Assessment of the Health Status of Both Locals and Students of Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Nigeria

Ayobami Jahdahunsi Kukoyi, Kay

Abstract

It was important to undertake this study because the health status of students in universities affects not only their academic performance but also the overall health of society. Samples were collected from 80 donors, 20 each from the host community and the three faculties Federal University Wukari (FUW). Strip and rapid slide methods were used for the analyses of this research. Out of 80 blood donors, 17 (21%) were seropositive for HBV, with the host community having the highest prevalence of 30% within its group. Eight (8), which represented 10% of the 80 donors were seropositive for HIV, out of this figure, the highest seropositivity was observed from the host community. Regarding malaria, 61 out of total donors were seropositive, while the remaining 19 were found to be seronegative. Out of this seropositive figure, 85% i.e. 17 out of 20 was observed from samples obtained from the Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences. On Typhoid, the total prevalence of seropositivity was found to be 16.25%, while seronegativity was observed to be 83.75%. However, the highest level of seropositivity prevalence was found in the Faculty of Humanities, Management, and Social Sciences. On the Packed cell volume, 52.5% of the total sampling was normal, out of which the host community recorded the highest. On the Body Mass Index (BMI), it was observed that 96.25% of the donors fell within the normal range, while 3.75% was found to be overweighed. All the donors examined in this study had normal range of white blood cells. Based on the results of this study, the host community appeared to be healthier than randomly selected final year student.

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