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Biomedical subjects

H E Onah

Publications and source records attributed to H E Onah.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2002

Formal education does not improve the acceptance of cesarean section among pregnant Nigerian women.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between formal education, personal beliefs and the acceptance of cesarean section among pregnant Nigerians. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was made of antenatal mothers seen over a 5-month period at a tertiary hospital in Enugu, Nigeria. RESULTS: A total of 1148 subjects were interviewed. Although as a single variable, formal education was significantly related to a more favorable attitude to cesarean section among the respondents, it ceased to be related when their beliefs about the operation were corrected for. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant Nigerians' beliefs about cesarean section are more important than formal education in determining whether or not they accept it, hence the need to correct such false beliefs during antenatal classes.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Nigerian male sexual activity during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of extra-marital sexual affairs as well as other aspects of male sexual behavior during pregnancy in Nigeria. METHODS: A questionnaire survey of the husbands of consecutive women who delivered in three tertiary care centers in south-eastern Nigeria within an 8-week period. The data were analyzed by means of simple percentages and descriptive and inferential statistics, using t-tests, chi-square tests and regression equations at the 95% confidence level. RESULTS: 279 (88.3%) of the 316 eligible husbands responded to the questionnaire. A total of 78 (28.0%) of the respondents engaged in extra-marital sexual relationships during pregnancy. Of the respondents, 36.6% and 32.3% experienced a decrease in achievement of erection and orgasm, respectively. While libido decreased in 41.9%, coital frequency declined in 72.4% of the respondents. On univariate analysis, respondent's age > or = 40 years, duration of marriage > or = 5 years, having an extra-marital sexual partner and beliefs that coitus during pregnancy should be less frequent or can cause miscarriage were significant predictors of reduced coital frequency while a belief that coitus enhances fetal well-being was a significant predictor of increased coital frequency during pregnancy (P<0.05 for each variable). On multivariate logistic regression, three factors were statistically significant predictors of reduced coital frequency - age > or = 40 years (OR=2.3; 95% C.I., 1.9-2.3) and beliefs that coitus during pregnancy can cause miscarriage (OR=1.9; 95% C.I., 1.5-2.3) and should be less frequent (OR=1.9; 95% C.I., 1.8-2.5). CONCLUSIONS: Personal beliefs significantly affect sexual relationships between Nigerian husbands and their pregnant wives, making approximately one-third of husbands engage in extra-marital relationships as a way to satisfy their unmet sexual need during pregnancy. There is a need to educate husbands and their pregnant wives on sexual matters during pregnancy.

Extramarital Relations↗
PubMed2002

Cervico-vaginal fistula from induced abortions causing subsequent spontaneous midtrimester abortions in Nigerians: case report.

A report of three cases of cervico-vaginal fistula (CVF) from induced abortions causing subsequent spontaneous mid-trimester abortions and a literature review is presented. Restrictive abortion laws, low contraceptive usage and increased sexual activity consequent upon adverse socio-economic conditions have led to an increase in the prevalence of illegal abortions in Nigeria over the previous two decades. CVF appears to be an emerging complication of such abortions. Cervical cerclage is preferred to trachelorrhaphy in the management of such cases. However, where vaginally performed cerclage does not succeed, the abdominal route should be used as a last resort. After a previous induced abortion, clinicians managing the subsequent pregnancy need to search carefully for cervico-vaginal fistula, which may compromise that particular pregnancy. Appropriate contraceptive use and safe abortions using modern methods in cases of contraceptive failure will prevent such horrendous complications of induced abortions in Nigeria and other developing countries.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed2001

Maternal mortality at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, before and after Kenya.

A comparative retrospective analysis of maternal deaths at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria, was carried out for two ten-year periods--1976-1985 and 1991-2000--in order to evaluate the effect of Safe Motherhood Initiative on maternal mortality in the hospital. Variables for the two periods were compared by means of the t-test at 95% confidence level. Maternal mortality ratio was significantly higher in Period II than in Period I (1406 versus 270 per 100,000, p = 0.00). The leading causes of maternal death were uterine rupture for Period I and septicaemia for Period II. Although from the first to the second ten-year period there was a significant decrease in the number of midwives, physicians and nurse anaesthetists, there was more than a proportionate decrease in the number of deliveries. There was also increase in the incidence of anaemia due to diminished standards of living and in the mean decision-intervention interval (1.5 +/- 0.5 versus 5.8 +/- 1.2 hours; p = 0.000) as a result of worker dissatisfaction and changes in hospital policies. We conclude that since the launching of the Safe Motherhood Initiative, MMR at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Nigeria, has increased five-fold as a result of institutional delays and a deterioration in the living standards of Nigerians, both consequences of a depressed economy. To halt this trend, we recommend that the living standard of all Nigerians should be improved. Furthermore, healthcare personnel should be motivated through enhanced salaries and provision of working materials including efficient mobile telephone services.

Cause of Death↗
PubMed2000

Declining fetal growth standards in Enugu, Nigeria.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the birth-weights of babies born before and after the introduction of the Structural Adjustment Program in Nigeria. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the birth-weights of all singleton live births at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Eastern Nigeria, in 1984 and 1998. RESULTS: The babies were on average 183 g lighter in 1998 than in 1984. The mean birth-weight for each gestational age, parity and fetal sex was significantly lower in 1998 than in 1984. The incidences of low birth-weight, intrauterine growth retardation and preterm delivery were significantly higher in 1998 than in 1984. The above findings were associated with a significant reduction in the mean gestational age, parity and utilization of the hospital's maternity services, probably consequences of an adverse socio-economic environment. CONCLUSION: Reversing the declining growth standards of Nigerian fetuses would entail improving the socio-economic status of Nigerian women as well as the quality of maternity care.

Birth Weight↗