DEPARTMENT OF RADIOGRAPHY,

The radiography students in Benin and elsewhere must have the full knowledge and prerequisites to follow the best practices and reduce the risk of radiology. According to various researches in Nigeria, the area of protection practices has been identified to be lacking in the radiography field, which implies that the area required targeting in awareness and training. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, which sought to determine the radiation safety awareness, knowledge and practices among radiography students in the University of Benin (UNIBEN). One Hundred and fifty-two [152] radiography students were recruited based on stratified random sampling technique that was used to ensure proportional representation of students. The stratification will be initially done into groups 300lv, 400lv and 500lv. Simple random sampling was used to select participants in each stratum and minimize the selection bias. The structured questionnaire and data collected will be the main tool of data collection and the statistical package of social scientist (SPSS) version 26.0 was used to analyze the data collected. The radiography students were aged and were the participants of the study. Most of the students (79.0%) were aged between 20-24 years, with the rest aged between 25-29 years (14.5%) and those under 20 years (5.3%). The least percentage of students (1.3%) was between 30 years and above. The gender distribution of radiography student who participated in this study. The results indicate that there were more female caregivers (61.2%) than male students (38.8%). Concerning the level of study of respondents, the result illustrates the level of study of radiography students. 500lv constituted the highest portion of radiography student in this study (51.3%), followed by 3000lv (28.9%) and 400lv (19.7%). Those that have attended lectures, seminars and training on radiation protection. The majority of them (91.4%) had attended while 8.6% hasn’t. With regard to radiography students awareness of the principle of radiography safety and protocol. A majority of the radiographers appear to be aware of the principles and radiation safety procedure well with 59.7% strongly agreeing and 18.5% agreeing. With regards to the perception toward radiation protection and safety measures among radiography students. The majority of radiographers appear to be optimistic about radiations and safety measures. In the case of the test of Hypothesis, the p value was found to be <0.017 indicating that there is statistically significant difference in radiation safety awareness among the students who have undergone previous radiation safety training and those who have not. Thereby, the null hypothesis that shows no statistically significant difference of radiation safety awareness among students that have had earlier radiation safety training and those that have not is rejected. This is why when the alternate hypothesis is accepted and it states that there is a statistically significant difference in radiation safety awareness between students who have undergone previous radiation safety training and students who have not is because the study offers some key recommendations on the same in order to foster the radiation safety awareness among radiography students.

The rising global prevalence of maternal obesity (MO) poses a significant challenge to antenatal ultrasound imaging, as increased maternal adipose tissue attenuates sound waves, potentially compromising the quality and accuracy of fetal biometric measurements. Despite the acknowledged impact on measurement accuracy, there is a limited understanding of the specific lived experiences and professional practices of the frontline practitioners in Nigeria. This exploratory study aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the perceptions, technical challenges, and adaptive practices of radiographers and sonographers when performing obstetric ultrasound examinations on pregnant women with MO in Edo State, Nigeria. A quantitative exploratory study was conducted using structured questionnaires administered to 60 radiographers and sonographers actively performing obstetric scans in various diagnostic centers and hospitals across Edo State. The findings revealed that a majority of participants "sometimes" (46.67%) or "frequently" (38.33%) encounter patients with maternal obesity in their daily practice, confirming this as a routine clinical issue. The study documented their subjective perceptions of poor image quality, specific technical difficulties (such as probe penetration and artifact management), their confidence levels in measurement accuracy, and the diverse strategies and techniques employed to optimize image acquisition. The conclusions underscore the persistent technical and practical challenges faced by sonographers in this region and advocate for the development of tailored scanning protocols and targeted educational programs to better equip practitioners. This will ultimately improve the consistency and quality of antenatal care provided to this vulnerable patient population.