Coming Soon - Confronting the Challenge of Reproductive Health in Africa: A Textbook for Students and Development Practitioners

We are pleased to announce that an exciting new book will be released from The Women's Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC), which publishes the African Journal of Reproductive Health (ARJH), a journal available on Bioline. The book will be released on September 30, 2014.

The book is titled Confronting the Challenge of Reproductive Health in Africa: A Textbook for Students and Development Practitioners. It is edited by the Editor-in-chief of ARJH, Professor Friday Okonofua, a professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Benin, Nigeria.

In the foreword of the book, it is mentioned that there are few textbooks and courses integrated in the curriculum of the field of sexual and reproductive health at the university level in Africa. In addition, indigenous practitioners are few in number and receive little funding. Confronting the Challenge of Reproductive Health in Africa offers students, practitioners and policymakers an in-depth and easy-to-read scientific look at the history, practices and principles of the field of reproductive health in Africa and aims to promote the field for the development of Africa.

The book goes beyond providing information by engaging the individual and inspiring conversation for further research and policies to be created from what is currently implemented. Among the topics discussed are maternal mortality, unsafe abortion, female genital mutilation, infertility, family planning and gender-based violence. Confronting the Challenge of Reproductive Health in Africa is comprised of 19 chapters, written by contributors who have years of experience in research and programming in the field of sexual and reproductive health.

To purchase the book, you can contact the Women's Health and Action Research Centre through the following:

Email
wharc@hyperia.com
africanjournalofreproductiveH@gmail.com
feokonofua@yahoo.co.uk

Phone
+234 817 635 8767

www.wharc-online.org
www.arjh.info​

Over 80% of motorcycle accidents in Brazil resulted in fractures -- Tanzania Journal of Health Research Vol.15 No.4

Today we are featuring our fifth post on the Tanzania Journal of Health Research with vol.15 no.4. 

This issue includes "Influence of gender on prevalence of overweight and obesity in Nigerian schoolchildren and adolescents" by Maruf et al. This article aims to examine the correlation between gender and weight of students in Nigeria. The age and gender of the students was collected through the school records. Data such as height, weight, BMI were collected through standard techniques. 9014 students age 2-18 from 28 randomly selected schools were examined for this study. The results indicated that age groups played a role in whether males or females had a higher BMI. Among the results suggested that among students age 2-6 years, males had higher BMIs than females, and that for the age groups 11-14 and 15-18, females had significantly higher BMIs than males. The study concludes than in early childhood, males have a higher BMI than females and in adolescence, females have a higher BMI than males.

Motorcycles are commonly used in the developing world. "Motorcycle Accidents: Morbidity and Associated Factors in a city of Northeast of Brazil" by Cavalcanti et al. looks at the causes and incidence of mortality from motorcycle accidents. The study examined 9743 cases of patients who checked in at the Regional Emergency and Trauma Hospital of Campina Grande in Paraiba, Brazil between January to December 2009. The results indicated that motorcycle accidents made up over 20% of cases. Of those cases, over 85% involved men. Of these cases involving men, almost 34% were between the ages of 21 to 29 years. The body parts most affected in these accidents were legs and feet, which were affected in 55.2% of cases. Arms and hands were affected in almost 27% of cases. Over 80% of cases involved fractures. Over 15% of cases involved amputation. Only 1.3% of cases resulted in death. The study concluded that motorcycle accidents affect mostly young men and cause fractures and lesions predominantly in the lower limbs. The study recommends that education and policy surrounding traffic safety and motorcycles need to be examined.

You can find these articles and other articles from this issue here.