BENIN CITY

Background: Doping, or the use of performance-enhancing substances, threatens fairness and athlete
health worldwide. Pharmacists, as medication experts, are well-positioned to prevent both intentional and inadvertent doping by guiding athletes on safe drug, supplement, and herbal use. However, in Nigeria, pharmacists’ involvement remains limited, with gaps in knowledge, training, and policy integration. Understanding their awareness and perceptions can inform strategies to strengthen their role in promoting clean and ethical sports. Objective: This study evaluates community pharmacists’ knowledge and perceptions of anti-doping practices in Benin City, identifying knowledge gaps and exploring influencing factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 169 registered community pharmacists in Benin City, Nigeria, using convenience sampling. Data were collected via a structured self- administered questionnaire covering demographics, knowledge, perceptions, information sources, and barriers related to anti-doping. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression to explore associations and significance. Results: All 169 community pharmacists invited participated in the study. Most were male (65.7%), aged between 26 and 35 years (66.9%), held a BPharm degree (67.5%), and had 1–5 years of work experience (53.3%). The majority occupied senior roles (92.3%). Their anti-doping knowledge was generally fair (53.3%) or poor (42.6%), with noticeable gaps related to beta-blockers, CPD content, and legal aspects. Overall perceptions of their anti-doping role were strongly positive (75.1%). Longer professional experience and higher qualifications were linked to greater role awareness, though knowledge had only a weak influence on perceptions (p = 0.028, R² = 0.028). Conclusion: Community pharmacists demonstrated fair to poor knowledge of anti-doping, yet they held strongly positive attitudes toward their role in prevention. Significant gaps remain in training, access to resources, and procedural awareness. While more experienced and highly qualified pharmacists recognized their responsibilities better, knowledge had minimal impact on attitudes. Focused CPD, integration of WADA resources, and clear professional guidelines are crucial to fully equip pharmacists for doping prevention.

In the contemporary digital era globally, social media has become an integral part of daily human interactions, especially among young adults and the middle-aged individuals. Platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) are frequently used for communication, entertainment, and information sharing. While these platforms offer numerous advantages, their overuse has been linked to addictive behaviors that may negatively affect interpersonal relationships and mental health (Kuss & Griffiths, 2023). In Nigeria, particularly in Edo State, the upsurge of smartphones and internet access has amplified social media usage, with increasing concerns about its consequences on family cohesion and domestic behavior. Social media addiction is characterized by excessive concern with social networking platforms, driven by an uncontrollable urge to use them, and devoting so much time and effort to them that it interferes with other important areas of life (Andreassen, Torsheim, Brunborg, & Pallesen, 2022). Individuals suffering from this form of behavioral addiction often experience mood modification, salience, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, conflict, and relapse, similar to other forms of addiction

This study explores the intersection of social work, gender equality, and women's empowerment in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria. It examines the role of social work in promoting gender equality and empowering women, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in this context. The study employs a Survey Research Design method of data collection. The findings reveal that social work interventions can significantly impact women's empowerment and gender equality, but face challenges such as cultural and societal norms, limited resources, and inadequate policy implementation. The study concludes that social work can play a vital role in promoting gender equality and women's empowerment in Benin City, and recommends increased investment in social work programs, policy reforms, and community engagement.

Environmental pollution from heavy metals in mechanic workshop soils poses serious threat to soil fertility, microbial health and groundwater quality. This study evaluated the bioremediation potential of phosphate solubilizing bacteria (Pseudomonas sp.) and hydroxyapatite in reducing heavy metal concentrations in contaminated soil. The study was carried out in a mechanic workshop in Osasogie, Ugbowo, Benin city, Edo state, Nigeria with four treatments: soil only (O1), soil + phosphate solubilizing bacteria (O2), soil + hydroxyapatite (O3) and soil + phosphate solubilizing bacteria + hydroxyapatite (O4). Microbial count and heavy metal concentrations (iron, copper and arsenic) were tested after 14 days. According to results hydroxyapatite was most effective in increasing the growth of Pseudomonas sp. and in the remediation of soil contaminated with copper and iron while phosphate solubilizing bacteria was the least effective due to the short period of remediation. In conclusion, Pseudomonas sp. and hydroxyapatite showed great promise in cleaning up heavy metal contaminated soil from a mechanic workshop.

Delayed presentation to emergency services represents a significant challenge in paediatric healthcare, often resulting in adverse outcomes and increased mortality. Understanding parental knowledge and perceptions regarding delayed presentation is crucial for developing effective interventions to improve timely care-seeking behaviour. This study aimed to assess the knowledge and perception of the consequences of delayed presentation among parents attending the children's emergency unit at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Edo State, Nigeria. This descriptive cross-sectional survey utilized purposive sampling technique to recruit 145 parents attending the children's emergency unit at UBTH. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of consequences of delayed presentation, perception of delayed presentation, and factors responsible for delayed presentation. Data analysis was conducted using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0. The study achieved a 96.5% response rate with 140 valid questionnaires. Most respondents were female (62.9%), married (68.6%), and had tertiary education (37.9%). The findings revealed that 74% of parents demonstrated good knowledge of the consequences of delayed presentation, while 69% exhibited positive perceptions regarding the importance of timely emergency care. Financial constraints (mean=3.2), hope for home recovery (mean=3.2), and transportation difficulties (mean=3.1) were identified as the most influential factors responsible for delayed presentation. Statistical analysis showed no significant relationship between knowledge and perception of delayed presentation among parents (χ²=1.12, p=0.29). Despite good knowledge and positive perceptions among most parents regarding the consequences of delayed presentation, socioeconomic factors continue to significantly influence timely healthcare-seeking behaviours
for paediatric emergencies. Health education programs should be intensified to reach the 26% of parents with poor knowledge. Healthcare policies addressing financial barriers to emergency care access should be implemented.

The study examined workplace humor and employee job satisfaction among academic staff of the University of Benin, Benin City, Edo state, Nigeria. The study specifically sought to ascertain the extent to which workplace humor impacts on the level of job satisfaction among employees. The study adopted a survey research design with questionnaire as the research instrument tailored towards the study objectives. The study sampled 257 respondents randomly drawn from a population of 1,896 academic staff of the University of Benin. Data gathered for the study was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the linear regression model to ascertain the causal relationship between the variable via SPSS 28.0. Findings obtained from the analysis showed among other things, a low level of workplace humor, and a low level of job satisfaction among the respondents. The regression analysis showed a lack of significant relationship between workplace humor and job satisfaction among the staff. Hence, the study concluded that workplace humor, though vital in maintaining social relations among employees; is majorly focused on the informal aspects of work which do not impact on employees satisfaction, performance or productivity.

Fish is a vital source of dietary protein for many Nigerians, but domestic production has not kept pace with population growth, leading to increased reliance on imports. Traditional preservation methods like smoking play a key role in ensuring year-round availability, but also raise concerns around contaminants and health risks. This study investigates consumer preferences and perceptions regarding fresh versus smoked fish in Benin City, Nigeria. The background highlights that fish is highly perishable, requiring techniques like drying, smoking, freezing, and brining to extend shelf life. Smoking remains the dominant preservation method in Nigeria, offering benefits in accessibility and shelf-life, but also potential quality and safety issues. Limited research has explored consumer choices between fresh and smoked fish products, especially in inland urban areas. This study assesses the extent to which cultural, economic, and health/safety factors influence consumer preferences for fresh versus smoked fish. It also identifies key demographic segments and their buying behaviors. Surveys will be conducted with fish consumers at major markets and the university community in Benin City. The findings can provide important insights to help the fishing industry, retailers, and policymakers better meet evolving consumer demand for fresh and processed fish products in Nigeria.

Nursing documentation is a critical component of professional practice, ensuring continuity of care, enhancing patient safety, and serving as a legal record of nursing activities. However, workload pressures often compromise the accuracy, timeliness, and completeness of documentation. This study investigated the perceived impact of workload on ef ective nursing documentation among nurses in a tertiary healthcare institution in Benin City. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design. Using a stratified random sampling technique, 246 questionnaires were distributed to nurses working in various departments ofthe University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Out of these, 239 were properly completed and valid for analysis, representing a response rate of 97.1%. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0, employing descriptive statistics and chi-square tests. The findings revealed that the majority of respondents (89%) demonstrated good knowledge of nursing documentation. However, workload was perceived to have a high impact on documentation practices, with a grand mean of 3.1. Key factors identified included high patientto-nurse ratios, time pressure during shifts, emergency situations, multitasking, and lack of support staf . Challenges faced by nurses included inadequate staf ing, lack of training, absence of electronic health records, unavailability of documentation tools, and frequent interruptions. Hypothesis testing showed a significant relationship between knowledge of nursing documentation and perceived impact of workload (χ² = 6.785, p= 0.041). The study concludes that while nurses possess good knowledge of documentation, workload and systemic challenges
remain major barriers to ef ective practice. This highlights the need for organizational interventions to bridge the knowledge–practice gap. It is recommended that hospital management strengthen staf ing, provide adequate documentation tools, adopt electronic health records, and implement regular in-service training programs. Supportive supervision and clear institutional policies should also be established to enhance ef ective nursing documentation and improve patient care outcomes

The need for sensory play in promoting fine motor skill in Montessori pupils has proven to be an excellent strategy to improve on the child's learning, as the teachers in Montessori schools strive to give the pupils a quality and more concretised learning experience needed for the proper growth and development of the children. This study was carried out to determine the impact sensory play has in promoting fine motor skill development in Montessori school pupils. Five research questions were used for the study; The study adopted the questionnaire to collect data. The sample for the study was a hundred (100) Montessori school teachers drawn from a total number of ten (10) Montessori schools in Benin City. A frequency distribution, percentage, mean and standard deviation was used to analyze data. It was concluded that sensory play activities along with sensory play materials are important vehicles for the development of fine motor skills. The study recommends that sensory play should be integrated into the classroom learning activities, with the teachers providing for several sensory materials to meet the diverse domains of every pupil, and providing a safe and conducive environment for learning while acting as a guide to the children's learning

The study was carried out to examine factors affecting the academic performance of students with disabilities in the secondary inclusive school setting. Four research question were formulated to guide the study. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The study population consists of students with disabilities in the secondary inclusive school setting in Ihogbe College Benin City. A total number of 30 students with special needs were used for the study. The instrument for the study was a question on factors affecting the academic performance of students with disabilities in the secondary inclusive school setting FAAPSDSISS. To ensure the reliability of the instrument, the cronbach alpha statistics was used in the study and a co-efficient value of 0.79, 0.70, 0.78, and 0.81 was obtained. The data collected were analysed using descriptive statistics. The findings from analysed data shows that there’s a significant relationship between the academic performance of students with disabilities and the Family background, attitude of the students, availability of school personnel and lastly teaching strategies .Based on the findings, some recommendations were made which include: Provision for properly trained special teacher, proper placement of special teachers, offer guidance and counselling services to students with special needs, appropriate modification of curriculum and teaching strategies