Factors Associated with Acute Respiratory Infections in Children Aged 0 - 5 Years in the Yénawa District of Cotonou (Benin) in 2023

Introduction: Acute respiratory infections remain one of the main causes of mortality in children aged 0 to 5. This work aimed to study the associated factors with the occurrence of acute respiratory infections in children 0 to 5 years old in Yénawa, Cotonou in 2023. Subjects and Method: It was an analytical cross-sectional study of children aged 0 - 5 years and their mothers in Yénawa, selected by four-degree random sampling. The sampling size, calculated using the Schwartz formula, was 126 children and 126 mothers. The dependent variable was the occurrence of acute respiratory infections. The independent variables were classified into four groups: socio-demographic and economic characteristics, behavioral factors, child-related factors, and environmental factors. Data collected by observation and questionnaire survey were analyzed using STATA version 15 software. Associated factors were investigated by bivariate analysis and multiple logistic regression, at the 5% significance level. Results: A total of 126 children aged 0 - 5 years and 126 mothers were surveyed, aged 23.5 (11 - 36) months and 30 (18 - 48) years respectively. The prevalence of acute respiratory infections was 74.60% (CI95% = 66.89 to 82.30). The associated factors were the mother’s age between 18 and 28 (OR = 10.77;CI95% = 1.89 to 61.27;p = 0.007), the use of charcoal/wood for cooking (OR = 7.36;IC = 1.99 to 27.10;p = 0.003)), children's poor personal hygiene (OR = 8.87;IC = 2.92 to 26.97;p 0.001)), and cohabitation with domestic animals (OR = 7.27;IC = 1.67 to 31.71;p = 0.015). Conclusion: Communicating with mothers about the factors identified will help reduce the prevalence of acute respiratory infections in children aged 0 to 5.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Relating to HIV among Motorbike Taxi Drivers in Parakou, Benin, in 2021

Background and Objective: HIV infection is a major global Public Health threat worldwide, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa of which Benin. The level of knowledge determines the attitudes and behaviors of the populations towards this infection. The study objective was to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices related to HIV infection among motorbike taxi drivers (MTD) in Parakou in 2021. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study targeting MTD in Parakou in 2021. Participants were selected by cluster sampling. Pretested Digitized questionnaire using KoboCollect@ applicationserved as a data collection tool. Knowledge, attitudes and practices variable were treated on a score scale. A knowledge score was considered to reflect a good knowledge of HIV if at least two-thirds of the knowledge statements had been correctly answered provided the subject recognized the sexual route as one of modes of HIV transmission, identified at least one preventive measure and meant the incurability of the disease. Quantitative and qualitative variables were appropriately described using the EPI Info 7.1.3.3 software. The participant was classified at positive attitude/practice for HIV prevention, when it has a score of at least 80% and suggests a good preventive measure face a risk of exposure to HIV. Results: A total of 374 subjects were recruited into the study. The mean age was 31.51 ± 7.76 years. Most participants (86.06%) had good knowledge of condom use as an HIV prevention method. The sources of information mentioned were mainly the media (77.07%), relatives or friends (63.38%), and field-workers from non-governmental organizations (37.26%). Routine HIV testing was 50.53%. Among participants, 76.10% reported at least two different sexual partners. Condom use was 59.18 % during the casual sexual intercourse. Within the client-provider relationship with female sex workers, 33.17% had had sexual intercourse with them. The sexual route was the most cited (92.99%), and 90.23% stated that HIV infection can be stabilized by medication in a health structure. Conclusion: The level of knowledge of motorbike taxi drivers in Parakou does not match their behavior with regard to HIV prevention. Appropriate strategies are needed to develop prevention skills in this population. To effectively comb at HIV, it will be necessary to strengthen the targeted HIV preventive interventions at key and bridge populations including motorbike taxi drivers in Benin.

Practice of Barrier Measures against COVID-19 Among Diabetic People Followed at Departmental University Hospital Center Ouémé-Plateau, Benin, in 2021

Introduction: COVID-19 is a pandemic disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-COV2 appeared in China in 2019. The aim of the study was to evaluate the practice of barrier measures against COVID-19 and to identify associated factors among diabetics followed at Departmental University Hospital Center Ouémé-Plateau, Benin, in 2021. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted from June to August 2021, including diabetics aged 18 and over, hospitalized or received for medical visits in the department of medicine at the target hospital. Data were collected during an interview with each participant thanks to a questionnaire. “Good practice” was defined as regular practice of at least two of three barrier measures: hand washing, physical distancing and mask-wearing. Results: A total of 110 diabetics were included with a female predominance (55.5%) and a mean age of 57 ± 11.3 years. Among them, 89.1% washed their hands, 41.8% respected physical distancing and 12.7% wore a mask. The proportion of good practice was 47.3%. Only 5 practiced the three barrier measures. Only age group was associated with good practice. Conclusion: The study showed a low proportion of good practice of barrier measures against COVID-19 among diabetic people surveyed. It is important to continue the action for COVID-19 prevention among diabetic people in the targeted hospital and in other hospitals in Benin.

Prevalence and Factors Associated with Overweight and Obesity among Public Secondary School Teachers in Parakou, Benin, in 2021

Introduction: Overweight and obesity represent a public health problem in Africa due to the epidemiological transition. The objectives of this work were to determine the prevalence of overweight and obesity and to identify associated factors among public secondary school teachers in Parakou, Benin in 2021. Methods: We conducted a descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study. Teachers working in public secondary schools in Parakou during the 2020-2021 academic year, present at work and who gave their written informed consent, were included. A two-stage random sampling was carried out. Data were collected during an individual interview using a questionnaire followed by the measurement of anthropometric parameters and blood pressure. Overweight and obesity were defined by a body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to identify associated factors. Results: A sample of 325 teachers, including 88.6% of men, was recruited with an average age of 36.2 ± 6.8 years. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 43.7% (95% CI [38.1%-44.8%]). It increased significantly with income (p Conclusion: The results show a high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Actions are necessary to prevent overweight and obesity among secondary school teachers in Parakou, in Benin.

Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Regarding Breast Cancer among Parakou University Female Students in 2021

Background: Breast cancer is a life-threatening pathology affecting women across the world. Evidence suggests deficiency of knowledge and numerous sociodemographic factors contribute to delayed medical attention seeking behavior whether initial symptoms of breast cancer go undetected. Objective: This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding breast cancer among Parakou University female students in 2021. Method: This was a cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical purposes, carried out on the campus of the University of Parakou, from June 14 to July 2, 2021. Data collection was performed through an individual online questionnaire, designed with KoBoCollect version 1.29.3. Data analysis was implemented with EPI INFO VERSION 7.1.3.3 software. Result: A total of 200 students meeting the inclusion criteria participated in this study. Among them, 20.5% had never heard about breast cancer. Non practice of breast cancer screening (breast self-examination) prevalence was 80%. Factors favoring non practice of breast cancer screening were: ethnicity, religion, not adhering to screening ideas, not committing to educating family and friends about screening. Factors promoting breast cancer screening practice were: having ever heard about breast cancer, being able to point to breast cancer symptoms, having adequate knowledge of breast cancer screening methods, having a good knowledge of the late-stage screening drawbacks. Conclusion: Some young women with high school level are still unaware of breast cancer and do not practice screening. Policymakers should consider more effective information outreach.

Perceptions and Knowledge about Cervical Cancer among Women Living with HIV in Parakou in 2017

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most common cancer in women and those living with HIV have a six times higher risk of cervical cancer compared to those without. The objective of this study was to assess knowledge and perceptions about cervical cancer in women living with HIV/AIDS (WLWHIV) in the municipality of Parakou in Benin. Methods: This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted among WLWHIV monitored on antiretrovira (ARV) therapy (ART) centers in Parakou. Study participants were selected by systematic random sampling technique. Data collection took place from September 5, 2017 to November 6, 2017. Log-binomial regression was used to identify associated factors. Results: A total of 167 women were recruited into the study. The median age was 35 years [Interquartile range: 41.50 - 30.00]. More than half of the women had no perception of the cause of CC. Only 12.6% of women believed in the preventive capacity of early screening of CC. Among women, 15.6% knew that it can be prevented, but only 9.6% had heard of HPV and 4.8% knew that HPV vaccination is an effective means of preventing CC. The factors associated with the low level of knowledge were the age at first sexual intercourse (≤24 years), the ART follow-up site (private health structure) and the fact of not having visited a maternity hospital in the last 12 months preceding the survey. Conclusion: The perceptions and knowledge about cervical cancer in the population of women living with HIV and monitored on ART in Parakou were inadequate and disproportionate to their vulnerability to this cancer. In order to avoid a double burden on these women, their ART centers must integrate cervical cancer prevention interventions into ART initiation services.

Accessibility to Safe Drinking Water and Diarrheal Diseases: A Quasi-Experiment on a Case of Water Well Drilling in the Village of Kassouala, Municipality of Tchaourou, Benin, January 2018-July 2019

Background: In 2017, 900 million people in the world did not have sustainable access to safe drinking water (SDW). In addition, between 2016 and 2020, the global population with safely managed drinking water at home increased from 70 percent to 74 percent. Drinking water insecurity is the daily situation of people in developing countries. The lack of SDW supply is at the root of many diseases, including diarrheal diseases. Kassouala is a village in the municipality of Tchaourou without access to SDW, but having benefited from the drilling of a well in September 2018. The objective of this study was to study the effect of access to safe drinking water on the frequency of diarrheal diseases in Kassouala between January 2018 and July 2019. Methods: We conducted a quasi-experimental study in Kassouala using the natural experiments of the village of Bérétou as a control group for estimating the effect of a causal nature. There were double temporal (January 2018-July 2019) and geographical (Kassouala-Bérétou) comparisons based on data collected from health care registers. A population-based comparability survey of the two villages was conducted among 170 households in each village (experimental village, control village). A two-stage cluster sampling procedure was used to select the survey participants. Data were collected from heads of household by semi-structured questionnaire. We used Pearson or Mantel-Haenszel chi-square tests, as appropriate, and the “difference-in-difference” method to assess the effect. Results: In Kassouala, the proportion of households with access to safe drinking water had increased to 78.88%, whereas it was nil in 2018 before the well drilling, and the frequency of diarrheal diseases decreased significantly from January 2018 before drilling to July 2019 after drilling (57.11% to 44.64%;p Conclusion: Access to safe drinking water in Kassouala has a causal effect on the reduction of diarrheal diseases. However, for the supply of drinking water to be integrated into the community development plan of Tchaourou, it is necessary to support the scaling up of this intervention, which would be considered as a pilot, of a community participation program.

Why Multi-Sectoral Approaches Are Rarely Applied in Community Health Interventions in Some Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa?

The objective of this work is to analyze the reasons why community health interventions in Africa do not consider multisectoral approaches. To achieve it, we perform a mini-review of health development policies and plans available online in seven countries from four regions of Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, two main reasons have been highlighted. First, national strategic plans and policies for health development, in their formulation, neither sufficiently emphasize multisectoral approaches, nor sufficiently make these approaches operational in strategies and activities. Second, the mindset of health professionals due to their initial training orientation based on the biomedical approach, stands that disease is only a result of a physiological imbalance in the body;therefore, to restore health, such an imbalance only needs sophisticated procedures and interventions to be overcome. Such an orientation completely ignores the social, cultural and economic context in which the individual lives, which has an irretrievable influence on the health imbalance. However, health, influenced by the conditions in which people are conceived, born, grow, live, work and aged, cannot be effectively improved in a sustainable way without taking into account all these conditions. Whence the importance of approaches based on every sector of human activity that influences the living conditions.

Epidemiology of Lower Extremity Artery Disease in People Living with HIV Followed at the Departmental University Hospital Center Ouémé-Plateau in 2019

Introduction: Lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) is a serious cardiovascular disease. People living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are at risk. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of LEAD and identify the associated factors among people living with HIV who were followed at the departmental university hospital Ouémé-Plateau in Benin. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. It included all HIV-infected people who were monitored at the department of medicine of the target hospital during the study period and met the inclusion criteria (followed for at least three months, aged at least 25 years, and having given their written consent to participate). Data were collected during an individual interview, followed by the measurement of parameters. The ankle brachial index ≤ 0.9 was used for the diagnosis of LEAD. Associated factors were searched through a multivariable logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of LEAD was 34.2% among 222 respondents having a mean age was 42.9 ± 10.8 years and a female predominance (77.5%). No significant association was found between the presence of LEAD and sociodemographic factors. The presence of LEAD was significantly associated with hypertension and antiretroviral therapy. Hypertensive patients had a higher risk of LEAD compared to non-hypertensive patients (OR = 1.98, 95% CI [1.04-3.83], p = 0.037). Those who were receiving second-line therapy also had a higher risk of LEAD compared to those on first-line therapy (OR = 2.95, 95% CI [1.14-7.60], p = 0.025). Conclusion: This study showed a high prevalence of LEAD especially among hypertensive patients and those who were receiving second-line antiretroviral therapy. LEAD diagnosis and management should be included in the routine care of people living with HIV in Benin.

From Social Determinants of Health Actions to Fight against the Lassa Virus Hemorrhagic Fever Epidemic in Tchaourou Commune in Benin, 2018

Background: Lassa Hemorrhagic Fever (LHF) is endemo-epidemic in West Africa with seasonal outbreaks raising a major public health issue. Nigeria borders Benin by the Tchaourou Commune. Since 2016, Tchaourou commune has been affected every year by this epidemic. Objective: To study how an action on the health social determinants can contribute to ending this epidemic in Tchaourou commune, Benin. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Tchaourou commune. All of the cases of LHF occurring in 2016-2018 were retrospectively tracked throughout the commune. The health workers and 172 participants of the general population of villages of the cases were enrolled. We used absolute frequency to describe the LHF cases because of their small number. The descriptive analyses were performed using EPI-INFO 7.1.14. Results: Overall, 27 cases of LHF occurred in Tchaourou. In these 27 cases, 12 were Laboratory-Confirmed. All 4 probable cases died while 42% and 18% died in the confirmed and suspected cases, respectively. Most (75%) of the cases were female. By direct observations, the commune had a weak health-promoting environment for fighting against LHF outbreak. According to the health care staff in the commune, the interventions were for controlling the outbreak and not the promoting interventions to preventing further outbreaks. Conclusion: To fight effectively against the Lassa fever, it is necessary to act on different social determinants of health with community participation, empowerment and health control. The fight against Lassa fever remains a major challenge facing developing countries like Benin.