This study examined the determinants and constraints of mobile phone-enabled agricultural extension services among small-ruminant farmers in Northern Ghana. Cross-sectional data were collected from 406 farmers through purposive and simple random sampling methods. The data is analysed using descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression, and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. The results show that gender, household size, farmer-based organisation (FBO) membership, and small-ruminant-rearing experience significantly influenced access to mobile-enabled extension on small ruminant production. Male farmers had 16.20 times the odds of access compared with female farmers. Each additional household member was associated with 1.91 times the odds of access, while FBO members had 3.11 times the odds compared with non-members. Each additional year of small-ruminant-rearing experience was associated with 2.35 times the odds of access. Kendall’s ranking identified inadequate electricity coverage as the most important constraint, followed by high device costs, device management costs, difficulty understanding SMS messages, and limited knowledge of mobile phones. The study recommends gender-responsive digital extension, rural electrification, local-language voice services, and integration of mobile and conventional extension systems to enhance the knowledge of small ruminant farmers in the Northern Region of Ghana. Read more

Background: Family planning is the practice of controlling the number of children one has, preventing pregnancy and child spacing, particularly using contraception. It has allowed man to control family size, and prevent pregnancy at times not intended. The general name for techniques for preventing pregnancy in the initial days following sexual activity is emergency contraception (EC). These methods are intended to be used in the event of unplanned, unprotected or insufficiently protected sex; forced sexual contact; sexual assault; and contraceptive failures. Aim: To assess the factors influencing knowledge of family planning and the socio-demographic characteristics associated with knowledge of family planning among undergraduates in private and public universities in Osun State. Methodology: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study design. The survey was carried out among 400 students in a public and a private school in Osun State. Data collection was done using a weekly structured self-administered questionnaire. The data collected was entered and analyzed using IBM SPSS version 25.0; P value was set at (P<0.05). Results: The significant socio-demographic determinants of knowledge were age in the private university, marital status in public university, tribe, and religion in both universities, father's highest level of education in both universities, mother's highest level of education in a private university, father’s occupation in a private university, and living arrangement in a private university. Conclusion: Factors influencing family planning decisions among students included cultural norms, religious beliefs, accessibility to contraceptives, and concerns about societal acceptance. Read more

This study examined the savings behaviour and its determinants among plantain farmers in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study described the socio-economic characteristics of plantain farmers, analyzed their level of savings, determined the factors influencing savings, and identified the constraints associated with savings. The primary data collected and analyzed from 143 respondents reveled that the mean monthly income was ₦139,545. The average annual gross income of the farmers was ₦1,429,742.19, while the average annual savings amounted to ₦419,687.50, giving an average propensity to save of 0.29, indicating that farmers saved about 29% of their gross income. Multiple regression analysis showed that production cost was the only variable that significantly influenced savings (p < 0.05).The hypothesis test revealed that the determinants included in the regression model did not jointly exert a significant influence on savings (p > 0.05), hence, accepting the null hypothesis. The study concludes that although plantain farmers demonstrate a moderate saving culture, their savings capacity is constrained mainly by economic and financial factors. It recommends policies aimed at increasing farm income, reducing production costs, improving access to affordable financial services, among plantain farmers. Read more

Momoh, I. S. (2026), Men’s Health in Sub-Saharan African Countries with Special Focus on Sierra Leone: Challenges, Structural Determinants and Emerging Opportunities for Gender-Responsive Healthcare Systems. International Journal of Public Health and Pharmacology 6(1), 117-135. DOI: 10.52589/IJPHP-NP1IPQ87 Read more

One of the goals of the National Health System is to provide access to health services for vulnerable groups such as street children, as they have a higher probability of experiencing health-related problems. Whereas studies on street children vary, very few studies address social factors associated with the health-seeking behaviour of street children. This study, therefore, examined the social determinants and implications of health-seeking behaviour among street children in Yenagoa Bayelsa State. The Health Belief Model and Andersen Healthcare Utilization Model were the framework, while a mixed research design was employed. Yenagoa City was purposively selected for the study because it is the state capital, hence it is home to a great number of street children. 384 respondents were selected using Abrahamson and Gahlinger’s sample size determination formula. Accidental sampling technique was used to administer a structured questionnaire to respondents. Five Key Informant Interviews were conducted with staff from the Ministry of Women Affairs and Synergy-Care Development Initiative (SDI). Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and correlation at p≤0.05, while the qualitative data were content-analysed. The average age of the respondents was 14 years. Findings revealed that headaches, malaria, fever/common colds, cough/chest pain, chicken pox, head worms/lice, and STDs are the main diseases commonly associated with street children. Most street children preferred traditional medicine and self-medication as their treatment pathways. The study concluded that age, area of residence, relationship status, father’s current occupation and level of education all had significant influences on health seeking behaviours of street children. Tailored intervention programs and financial support were some of the recommendations made. Read more

The quest for lighter skin has become a dangerous obsession fueled by societal beauty standards and cultural norms. The purpose of this study was to analyze the inspiration prompting the use of these products among undergraduate students using descriptive research surveys. This study examined the knowledge, prevalence and determinant of the use of skin lightening creams among three hundred and thirty (330) undergraduates of Babcock University, Ilishan-remo. through a simple random sampling technique using self-structured questionnaires. Data was collected with the use of SPSS and frequency count. Pearson correlation was used to draw conclusions on the hypothesized statement of study. The researcher found a significant relationship between knowledge of skin lightening creams and its determinant of use, with over half of respondents (56.37%) agreeing that lightening creams could cause kidney failure. Treatment of hyperpigmentation was the motivating factor among 57.58% of respondents. There is therefore a need for undergraduate students to be provided with adequate education regarding the dangers of skin lightening creams and be encouraged to visit appropriate health facilities for skin disorders instead of self-meditating. Keywords: Prevalence, Determinants, skin lightening cream Read more

This study aims to identify and analyze the factors affecting customers' requisition of EFD receipts in the Kariakoo Tax Region. Specifically, it examines the awareness levels among customers regarding the benefits of EFD receipts, assesses the perceived Value of EFD receipts by customers, explores the impact of legal and regulatory factors on customer requisition behavior, investigates the influence of business reputation and trust on customer EFD receipt requests as well as assess the ease of receipt issuance and its impact on customer behavior. Descriptive statistics were used to collect and analyze data to describe the characteristics of the determinants of factors affecting customers' requisition of EFD receipts. Also, the quantitative approach was used to collect numerical data through surveys to quantify the extent of the determinants' influence. The sample size was based on statistical considerations and the population under study. The researcher develops a structured questionnaire with a mix of closed-ended and Likert scale questions to gather quantitative data and also conducts in-depth interviews with a subset of participants to gather qualitative insights. The results suggest a moderate level of awareness about the benefits of EFD receipts. The Perceived Value of EFD receipts is generally positive, with customers acknowledging their importance in ensuring transparency and compliance with regulations. Also, customers are more likely to seek EFD receipts from businesses with a positive reputation and high trust. On the other hand, businesses that streamline issuing EFD receipts are likely to experience higher compliance rates. The study provides valuable insights for businesses, policymakers, and regulatory bodies to enhance the effectiveness of EFD systems by addressing the identified areas of improvement in awareness, legal compliance, and ease of issuance; businesses can foster greater customer compliance with EFD receipt requests, ultimately contributing to a more transparent and trustworthy business environment. Read more

Physical and mental health is contributive to organizational competitiveness and economic prosperity. Sadly, the knowledge of population health has remained underappreciated among Nigeria’s Federal Universities. To bridge this gap, this study evaluated the link between social constructs of population health and sustainability of Nigeria’s federal University. To achieve the study intent, the descriptive survey method was utilized. The population of this study comprise senior and junior staff that were randomly selected from Federal Universities which was 11, 823 staff. Formulated hypothesis was tested using Pearson product moment correlation. The analysis shows a positive relationship between population health determinants and sustainability of Nigeria’s Federal Universities with r = 0.591, n = 387 and p = 0.001 against P ≤ 0.05 thereby making the coefficient significant. Read more

This paper applies the regression-based inequality decomposition approach to explore determinants of income inequality sources among women in rural Oyo State, Nigeria. A four-stage sampling procedure was used in the collection of primary data with purposive selection of two agricultural development programme zones in Oyo State of Nigeria. 150 respondents were eventually used for the study. Structured questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Shapley decomposition approach. Age and household size of women were 35.5±1.06 years and 8.0±0.59 persons, respectively. Most respondents (88.0%) were married and 43.3% were farmers with income of N24,196.76±11,897.90 per month. Sources that largely explain inequality were primary occupation (0.5551), farm size (0.2523) and household assets (0.0766) and the relative contributions of these factors sum up to 80%. Total inequality computed by the Gini index was 0.2206 and it implies that the contribution of the predicted residual term to income inequality in this case was 22.06%.The marginal contribution of the estimated income sources of the weighted mean with no negative values from level 1 to 12 were primary occupation, educational level, workers per household, number of assets and location with weighted marginal contribution of 0.0125, 0.0120, 0.0105, 0.0071 and 0.0053 respectively. Narrowing the gap between those at the top and the bottom of income distribution will reduce inequality in the households and the nation at large and that is the more reason this study needs attention because within group components overwhelmingly accounted for inequality compared to the between group components. The role of spatial inequality and policies that encourage entrepreneurship training and non-formal education for women in rural areas would be inequality reducing, and would tend to be more effective if additional policy instruments are used to target other sources of measured income inequality. Read more

Stress is part of our normal functioning and integral to life. However, when the elastic limit is reached, its presence instigates a negative effect that could be detrimental to the individual’s health, ability, and productivity. This cross-sectional survey is aimed at finding out the determinants of job stress among nurse educators working in the Departments of Nursing Science of Universities in South East Nigeria. A sample size of 176 nurse educators was purposefully recruited for the study. An adapted, modified and validated instrument was administered to the participants to elicit information based on the research objectives. The reliability of the instrument was established using the split-half method of Spearman’s correlation at a 0.01 level of significance which showed a strong relationship (r = 0.82). Data were collated and analysed using a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software, version 26. the results were presented in tables using percentage mean, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and chi-square were used to establish the relationship between the variables. The study findings showed that nurse educators experience job stress as a result of manpower shortage (82.95%), poor physical working environment (86.36%), and inadequate instructional materials (91.47%). There was a significant relationship between job stress and the job stress factors tested (shortage of manpower, physical working environment and inadequate instructional materials) with a p-value of &lt; 0.001. It was concluded that shortage of manpower, physical working environment, and inadequate instructional materials were major causes of job stress among Nurse educators in South East, Nigeria. Manpower recruitment should be organised, the overall quality of the physical working environment should be improved, and adequate instructional materials be provided for the nurse educators. Read more