Suchergebnisse

This is an exploratory study to examine the social and cultural determinants of the teaching of HIV/AIDS sex education among secondary school teachers in Eastern Nigeria. The research analyses how teachers perceive passing their knowledge of HIV/AIDS prevention measures to their students in the context of their cultural and social norms, which restrict open discussion of sex. This is a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews with 60 teachers drawn from secondary school teachers in Eastern Nigeria, supplemented with five focus group discussions, and content analysis of teachers' lesson preparatory notes. The findings show a high level knowledge of HIV/AIDS preventive measures among teachers. However, teachers are not passing on this knowledge because of cultural and social inhibitions. In addition, teachers have not been receiving adequate training and motivation on information, education and communication for HIV/AIDS sex education. The situation calls for serious policy intervention.

SummaryThis study is based on a population-based, descriptive questionnaire survey, the objective of which was to elicit the perceptions of women in south-eastern Nigeria on whether possession of economic/household assets by women enhanced their capacity to negotiate reproductive issues with their husbands. The findings show that the respondents believed that possession of economic/household assets by women in their communities might not necessarily increase their negotiation power in their reproductive decision-making. Other factors tend to attenuate the effects of women's possession of economic/household assets on their reproductive bargaining power. Notable among these may be social norms that implicitly arrogate control of the assets owned by the conjugal couple to the man, even when they are bought by the women. Planners of reproductive health intervention projects, policy-makers and researchers need to be aware of such sociocultural specific phenomena, which do not fit with widely held international beliefs.

SummaryThis is a qualitative, descriptive study to explore gender-related factors that influence health seeking for tuberculosis (TB) care by women in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. In-depth interviews based on interview guides were conducted with participants selected through purposive sampling in communities in the state. The results show that gender relations prohibit women from seeking care for symptoms of TB and other diseases outside their community without their husbands' approval. Gender norms on intra-household resource ownership and control divest women of the power to allocate money for health care seeking. Yet, the same norms place the burden of spending on health care for minor illnesses on women, and such repeated, out-of-pocket expenditures on health care at the village level make it difficult for women to save money for use for health care seeking for major illnesses such as TB, which, even if subsidized, still involves hidden costs such as transport fare. The opening hours of TB clinics do not favour their use by most women as they are open when women are usually engaged in income-generating activities. Attending the clinics may therefore entail opportunity costs for many women. People with chronic, infectious diseases such as TB and HIV are generally stigmatized and avoided. Women suffer more stigma and discrimination than men. Stigma and discrimination make women reluctant to seek care for TB until the disease is advanced. Policies and programmes aimed at increasing women's access to TB services should not only take these gender norms that disempower women into explicit consideration but also include interventions to address them. The programmes should integrate flexible opening hours for TB treatment units, including introduction of evening consultation for women. Interventions should also integrate anti-stigma strategies led by the community members themselves.

SummaryThere is a high and increasing proportion of
single-parent families in Jamaica. This has raised
concerns about the potential impact of single-parent
families on the social, cognitive and behavioural
development of children, including their sexual
relationships. The aim of this study was to
investigate the association between being raised in
a single-parent family and age of sexual debut among
young people in Jamaica. The study was
cross-sectional in design, and based on a
multi-stage sampling procedure. The study was
conducted in July/September 2016. The study sample
comprised 233 respondents (110 males and 123
females) aged from 18 to 35 years (mean 26.37 years;
SD 5.46). Respondents completed a self-administered
questionnaire with questions on socio-demographic
characteristics, family structure, sexual debut and
current sexual behaviour. Ninety-seven (41.7%)
respondents grew up in single-parent families. A
total of 201 (86.3%) had had sex (102 males and 99
females). Their mean age of sexual debut was 15.51
years (SD 3.41). Sixty-five (32.3%) had early sexual
debut (<16 years). Respondents from
single-parent families were more likely to have had
early sexual debut (56.9%; n=37)
compared with those from two-parent families (43.1%,
n=28;
p=0.004). Only 44.6%
(n=29) of those who experienced
early sexual debut used a condom during their first
sexual encounter compared with 73%
(n=100) of those who had a later
sexual debut (≥16 years;
p=<0.001). A single-father
family structure was a significant predictor of
early sexual debut (AOR 5.5; 95%CI: 1.1–25.8). The
study found a significant association between
single-parent family structure and age of sexual
debut.

Objective Knowing tuberculosis (TB) patients' satisfaction enables TB program managers to identify gaps in service delivery and institute measures to address them. This study is aimed at evaluating patients' satisfaction with TB services in southern Nigeria. Materials and Methods A total of 378 patients accessing TB care were studied using a validated Patient Satisfaction (PS-38) questionnaire on various aspects of TB services. Factor analysis was used to identify eight factors related to TB patient satisfaction. Test of association was used to study the relation between patient satisfaction scores and patient and health facility characteristics, while multilinear regression analysis was used to identify predictors of patient satisfaction. Results Highest satisfaction was reported for adherence counseling and access to care. Patient characteristics were associated with overall satisfaction, registration, adherence counseling, access to care, amenities, and staff attitude, while health system factors were associated with staff attitude, amenities, and health education. Predictors of satisfaction with TB services included gender, educational status, if tested for HIV, distance, payment for TB services, and level and type of health-care facility. Conclusion Patient- and health system–related factors were found to influence patient satisfaction and, hence, should be taken into consideration in TB service programing.