Bioaccumulation of Heavy Metals in Artisanal Miners and Associated Health Risk Assessment in Michika Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria

IDOSR JOURNAL OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY · 2025-08-11

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is a widespread economic activity in Michika Local Government Area (LGA), Adamawa State, Nigeria. Despite its economic value, ASM poses significant environmental and public health challenges due to heavy metal contamination. This study assessed the levels of bioaccumulated heavy metals specifically lead (Pb), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in soil, water, and blood samples from mining locations. The analysis was carried out using atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) Model: AA320N. High concentrations of Pb (2.89 ppm), Co (0.16 ppm), and Cr (0.34 ppm) in soil were found to exceed World Health Organization (WHO) limits, while heavy metals like Fe,Co and Pb in water where higher in some locations like Garta, Sina mala.. Blood analysis of artisanal miners revealed significant bioaccumulation, particularly for Pb (mean: 25.94 µg/L), As (12.54 µg/L), and Mn (14.36 µg/L), with several values exceeding WHO safety thresholds. Bioaccumulation factors (BAF) and correlation analysis confirmed water as a major exposure pathway. Health risk assessments indicated high hazard quotients (HQ > 1) and unacceptable cancer risks (CR > 1.0×10-4) in mining communities such as Garta, Garta Sama and Sina Mala. These findings reveal the urgent need for environmental remediation, strict regulation of ASM practices, and health monitoring programs for affected populations in Michika LGA. Keywords: ASM, Heavy metal, Bioaccumulation, WHO, Hazard quotient and Cancer risk

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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CREATIVE RESEARCH THOUGHTS · 2025-01-01

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Government responses to COVID-19 and impact on GBV services and programmes: comparative analysis of the situation in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria

Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters · 2023-03-01 · 13 citations

As governments impose restrictive policies to contain infectious disease outbreaks, pre-existing gender-based inequalities are often exacerbated, increasing the risk of gender-based violence (GBV). Despite international guidance on the need for continued provision of GBV services during emergencies, governments often de-prioritise GBV services and programmes. We conducted a rapid assessment in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria to examine the impact of COVID-19 policies on the availability of GBV prevention and response services. The study team interviewed 80 stakeholders representing different GBV services in the four countries. The interviews revealed strikingly similar government mis-steps that disrupted the availability of comprehensive GBV services. In all four countries, the government's failure to exempt the provision of multi-sectoral GBV services from initial lockdown restrictions led to confusion and disrupted the provision of critical GBV services such as clinical management of rape, legal and judicial services, psychosocial services, availability of shelters, and community-based prevention activities. The government's imposition of curfews, stay-at-home orders, and transportation restrictions further diminished access to services. Governments must strengthen currently available GBV prevention and response services and be better prepared for future pandemics. Following international guidelines, governments should deem GBV services as essential from the beginning with clear implementation plans. Governments must invest in community-based solutions and the expansion of digital tools to ensure everyone, especially those likely to be structurally excluded, have access to critical services during an emergency.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) prevention using a cross-sectoral couple-based intervention: results from a cluster randomised control trial in Ibadan, Nigeria

BMJ Global Health · 2022-02-01 · 13 citations

INTRODUCTION: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common form of violence women experience globally. Economic empowerment interventions have been implemented across countries to prevent and address IPV, with mixed results. A sociological 'male-backlash' model suggests that addressing unequal gender norms is crucial to reduce IPV. This study evaluates the impact of a multipronged intervention among heterosexual couples in urban and periurban Ibadan that aimed at reducing IPV by increasing financial and reproductive literacy, fostering gender equality and improving relationship quality. METHODS: A four-arm mixed-methods cluster randomised control trial was employed. Baseline data and end line data six months postintervention were collected to estimate changes in key outcomes. In-depth interviews were conducted with 15 couples 2 years postintervention to explore the drivers of changes in outcomes. Difference-in-differences regression models were estimated to compare changes in IPV levels across the three intervention arms and control arm, and thematic analysis was conducted to understand drivers of change in IPV outcomes. RESULTS: Physical IPV decreased significantly in the gender socialisation (GS) (β: -4.63 (SE: 2.12)) and GS and financial literacy (β: -4.61 (SE: 2.02)) groups as compared with the control group. Changes in emotional and sexual IPV were marginally significant or insignificant, respectively, suggesting that the intervention did not have an impact on non-physical forms of IPV. In the in-depth interviews, couples reported improved communication and trust, enhanced conflict management skills, and increased mutual respect as a result of participation across intervention arms, which may have facilitated the reduction of violence in their relationships. CONCLUSION: This study highlights the potential utility of gender transformative interventions for improving physical IPV outcomes. Future research should seek to understand the mechanisms that influence sexual and emotional IPV as their aetiology may be different from physical violence. TRAIL REGISTRATION NUMBER: The study protocol was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (ID: NCT03888495).

Do Gender-Based Pathways Influence Mental Health? Examining the Linkages Between Early Child Marriage, Intimate Partner Violence, and Psychological Well-being among Young Ethiopian Women (18–24 years Old)

Youth & Society · 2022-03-17 · 27 citations

Limited emphasis is placed on understanding the gendered pathways that influence mental health, especially long-term cumulative impacts of gender-based inequalities. Exposure to early child marriage (marriage by age 15) may exaggerate exposure to gender-based mental health risk-factors, providing an opportunity to understand the multi-layered gendered pathways that impact mental health overtime. We used nationally representative cross-sectional data from Ethiopia to examine the relationship between early child marriage and psychological well-being and assessed if intimate partner violence mediates this relationship among young women. We implemented three separate multivariate regression models to assess these relationships. Our results suggest that the relationship between early child marriage and psychological well-being is influenced by higher levels of violence experienced by women in early child marriages as compared to their counterparts who married later. Investments in longitudinal data are needed to rigorously parse out the relationship between early child marriage, intimate partner violence, and psychological well-being.

Impact of COVID-19 on Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response Services in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Frontiers in Global Women s Health · 2022 · 57 citations

• Sociology
• Medicine
• Environmental health

BACKGROUND: Epidemics and other complex emergencies historically have had a disproportionate impact on women and girls, increasing their vulnerability to gender-based violence (GBV). The COVID-19 pandemic has been no different, with reports of rising cases of GBV emerging worldwide. Already a significant problem in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa, GBV in these countries has been exacerbated by government restrictions intended to contain the spread of COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the availability of GBV prevention and response services from the perspective of the organizations that provide them. METHODS: A cross-sectional online survey of people who work in GBV prevention and response in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa was administered from July to October 2020. A convenience sample was identified through web search, contacts of in-country consultants, and relevant listservs and technical working groups. Descriptive analyses were completed using SPSS. RESULTS: A total of 187 respondents completed the survey. Nearly all (98.9%) survey respondents reported that COVID-19 impacted their work. The majority (77.9%) stated that work decreased due to government restrictions or GBV services being deemed non-essential. The types of service most impacted were community-based prevention, shelters, and legal services. Survey respondents overwhelmingly agreed (99.3%) that COVID-19 impacted GBV prevalence and identified adolescents and women with disabilities as particularly vulnerable groups. CONCLUSIONS: GBV prevention and response services in Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa were highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to government restrictions and the failure of governments to deem GBV services as essential. Preparedness for future crises should ensure that GBV is adequately prioritized in the initial response in order to maintain service availability with special attention paid to at-risk populations.

COVID-19 and gender-based violence (GBV): hard-to-reach women and girls, services, and programmes in Kenya

Gender & Development · 2021 · 46 citations

• Computer Security
• Business
• Environmental health

Pandemics and government-imposed restrictions to control them, such as quarantines and school closures, exacerbate gender-based inequalities and increases exposure of women and girls to gender-based violence (GBV). The impacts of these adverse outcomes are further heightened due to diminished access to comprehensive GBV services, as governments redirect resources towards the emergency and deprioritise services such as GBV. Early reports suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic is no different, with GBV surging as governments imposed restrictive policies. In response, we conducted a rapid study in Kenya and interviewed 37 GBV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) stakeholders from different sectors and types of organisations to understand how COVID-19 containment polices were impacting harder-to-reach women and girls, as well as availability and access to services and programmes. As the Government of Kenya imposed restrictive policies to contain the spread of COVID-19, comprehensive GBV services were not deemed essential in the beginning. The government turned its attention to GBV only after reports of rising GBV in the early months of the pandemic led to advocacy by GBV stakeholders. Even then, the government's response was ad hoc, and lacking sector-specific guidelines to ensure availability of comprehensive GBV services and programmes. Ultimately, this led to confusion and large-scale disruption in the availability of GBV services and programmes on the ground. Kenyan women and girls will pay the price of this negligence, and some may never fully recover from experienced adverse outcomes.

The impacts of violence against women on choice and agency: Evidence from Ghana and Pakistan

Women s Studies International Forum · 2021-10-13 · 17 citations

This article presents unique data on the economic and social impacts of Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) in development contexts. The article draws on quantitative and qualitative data from over 5120 women in Ghana (2066 respondents) and Pakistan (3054 respondents) collected between 2016 and 2018 to assess the impacts on productivity, primarily through presenteeism and absenteeism, in paid and unpaid work due to a range of forms of VAWG. Going beyond traditional approaches that consider only the economic costs of violence, the article further considers the intangible costs to social reproduction experienced by women, families and communities due to VAWG. In particular, the article illuminates the link between violence and restrictions on women's agency that mediates many of the reproductive impacts and identifies avenues for future research to deepen knowledge on how violence translates into widespread economic and social costs through its negative impacts on productivity and reproductivity.

A couple-based gender transformative intervention to enhance women’s participation in household decision-making: results from a cluster randomised control trial in Ibadan, Nigeria

Development in Practice · 2021-08-17 · 13 citations

Women’s empowerment is recognised as an important strategy to foster gender equality. Its achievement requires an approach that targets normative and structural drivers of gender inequality. Nigerian women continue to face socio-economic challenges and are unable to exercise their agency within their homes. We evaluated a cluster-randomised control trial that aimed to increase women’s household decision-making by working with couples in three critical areas: spousal relations, and financial and reproductive decision-making. The trend overall suggested gains in some domains of decision-making but the results were mixed. More research is needed for improved context-specific measurement of decision-making as well as programme adaptation.

Ideation and intention to use contraceptives in Kenya and Nigeria

UNC Libraries · 2021-07-01

BACKGROUND Contraceptive use remains low to moderate in most African countries. Ideation, or the ideas and views that people hold, has been advanced as a possible explanation for differences in contraceptive use within and across countries. OBJECTIVES In this paper, we sought to identify the relevant dimensions of ideation and assess how these dimensions relate to contraceptive use intentions in two illustrative countries, Kenya and Nigeria. METHODS Using factor analysis, we first identified the relevant dimensions of ideation from a set of cognitive, emotional, and social interaction items. Subsequently, we examined the relationships of these dimensions with intention to use contraceptives. RESULTS The data revealed four dimensions of contraceptive ideation in both countries: perceived self-efficacy, myths and rumors related to contraceptives, social interactions and influence, and contraceptive awareness. All four dimensions of ideation are strongly associated with contraceptive use intention in Nigeria. Only perceived self-efficacy was significantly associated with contraceptive use intention in Kenya. CONCLUSION The ideation model is relevant for contraceptive use research and programing. Programs seeking to increase contraceptive use and help women to attain their desired family size should prioritize promotion of contraceptive self-efficacy. In addition, in countries with low contraceptive prevalence, programs should seek to identify ways to correct prevailing myths and rumors, increase contraceptive awareness, and promote positive social interactions around contraceptive use.