International Public Health Commons^™

Providers' And Key Opinion Leaders' Attitudes, Beliefs, And Practices Regarding Emergency Contraception In Nigeria: Key Findings, Babatunde A.O. Ahonsi, Salisu Mohammed Ishaku, Araoyinbo Idowu, Ayodeji Oginni

Reproductive Health

This brief reports on a study in Nigeria to document provider attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding emergency contraception (ECP), and to identify key opinion leaders’ opinions and insights pertaining to policy and programmatic issues in that country. Findings reveal that ECP is well known in urban Nigeria. Its provision is controlled mainly by the largely unregulated and unmonitored private sector. Government plays a distant role, thereby leaving family planning and ECP supply almost entirely in the hands of donor agencies. For wider availability and affordability of ECP products in both the private and public sectors, official policy action is required, …

Providers' And Key Opinion Leaders' Attitudes, Beliefs, And Practices Concerning Emergency Contraception: A Multicountry Study In India, Nigeria, And Senegal, Martha Brady, M.E. Khan, Babatunde A.O. Ahonsi, Babacar Mane, Ian Askew, Saumya Ramarao

Reproductive Health

The Population Council conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, multicountry study in India, Nigeria, and Senegal aimed at understanding the attitudes, beliefs, and practices of providers and key opinion leaders (KOLs) regarding the provision and use of emergency contraception (ECP). The overarching goal of this study was to investigate and document providers’ attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding ECP, and to capture the opinions and insights of providers and KOLs on a range of policy and program issues. Findings indicate that many provider-related barriers can be overcome through implementation of targeted interventions such as training and values clarification, whereas other barriers will require …

Country Mapping: Nigeria, Salisu Mohammed Ishaku, Saumya Ramarao

Reproductive Health

The Population Council conducted a three-year acceptability study of the progesterone vaginal ring (PVR) in three sub-Saharan African countries. This technical report presents results from Nigeria, laying out the country’s demographics and high fertility rates; describing the family planning program and policy context; and, finally, revealing the stakeholder support thus far with a discussion on how best to proceed with introduction activities. This country mapping confirms the likelihood that the PVR would be well received in Nigeria and fill a large need in family planning. The PVR is a safe, long-acting, user-controlled product that can be easily inserted and removed …

Hiv Integrated Biological And Behavioural Surveillance Survey (Ibbss) 2010, Federal Ministry Of Health

HIV and AIDS

This report by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health highlights the findings of an integrated biological and behavioral surveillance survey (IBBSS) in Nigeria among groups whose behaviors or occupations often place them at higher risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. The main objectives of the study were to assess the knowledge and beliefs of high-risk groups about STI and HIV, determine the prevalence of HIV infection among these groups, and obtain data that will permit identification of trends over time. Since the 2007 IBBSS survey report, a considerable number of interventions have commenced among the study groups.

Prevalence Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Men Who Have Sex With Men And Injecting Drug Users And Validation Of Audio Computer-Assisted Self Interview (Acasi) Technique In Abuja, Lagos, And Ibadan, Nigeria: Technical Report, Enhancing Nigeria's Hiv/Aids Response (Enr) Programme

HIV and AIDS

Most-at-risk populations (MARPS), including men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDUs), represent 1 percent of Nigeria’s population yet account for 38 percent of new HIV infections. Despite their elevated risk, MSM and IDUs are less likely than the general population to access HIV prevention and sexual health services because of stigmatization. There is a dearth of data on prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among MSM and IDUs because their behaviors make them difficult to be reached programmatically and engaged in research. While the need for HIV and STI prevalence data is clear, …

Prevalence Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Men Who Have Sex With Men And Injecting Drug Users And Validation Of Audio Computer-Assisted Self Interview (Acasi) Technique In Abuja, Lagos, And Ibadan, Nigeria: Report Fact Sheet, Enhancing Nigeria's Hiv/Aids Response (Enr) Programme

HIV and AIDS

Most-at-risk populations (MARPS), including men who have sex with men (MSM) and injecting drug users (IDUs), represent only 1 percent of Nigeria’s population yet account for 38 percent of new HIV infections. Despite their elevated risk, MSM and IDUs are less likely than the general population to access HIV prevention and sexual health services because of stigmatization. There is a dearth of data on prevalence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among MSM and IDUs because their behaviors make them difficult to be reached programmatically and engaged in research. While the need for HIV and STI prevalence data is …

Culturally-Adapted And Audio-Technology Assisted Hiv/Aids Awareness And Education Program In Rural Nigeria: A Cohort Study, Ighovwerha Ofotokun, Jose Nilo G. Binongo, Eli S. Rosenberg, Michael Kane, Rick Ifland, Jeffrey L. Lennox, Kirk A. Easley

Faculty Articles

Background: HIV-awareness programs tailored toward the needs of rural communities are needed. We sought to quantify change in HIV knowledge in three rural Nigerian villages following an integrated culturally adapted and technology assisted educational intervention.

Methods: A prospective 14-week cohort study was designed to compare short-term changes in HIV knowledge between seminar-based education program and a novel program, which capitalized on the rural culture of small-group oral learning and was delivered by portable digital-audio technology.

Results: Participants were mostly Moslem (99%), male (53.5%), with no formal education (55%). Baseline HIV knowledge was low (< 80% correct answers for 9 of the 10 questions). Knowledge gain was higher (p < 0.0001 for 8 of 10 questions) in the integrated culturally adapted and technology-facilitated (n = 511) compared with the seminar-based (n = 474) program.

Conclusions: Baseline HIV-awareness was low. Culturally …

The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data To Identify And Reach The Most Vulnerable Young People—Nigeria 2008, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

“The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data to Identify and Reach the Most Vulnerable Young People: Nigeria 2008” is part of a series of Population Council guides that draw principally on data from the Demographic and Health Surveys to provide decisionmakers at all levels—from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and advocacy groups—with evidence on the situation of adolescent girls and boys and young women aged 10–24 years. The data are presented in graphs, tables, and maps (wherever possible), providing multiple formats to make the information accessible to a range of audiences. Section I is the Foreword. Section II offers brief technical notes specific …

The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data To Identify And Reach The Most Vulnerable Young People—Nigeria 2003, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

“The Adolescent Experience In-Depth: Using Data to Identify and Reach the Most Vulnerable Young People: Nigeria 2003” is part of a series of Population Council guides that draw principally on data from the Demographic and Health Surveys to provide decisionmakers at all levels—from governments, nongovernmental organizations, and advocacy groups—with evidence on the situation of adolescent girls and boys and young women aged 10–24 years. The data are presented in graphs, tables, and maps (wherever possible), providing multiple formats to make the information accessible to a range of audiences. Section I is the Foreword. Section II offers brief technical notes specific …

The Hiv/Aids Prevention Project For Vulnerable Youth In Northern Nigeria: Community Advocates Training Manual, Population Council, Adolescent Health And Information Projects, Federation Of Muslim Women's Associations In Nigeria, Islamic Education Trust

HIV and AIDS

This Community Advocates training manual contains a curriculum developed by the Population Council, Nigeria, under the HIV Prevention Project for Vulnerable Youth in Northern Nigeria funded by USAID/Nigeria. The curriculum was developed as a tool for training community advocates in conducting advocacy activities on the issues of early marriage, HIV/AIDS, and reproductive health. The curriculum aims to improve knowledge and strengthen the skills of community representatives from the northern region of Nigeria so they can openly discuss sensitive issues relating to HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and marriage. Designed to be adapted or implemented as written, the curriculum is based on the …

The Experience Of Married Adolescent Girls In Northern Nigeria, Annabel Erulkar, Mairo Bello

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Programs for young people in sub-Saharan Africa have been directed largely toward unmarried adolescents, neglecting the fact that a large proportion of adolescents—especially girls—are married in some settings. Early marriage is a common feature of girls’ adolescence in Northern Nigeria, yet few programs are in place to support this sizable and vulnerable group. To suggest directions for future programming, Adolescent Health and Information Projects (AHIP) and the Population Council examined the lives of married and unmarried girls in two geopolitical regions of Nigeria, North West and North East. The study, as described in this report, consisted of secondary analysis of …

Facts About Adolescents From The Demographic And Health Survey—Statistical Tables For Program Planning: Nigeria 2003, Population Council

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The Population Council initiated its work on adolescents in the mid-1990s. At that time, those advocating greater attention to adolescent issues were concerned about adolescent fertility—particularly outside of marriage—and adolescent “risk-taking” behavior. As an international scientific organization with its mandate centered around the needs of developing countries, the Council sought a more nuanced and context-specific understanding of the problems confronting adolescents in the developing world. In working with colleagues inside and outside the Council, it became clear that information on adolescents, and the way data are organized, were limiting the ability to understand the diversity of their experiences or to …

My Father Didn't Think This Way': Nigerian Boys Contemplate Gender Equality, Françoise Girard

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

One of the lessons emerging from adolescent programs around the world is the need to create settings where young men can question things that are often seen as unquestionable, such as what it means to be a man. This issue explores the Conscientizing Male Adolescents (CMA) program in Nigeria which, unlike many programs targeting adolescent boys that emphasize short-term activities aimed at preventing disease and unwanted pregnancy, is a long-term program focusing on sexism and critical-thinking skills. An initial evaluation indicates that such programs affirm that we do know how to engage young men, and that historically reinforced gender attitudes …

« Mon Père Pensait Autrement » : Des Garçons Nigérians Réfléchissent À L'Égalité Entre Les Sexes, Françoise Girard

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

L’une des leçons émergeant des programmes pour adolescents dans le monde entier concerne la nécessité de créer des cadres où les jeunes hommes peuvent remettre en question ce qui est souvent considéré comme incontestable, par exemple ce que signifie « être un homme ». Ce numéro décrit le programme nigérian « Conscientiser les adolescents de sexe masculin » (CMA, Conscientizing Male Adolescents). Contrairement à beaucoup de programmes visant les adolescents de sexe masculin, qui mettent l’accent sur des activités à court terme destinées à prévenir la maladie et les grossesses non désirées, le modèle proposé par CMA est un programme …

What About Us? Bringing Infertility Into Reproductive Health Care, Okonofua Friday, Bishakha Datta

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Infertility is a major reproductive health problem throughout much of the world. Despite the prevalence and seriousness of infertility, the population and reproductive health field has largely neglected this problem. National policies and international donor organizations have been one-sided in their focus on programs designed to prevent unwanted pregnancies. This issue of Quality/Calidad/Qualité, with clinic-based narratives and case reports from India and Nigeria, illustrates what is involved in trying to address the problem of infertility in developing countries. A possible framework for incorporating limited infertility care into a family planning or reproductive health program includes providing education and counseling, preliminary …

Women's Experiences Of Unwanted Pregnancy And Induced Abortion In Nigeria, Friday E. Okonofua, Clifford Odimegwu, Bisi Aina, Patrick H. Daru, Agnes Johnson

Reproductive Health

A population-based study was conducted to determine the prevalence and pattern of abortion use among women in two communities of Nigeria. The results show a high frequency of reports of unwanted pregnancy and induced abortion among the women. Furthermore they suggest that detailed information can be obtained on abortion in areas with restrictive laws if a sensitive approach to interviewing is adopted. The results presented in this report have implications as the Nigerian government begins designing a set of realistic policies and programs to address the high rate of morbidity and mortality associated with induced abortion in that country. The …

Prevention Of Morbidity And Mortality From Induced And Unsafe Abortion In Nigeria, Friday E. Okonofua, Toun Ilumoka

Reproductive Health

These proceedings are from a seminar organized by the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology, and Perinatology, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife (Nigeria) in collaboration with the Population Council. The primary purpose of the multidisciplinary seminar was to identify the determinants of the high rate of mortality and morbidity from unsafe abortion in Nigeria. The specific objectives were: 1) to identify measures that could be undertaken on a short- and long-term basis to reduce the rate of abortion-related mortality, and 2) to set an agenda for research into abortion in Nigeria. The seminar consisted of oral presentations on related topics by researchers and …