Browsing by Author "Oluwasola, T. A. O."

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An assessment of ovarian cancer histologic types across the African Diaspora
(2021) George, S. H. L.; Omotoso, A.; Pinto, A.; Mustapha, A.; Sanchez-Covarrubias, A. P.; Umar, U. A.; Umar, A. B.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Okolo, C. A.; Anthony, U. U.; Ukekw, F. I.; Bakari, M. A.; Dahiru, A. M. C.; Abdullahi, H. I.; Abimiku, B. A.; Abdurrahman, A.; Usman, A.; Ahmed, S. A.; Usman, H. A.; Kabir, A.; Eleje, G. U.; Chiemeka, M. E.; Nzeribe, E.; Nweke, I.; Kadas, S. A.; Suleiman, D. E.; Ekanem, E.; Uche, U. M.; Paul, J.; Agwu, U. M.; Edegbe, F. O.; Anorlu, R. I.; Banjo, A.; Ajenifuja, K. O.; Fawole, A. A.; Kazeem, I. O. O.; Magaji, F.; Silas, O.; Athanasius, B. P.; Tamunomie, N. K.; Abudu, E. B. K.; Ango, I. G.; Abdullahi K.; Lawal, I.; Kabir, S. A.; Ekanem, V.; Ezeanochie, M.; Yahaya, U. R.; Castillo, M. N.; Bahall, V.; Chatrani, V.; Brambury, I.; Bowe, S.; Halliday, D.; Bruney, G.; Butler, R.; Ragin, C.; Odedina, F.; Chamala, S.; Schlumbrecht, M.; Audu, B.
Objective: Ovarian cancer in Black women is common in many West African countries but is relatively rare in North America. Black women have worse survival outcomes when compared to White women. Ovarian cancer histotype, diagnosis, and age at presentation are known prognostic factors for outcome. We sought to conduct a preliminary comparative assessment of these factors across the African diaspora. Methods: Patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer (all histologies) between June 2016- December 2019 in Departments of Pathology at 25 participating sites in Nigeria were identified. Comparative population-based data, inclusive of Caribbean-born Blacks (CBB) and US-born Blacks (USB), were additionally captured from the International Agency for Research on Cancer and Florida Cancer Data Systems. Histology, country of birth, and age at diagnosis data were collected and evaluated across the three subgroups: USB, CBB and Nigerians. Statistical analyses were done using chi-square and student’s t-test with significance set at p<0.05. Results: Nigerians had the highest proportion of germ cell tumor (GCT, 11.5%) and sexcord stromal (SCST, 16.2%) ovarian cancers relative to CBB and USB (p=0.001). CBB (79.4%) and USB (77.3%) women were diagnosed with a larger proportion of serous ovarian cancer than Nigerians (60.4%) (p<0.0001). Nigerians were diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancers at the youngest age (51.7± 12.8 years) relative to USB (58.9 ± 15.0) and CBB (59.0± 13.0,p<0.001). Black women [CBB (25.2 ± 15.0), Nigerians (29.5 ± 15.1), and USB (33.9 ± 17.9)] were diagnosed with GCT younger than White women (35.4 ± 20.5, p=0.011). Black women [Nigerians (47.5 ± 15.9), USB (50.9 ± 18.3) and CBB (50.9 ± 18.3)] were also diagnosed with SCST younger than White women (55.6 ± 16.5, p<0.01). Conclusion: There is significant variation in age of diagnosis and distribution of ovarian cancer histotype/diagnosis across the African diaspora. The etiology of these findings requires further investigation.
An overview of the genetics of cervical cancer.
(2018) Gbadegesin, M. A.; Soremekun, O.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Okolo, C. A.; Oluwasola, A. O.
Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, and the seventh of all human cancers. It is the most rampant cancer of the female genital tract in the developing world and manifests in two common histological subtypes: squamous cell carcinoma which is derived from squamous cells of the cervix and cervical adenocarcinoma which arose from the glandular cells. Most cases of deaths from cervical cancer occur in the less developed countries of the world where there are ineffective screening systems. Factors that increase the risk for developing cervical cancer include infection by Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) as the main direct factor and other indirect factors such as smoking, dietary habits, age, race, socioeconomic status, sexual history, use of oral contraceptives, high parity and the human immunodeficiency virus infection. Identifying the genetic alterations that predispose to or associate with cervical cancer will help in the screening of patients at risk of the cancer thereby allowing early diagnosis and prompt management with better outcomes. In this review we describe the role of HPV DNA integration into the host cellular genome, the effects of viral E6 and E7 proteins, and the loss of heterozygosity as genetic factors in cervical cancer.
Anaemia and its associated risk factors among pregnant women in the Gambia.
(2024) Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Amadi, A. O
Background: Anaemia is a global health problem affecting about a third of the world’s population. In pregnancy, it is a public health concern with consequences for mothers and infants, including maternal death and infant mortality. In low-income countries, 25% indirect maternal mortality and 30% neonatal deaths are due to anaemia in pregnancy. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women in The Gambia and identify common risk or predisposing factors associated with anaemia in pregnancy among them. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 180 consenting pregnant women, who attended two secondary-care level hospital for antenatal care between March and May 2023. They were selected by using a simple random sampling technique. Data were collected using a validated structured questionnaire and participants’ current antenatal cards while SPSS software version 26.0 was used for analyzing data. Results: The findings of this study shows that 21.7% and 8.3% of the pregnant women were anaemic at booking using 11.0g/dl and 10.0g/dl as cut off respectively with the mean haemoglobin concentration of 11.76+-1.36g/dl. The study revealed that anaemia during pregnancy is associated with factors such as educational level (p=0.048) and the average income per month (p=0.039). Majority of the women, (166, 92.2%), have taken malaria prophylaxis but only 95 (52.8%) admitted to sleeping under insecticide-treated mosquito nets which shows the low prevalence of Malaria among the participants (5.6%) Conclusion: The prevalence of anaemia among pregnant women in the Gambia is 21.7% which implies that anaemia is still a public health problem. Therefore, it is important for actions like early booking and improvement on health and nutritional education to be taken in order to reduce anaemia among pregnant women.
Analysis of alcohol policy in Nigeria: multi-sectoral action and the integration of the WHO “best-buy” interventions
(Springer Nature, 2019) Adebayo, A. M.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Oluwasanu, M. M.; Fawole, A. O .
Background: Harmful alcohol use is a modifiable risk factor contributing to the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases and deaths and the implementation of policies focused on primary prevention is pivotal to address this challenge. Policies with actions targeting the harmful use of alcohol have been developed in Nigeria. This study is an in-depth analysis of alcohol-related policies in Nigeria and the utilization of WHO Best Buy interventions (BBIs) and multi-sectoral action (MSA) in the formulation of these policies. Methods: A descriptive case study design and the Walt and Gilson framework of policy analysis was utilized for the research. Components of the study included a scoping review consisting of electronic search of Google and three online databases (Google Scholar, Science Direct and PubMed) to identify articles and policy documents with no language and date restrictions. Government institution provided documents which were not online. Thirteen policy documents, reports or articles relevant to the policy formulation process were identified. Other components of the study included interviews with 44 key informants (Bureaucrats and Policy Makers) using a pretested guide. The qualitative data were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Findings revealed that policy actions to address harmful alcohol use are proposed in the 2007 Federal Road Safety Act, the Non-communicable Diseases Prevention and Control Policy and the Strategic Plan of Action. Only one of the best buy interventions, (restricted access to alcohol) is proposed in these policies. Multi-sectoral action for the formulation of alcohol-related policy was low and several relevant sectors with critical roles in policy implementation were not involved in the formulation process. Overall, alcohol currently has no holistic, health-sector led policy document to regulate the marketing, promotion of alcohol and accessibility. A major barrier is the low government budgetary allocation to support the process. Conclusions: Nigeria has few alcohol-related policies with weak multi-sectoral action. Funding constraint remains a major threat to the implementation and enforcement of proposed policy actions.
Application of bayesian non parametric estimation on cervical cancer: A case study of University College Hospital, Nigeria.
(2021) Onatunji, A. P.; Folorunso, S. A.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Adesina, O. A.; Uthman, K. T.
Cervical cancer is the third most common malignancy in women worldwide, and in developing countries, it remains a leading cause of cancer-related death for women. The disease is a significant illness in women in Sub Sahara Africa Countries like Nigeria. Cervical cancer ranks as the 2nd most prevalent cancer among women in Nigeria and the most prevalent cancer among ages 15 – 44 years. Some of the identified risk factors of this disease have been wrongly captured in some statistical models. This consequentially makes the result of the analysis wrongly interpreted and concluded when the risk factors are continuous. This study is aimed at examining the Bayesian estimation of cervical cancer on a woman's age and survival period of the disease using the application of non-parametric techniques. The study is a means to apply Bayesian Nonparametric estimation on cervical cancer. The study findings reveal that women between ages 40 - 60 years have a significant increase in the probability of mortality from cervical cancer when the survival period is between stage I-IV. Also, there is an increase in woman's age and survival period of living with the disease which is significantly likely to decrease the mortality from cervical cancer in the study area.
Assessment of antenatal care satisfaction amongst postpartum women at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
(2023) Adedeji, O. A.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Adedeji, F. M.
Background: Maternal mortality is unacceptably high especially in developing countries. About 287,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth in 2020. The vast majority of these deaths (95 %) occurred in low and lower middle countries in 2020 and most could have been prevented. Every day in 2020, approxi-mately 800 women died from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Utilization of antenatal visit has been shown to improve birth outcome as well as the maternal outcome during pregnancy-related events, giving a positive impact when the visit frequency and care are adequate while satisfaction has equally been an important outcome measures of quality of care. In order to improve feto-maternal outcome and turn the tide against maternal deaths, it is expedient to assess the satisfaction of women who had experienced antenatal care with the aim of identifying areas requiring additional attention. Objective: This study aimed to assess the level of antenatal care satisfaction of postpartum women and factors associated with satisfaction at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan and their future intention for subsequent utilization of antenatal care. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study of 261 women in the postnatal ward using simple random sampling technique was conducted with an interviewer-administered structured questionnaire. Items in the questionnaire included sociodemographic and obstetric variables, assessment of quality of amenities, waiting time and level of satisfaction. Data was entered, cleaned and analyzed by computer using the Statistical Package for Social Sci-ences Version 23.0 (SPSS, IBM). The variables were summarized using frequencies, proportions, means and standard deviation. Chi Square was used for test of significance with the p-value set at P <0.05. Results: Of the 261 participants 176 (67.5 % percent) were aged 25–34 years; majority (244,93.5 %) had tertiary education while (189, 72.4 %) were skilled workers or professionals. Most of the women (243, 93.2 %) were Para 1–3 and the pregnancy was planned (80.8 %) while financing was mostly out of pocket (60.9 %). Only one-third of the participants has at least eight (8) antenatal contacts. In overall rating, most women (90.0 %) were satisfied with the antenatal care services received. The highest rating of satisfaction was with the competence of the service providers (90.4 %) especially with the care given to them and their unborn babies (90.4 %). The parity, distance of their home from antenatal clinic, number of antenatal contacts, number of health education sessions attended, total time spent, attitude of health workers, cost of services and desire to register again at the facility were statistically associated with patient’s satisfaction. Also, the number of antenatal visits was statistically associated with the fetal outcome. Conclusion: There is a high overall level of satisfaction with antenatal services among postpartum women in UCH. It is important to encourage women to register early to ensure they have adequate number of antenatal contacts and also participate in the health education sessions.
Assessment of serological markers of genital chlamydia trachomatis infection among the gynaecology patients attending Babcock University teaching hospital, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun state, Nigeria.
(2019) Ajani, T. A.; Elikwu, C. J.; Nwadike, V.; Babatunde, T.; Anaedobe, C. G.; Opeoluwa S.; Okangba, C.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Omeonu, A.; Faluyi, B.; Thompson, T. E.; Ebeigbe, E.; Ajani, M. A.; Joshua, A. K.; Kolawole, T.; Kristilere, H.; Meremikwu, C. M.; Mgbemena, L.; Nwaejike, C. S.; Salami, A.; Tantua, A.; Timothy, M.; Akagbusum, T.; Coker, A. O.
Genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection causes significant morbidity and mortality in women. A number of epidemiologic studies have suggested that Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is more accurate as a diagnostic tool for Chlamydia trachomatis.However, the use of serological markers may be cost effective and practical in diagnosing and estimating the burden of the disease in resource limited countries.This study was aimed at determining the serological markers (IgG, IgM and IgA) of Chlamydia trachomatis, evaluate the association between Chlamydia trachomatis infection and the sociodemographic characteristics and clinical diagnosis of the participants. This was a cross sectional hospital-based study in which blood samples from 145 consenting participants were tested for IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies against Chlamydia trachomatis using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and their clinical diagnosis, retrieved from their case notes. The cumulative prevalence of seropositivity for Chlamydia trachomatis (IgG, IgM, IgA) was 112 (77.2%) while 33 (22.8%) were seronegative. The overall predominant seromarker was IgG 91(62.8%) while IgM and IgA accounted for 85(58.6%) and 54(37.2%) respectively. A statistically significant association was found between Chlamydia trachomatis infection and PID (p value = 0.031), primary infertility (p value 0.011) and level of income (p value= (0,045).
Awareness and knowledge of birth defects among antenatal Clinic attendees at the University College Hospital Ibadan, South-West, Nigeria.
(2021) Akinmoladun, J. A.; Uchendu, O.; Lawal, T. A.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.
OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the knowledge of risk factors and prevention of birth defects among ante-natal clinic attendees at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria METHODS: This was a cross sectional study among 415 mothers who presented at the antenatal clinic, A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on respondents socio-demographic profile, pregnancy, birth history, knowledge on prevention and risk factors for birth defects. Descriptive statistics was used to present results, independent t-test and ANOVA were used to determine the factors associated with mean of overall knowledge of birth defects. Test statistics was done at a 5% level of statistical significance. RESULTS: The mean age of the women was 31.7 + 4.8 years Overall, 93 (22.4%) of the women were above 35 years, 118 (29.9%%) were skilled workers and 343 (84.9%) had tertiary education. More than half (219, 52.8%) of the respondents had good knowledge of birth defects (56.4%a had good knowledge of prevention and 66.0% had good knowledge of risk factors) Antenatal clinic attendees in their first trimester had higher mean overall knowledge score (8.3 t 4.9) compared to those in second (7.9 + 4.5) and third (7,9 + 4,9) trimesters but this was not statistically significant (p=0.873). However, respondents in skilled/ semi-skilled occupation (8_62) had a significantly higher mean knowledge score compared with those in unskilled occupation/ unemployed (7,33) (p=0.005) CONCLUSION: Knowledge of birth defects is relatively low among women. To reduce the occurrence and severity of birth defects, there is a need to educate mothers on the knowledge, prevention and importance of screening for birth defects.
Awareness and knowledge of birth defects among antenatal clinic attendees at thè University College Hospital, Ibadan, South-West, Nigeria
(West African College of Physicians and the West African College of Surgeons, 2021) Akinmoladun, J. A.; Uchendu, O. C.; Lawal, T. A.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.
BACKGROUND: The burden of birth defects is disproportionately higher in developing countries. OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the knowledge of risk factors and prevention of birth defects among ante-natal clinic attendees at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study among 415 mothers who presented at the antenatal clinic. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to obtain information on respondents' socio-demographic profile, pregnancy, birth history, knowledge on prevention and risk factors for birth defects. Descriptive statistics was used to present results, independent t-test and ANOVA were used to determine the factors associated with mean of overall knowledge of birth defects. Test statistics was done at a 5% level of statistical significance. RESULTS: The mean age of the women was 31.7 ± 4.8 years. Overall, 93 (22.4%) of the women were above 35 years, 118 (29.9%) were skilled workers and 343 (84,9%) had tertiary education. More than half (219, 52.8%) of the respondents had good knowledge of birth defects (56.4% bad good knowledge of prevention and 66.0% had good knowledge of risk factors). Antenatal clinic attendees in their first trimester had higher. mean overall knowledge score (8.3 4.9) compared to those in second (7.9 4.5) and third (7.9 4.9) trimesters but this was not statistically significant (p=0.873). However, respondents in skilled semi-skilled occupation (8.62) had a significantly higher mean knowledge score compared with those in unskilled occupation/ unemployed (7.33) (p=0,005), CONCLUSION: Knowledge of birth defects is relatively low among women. To reduce the occurrence and severity of birth defects, there is a need to educate mothers on the knowledge, prevention and importance of screening for birth defects.
Awareness and practice of dual contraception among female tertiary institution students in Ibadan, Nigeria.
(2016) Bello, O. O.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Bello, F. A.
Introduction: Preeclampsia is a common complication of pregnancy and a major cause of maternal morbidity. Pathogenetic explanations for preeclampsia include: Maladaptation of the immune system to paternal antigens and exaggerated maternal inflammatory response to trophoblastic tissue. Immune deficiency, induced by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or any other cause, could, therefore, inhibit a tendency to immune hyper‑reactivity and thus theoretically prevent the development of preeclampsia. The study aims to explore the role of the immune theory of preeclampsia by comparing the prevalence of preeclampsia among HIV‑positive and HIV‑negative pregnant women. Materials and Methods: The study was a cross‑sectional survey of pregnant women, beyond 28 weeks gestation, who delivered at the University College Hospital, Ibadan between 1st October 2011 and 31st December 2011. Data was collected using a prespecified proforma. The analysis was performed using SPSS version 17.0 and P value was set at <0.05. Results: A total of 766 women who gave birth during the study met the inclusion criteria. Among the cohort, HIV prevalence rate was 7.2% whereas preeclampsia was 10.7%. None of the HIV‑positive women had preeclampsia. Conclusion: This study suggested that the prevalence and perhaps, risk of developing preeclampsia is reduced among HIV positive women. This is similar to other studies done in various countries in the world. There is a need for further study as it may prove valuable in the management and prevention of preeclampsia.
Awareness of and attitude towards HPV and its vaccines among market women in Bodija market. Ibadan.
(2016) Bello, O. O.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Odukogbe, A. A.
BACKGROUND Cervical cancer, commonest among cancers of the female genital tract continued to pose major challenge to women of reproductive age in developing countries though infection by its causative agent, human papilloma virus (HPV) is preventable. This study aimed to assess awareness and attitude of market women concerning HPV and its vaccines in prevention of cervical cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross sectional study involving 329 market women, using multistage sampling technique. Instrument was an Interviewer--administered questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge and awareness of HPV and its vaccine, sexual history and attitude towards HPV vaccines. Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20.0 with statistical significance level set at p<0.05. RESULTS Mean age of respondents was 29.49±3.65 years. All respondents were sexually active with majority (94.8%) having multiple sexual partners. Awareness of HPV vaccine and Pap smear test was among 1.2% and 9.4% respectively. Attitude towards HPV vaccination was good in 304 (92.4%) with 302 (91.8%) willing to take the HPV vaccines. There was significant association between attitude towards HPV vaccine and willingness to take HPV vaccine CONCLUSIONS Awareness of HPV and its vaccines is low among market women in our community. Policies and actions to step up information dissemination are urgently needed in order to stem the scourge of cervical cancer in our society.
Bayesian semi-parametric modeling of infertility in Nigeria.
(2019) Onatunji, A. P.; Folorunsho, S. A.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Bamanga, M. A.; Folorunsho, M. A.
Infertility in Nigeria is a neglected reproductive health issue despite its negative impact. Majority of infertility-related research has focused on treating the consequences of infertility rather than investigating the determinants to explain the spatial and spline effect of infertility in the country. This work is aimed at investigating spatial variation of determinants of infertility among female in Nigeria. The finding reveals that women at reproductive age have a high probability of infertility in some southern part of Nigeria as their ages are steadily increasing. Also, change in the characteristics of place of residence and source of water increase the chance of woman being infertile. Policy makers on health sectors should make effort to address problems of climatic and atmospheric change in the identified social and demographic risk factors.
Bilateral ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma in a teenager: a case report.
(2017) Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Abdusalam, R. A.; Okolo, C. A.; Odukogbe, A. A.
Background: Genital Chlamydial trachomatis infection, though often asymptomatic, is an established indirect causative agent of female infertility via its activities on the tubal physiology. Many risk factors are postulated for its acquisition and the main thrust of this study was to establish the organisms’ correlates among infertile women attending gynaecologic clinic in Ibadan. Methods: A systematic sampling technique was used on each selected day to recruit women who met the inclusion criteria into the study using a sampling frame of 2. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to obtain attributes considered as risk factors for acquiring genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection from 150 consenting infertile women between January and November 2015. These attributes included sexual history, social status, alcohol intake and past history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Blood samples and endocervical swabs were subsequently taken for detection of C. trachomatis infection using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Data analysis was done using SPSS version 20.0. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 34.1±5.6 years and 7.30% were positive for C. trachomatis. Chlamydia trachomatis infection was significantly associated with past history of gonorrhoea, history of multiple sexual partners, husband that has other sexual partners and lifetime sexual partners greater than one. Conclusions: The prevalence of asymptomatic C. trachomatis among infertile women indicated the pathogen as a potential aetiologic agent of female infertility and supported the asymptomatic nature of the infection. The risk factors found to be associated with the organisms’ infection lend out further support to the sexual transmissibility of C. trachomatis.
Bilateral ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma in a teenager: a case report.
(2019) Ajani, T. A.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Anaedobe, C. G.; Ajani, M. A.; Fayemiwo, S. A.; Bakare, R. A.
Epithelial ovarian cancers are uncommon among young girls and teenagers compared to germ cell tumors. We report a case of bilateral ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma in a teenage girl with the attendant challenges of diagnosis, management and follow up. HT, 19 year old had presented at a secondary care level with features suggestive of benign ovarian tumor and had ovariectomy done. However, histology report revealed a malignant epithelial cancer, necessitating a repeat exploration. She was found to have surgical stage 3c disease and subsequently has total abdominal hysterectomy with bilateral salpingectomies, right oophorectomy and omentectomy. She was further managed with paclitaxel-carboplatin combination chemotherapy but defaulted after the 3rd cycle on account of financial constraints. She succumbed to the disease 11 months post diagnosis. Though uncommon, detailed evaluation of teenage patients for malignant ovarian cancer is expedient. The financial burden of cancer care in our environment is also highlighted.
Bilateral tubal ligation in a nulliparous woman – a case report.
(2017) Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Roberts, O. A.
Infertility is viewed in diverse ways in our environment with couples often attempting various options of treatment. Thus, voluntarily opting to remain childless has little or no socio-cultural approval and is often perceived to be an indication of covert disability. Commonest indication for bilateral tubal ligation (BTL) in our environment is completion of family size and in situations where further pregnancies will jeopardize maternal health. We present a case of a married 41 year old nulliparous woman who requested for BTL on religious ground. The couple had opted for voluntary childlessness and had been on other forms of contraceptives all through their twelve years of marriage. This is to highlight the fact that there exist in our society a small number of couples who wish to be childless and should not be denied that right after thorough counseling.
Birth preparednenss and complications readiness among pregnant women in the Gambia.
(2025) Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Olaitan, O. G
Background: The goal of birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPCR) is to minimize delays in seeking care, facilitate the attendance of skilled professionals during birth, and promote facility deliveries. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge of BPCR among women in the postpartum ward of the Edwards Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) in The Gambia. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at the EFSTH, the only teaching hospital and tertiary care centre in the Gambia. Data was collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire from 267 consenting parturients. Data was analyzed using the SPSS version 29. Results: The mean age of the participants was 28.6±6.7 years. Of the 220(82.4%) participants who were aware of birth preparedness, 181(67.8%) had a good understanding while one-third, 97(36.3%), demonstrated good knowledge of danger signs in pregnancy. For antenatal care, 117(43.8%), registered during the first trimester, and 219(82%) attended at least four antenatal visits while 168(62.9%) said they had eventful pregnancies. About three-fifths of the participants, 160(59.9%), were adequately prepared for birth and possible challenges although 119(44.6%) made arrangements for the baby's essentials and 201(75.3%) made adequate arrangements for transportation. Statistical analysis revealed significant associations between education level (p=0.01) as well as income (p=0.007) and BPCR. Additionally, gestational age at booking and attendance of skilled personnel during antenatal care (ANC) were significantly associated with knowledge of danger signs in pregnancy (p=0.017 and p=0.015, respectively). Conclusion: Despite meeting the BPCR indicators to some extent based on WHO standards, this study demonstrated existence of gaps in the knowledge and practice of BPCR among pregnant women. Furthermore, socio-economic factors, maternal knowledge, and health services were found to influence BPCR practices. It is therefore important to enhance awareness campaigns, improve pregnant women's understanding of benefits of BPCR, and encourage their partners to adopt shared decision-making options for obstetric services
Building capacity to control cervical cancer in Nigeria: a case study
(IOP Publishing, Cairo, 2022) Adewole, I. F.; Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Morhason-Bello, I. O.
Challenges and prospects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for gynaecologic malignancies in resource-limited settings.
(2021) Oluwasola, T. A. O.
Administration of chemotherapeutic agents followed by interval debulking surgery has been reported to be non-inferior to primary debulking surgery (PDS) and adjuvant chemotherapy. Limitation of human and nonhuman facilities for optimal surgical intervention makes Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) a desirable alternative in resource-limited settings. NACT is gradually becoming an acceptable alternative in centers with limited facilities for comprehensive PDS. Moreover, some recent studies have described NACT as being non- inferior to the gold standard of PDS although it is important to note that strict patient selection remains an important criterion and serve as the hallmark for the success of NACT This review aimed to explore the essence of NACT for gynecological malignancies, its challenges as well as prospects for resource-limited settings
Challenges of gynaecological cancer care in Nigeria – A review article.
(2018) Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Oladewa, A. C.
"Background: Gynaecological cancers and their management in the tropics constitute a big challenge to the gynaecological oncologist considering the overwhelming economic burden of care on patients and their relatives. These challenges arc numerous and present at different levels vis-a-vis of prevention, diagnosis, treatment of the disease and patients’ follow up. The main thrust of this review was to illustrate the challenges affecting gynaecological cancer care in Nigeria and proffer potential opportunities for their early identification while making recommendations that may be beneficial in ameliorating their effects and impacts. Methodology: Electronic search of local and international literatures was conducted in major databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Science direct, EMBASE, SpringerLink, Scopus, JSTOR, JaypccDigital, and Google Scholar using appropriate MESH terms either individually or in combination. All relevant peer-reviewed article and publications were identified, retrieved and reviewed. Results: Challenges of management of gynaecological cancers are enormous and diverse. They vary at different levels of care and included poverty, lack of access to health care inadequate or absence of basic infrastructure for cancer care and lack of political will. Delay at different levels of care leading to late presentation remains a leading factor that negatively contributes to survival. Conclusion: Gynaecological cancer care in the tropics is a big challenge to health care providers. Efforts should be intensified in prompt identification of these challenges and offering solutions that will help in improving the health of our women. "
Clinical and psychosocial outcomes of obstetrics Fistulae in Sub-Saharan Africa: a review of Literature.
(2020) Oluwasola, T. A. O.; Bello, O. O.
Obstetrics fistulae are preventable and treatable diseases of immense public health importance which render women debilitated and devastated with physical, mental, psychological, economic and social problems. It is prevalent among the less privileged with limited access and utilization of reproductive health services which reflect the state of health care delivery especially emergency obstetric care in a country. Over the years, the impact of obstetrics fistulae has led to several studies on the prevalence, clinical outcome and experiences of affected women, but there is paucity of information on the psychosocial and economic impact of obstetrics fistulae in developing countries. This review is therefore an attempt to bridge this gap and hopefully point attention to the need to consider these impacts when designing further interventions for patients with Obstetrics fistulae.