPPs were significantly lower than their pre-intervention ILBPDQ scores (responsiveness) and NPRS scores. The changes in ILBPDQ and NPRS scores of the LBPPs correlated significantly (r =0.62) (responsiveness).

The ILBPDQ demonstrated evidence of validity, reliability and responsiveness.

University of Ibadan Senate Research Grant.
University of Ibadan Senate Research Grant.
Commercial motor vehicle drivers (CMVDs) have worst health profiles among different occupations, yet the presence of clusters of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in this group have not been described in a resource-limited setting.

The prevalence of CVD risk factors and the clusters among CMVDs was evaluated.

A cross-sectional descriptive study.

Four motor parks in three local government areas of Ibadan city, Nigeria.

Consented and conveniently sampled 152 intra-city CMVDs aged ≥ 18 years.

Prevalence of CVD risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, high triglyceride, low HDLc, high waist-hip ratio, central obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol, and overweight/obesity) and their clusters were determined.

All participants were male from 20 - 77 years old. Most of the CMVDs were physically inactive (80, 52.6%), take alcohol (78, 51.3%), and few smokes (35, 12.4%). The prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia, obesity, and central obesity were 36.2%, 5.9%, 23.7%, 4.6%, and 5.3%, respectively. Four clusters of CVD risk factors in the CMVDs with the prevalence of 36.2%. 33.5%, 17.1% and 13.2% were identified with significant differences (p<0.05) in the risk factors.

The prevalence of diabetes, obesity, central obesity, and smoking was low while the prevalence of hypertension and hypertriglyceridemia was moderate among the CMVDs, but the prevalence of alcohol intake and physical inactivity were high. Four distinct clusters of CVD risk factors were observed among the drivers.

The study was self-funded.
The study was self-funded.
Early years schools by their nature present peculiar challenges for infection control and injuries. This study aimed at assessing the health and safety practices of these institutions and find explanations to challenges faced in meeting the recommended standards.

Sequential explanatory mixed methods design was used in the study.

The quantitative data was collected using a questionnaire. The study involved all early years schools in Cape Coast Metropolis totalling 160. Follow-up interview was conducted using eight Heads and Coordinators of these schools.

Early years schools met majority of the health and safety practices. Chi-square analysis revealed that, school auspices was associated with keeping records of doctor's report [χ
(1, N = 160) = 7.27,
= .007, φ = .227, odds ratio = 2.79, 95% CI (1.4, 5.7)] and having immunization records up to date [χ
(1, N = 160) = 4.35,
= .037, φ = .184, odds ratio = 2.88, 95% CI (1.2, 7.7)]. Private early years' schools were almost 3 times likely to meet recommended health and safety practices.
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