Contraceptive Use and Its Socio-economic Determinants among Women in North-East and North-West Regions of Nigeria: A Comparative Analysis

This study investigated the socio-economic factors associated with reported contraceptive use by women of reproductive age in northern Nigeria. Bivariate and logistic regression analysis was applied to successive Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS: 1999-2013) data to examine the relationship between reported use of modern contraceptives (the dependent variable) and the socioeconomic status (age, rural-urban residence, education, religion, current work status, marital status, and number of living children) of these women in the north-east (NE) and north-west (NW) geo-political zones (GPZs). The results indicated that women’s socio-economic status were positively associated with use of modern contraceptives in the NW in 1999 (AOR=2.15; 95%CI=1.47, 3.14), 2003 (AOR=1.64; 95%CI=1.30, 2.08) and 2013 (AOR=1.30; 95%CI=1.12, 1.50) and also in the north-east in 2008 (AOR=0.74; 95%CI=0.64, 0.86). Contraceptive use could increase as FP programmes better respond to the socio-economic and cultural circumstances of women in northern Nigeria

Trend and Determinants of Unmet Need for Family Planning Services among Currently Married Women and Sexually Active Unmarried Women Aged 15-49 in Nigeria (2003—2013)

This study examines trend and determinants of unmet need for family planning (FP) among currently married women and sexually active unmarried women of reproductive age 15-49 in Nigeria over a period of 10 years (2003-2013). Data from three consecutive Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (2003, 2008 and 2013) were analyzed. The results show that the unmet need for FP declined between 2008 and 2013 to a level less comparable with the situation in 2003. The significant determinants of unmet need for FP included age, marital status, education, religion, current work status, decision-making on spending personal earnings, gender of household heads, household wealth status, number of living children (including current pregnancy), rural-urban residence, home visit by FP workers and recent exposure to FP messages via mass media. It is therefore necessary that FP programmers continue to develop specific responses that address the barriers to contraceptive use.

Evaluating Health Workers’ Knowledge Following the Introduction of Clinical Mentoring in Jigawa State, Northern Nigeria.

Clinical mentoring is work-based training for the capacity building of health care workers. This study determined if there were benefits and increases in knowledge levels for 33 selected health workers across 5 health facilities in Jigawa State following the introduction of clinical mentoring. Questionnaires were used to determine biodata and knowledge scores of mentored health workers and also key departmental activities before and after a 6 months period of introduction of clinical mentoring. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 20. Over 90% of the 33 mentored health workers showed an increase in their knowledge scores. The mean percentage score of the health workers increased significantly from 56.3 ± 2.1 before the start of clinical mentoring to 74.7 ± 1.7 (p<0.001) six months later. Mortality review meetings were also introduced. This study has shown that clinical mentoring is beneficial for improving the clinical knowledge of mentored health workers. (Afr J Reprod Health 2015; 19[3]: 118-125). Keywords: Health workers, clinical mentoring, capacity building, northern Nigeria Le mentorat clinique est la formation en milieu de travail pour le renforcement des capacités du personnel de la santé. Cette étude a déterminé s’il y avait des avantages et des augmentations dans les niveaux de connaissances pour les 33 membres du personnel de la santé sélectionnés à travers 5 Centres de santé de l'Etat de Jigawa suite à l'introduction de mentorat clinique. Des questionnaires ont été utilisés pour déterminer un curriculum vitae et des notes de connaissances du personnel de la santé qui sont passés par le mentorat et aussi des activités clés du ministère avant et après une période de six mois de l'introduction du mentorat clinique. Les données ont été analysées avec la version SPSS 20. Plus de 90% des 33 des membres du personnel de la santé qui ont subi le mentorat ont montré une augmentation dans leurs scores de connaissance. Le score moyen de pourcentage du personnel de la santé a augmenté considérablement de 56,3 ± 2,1 avant le début de mentorat clinique à 74,7 ± 1,7 (p <0,001) six mois plus tard. Les réunions pour l’examen de la mortalité ont été également introduites. Cette étude a montré que le mentorat clinique est bénéfique pour améliorer la connaissance clinique du personnel de la santé qui a subi le mentorat. (Afr J Reprod Health 2015; 19[3]: 118-125). Mots-clés: personnel de la santé, mentorat clinique, renforcement des capacités, nord du Nigeri

Willingness to pay for contraceptive vaginal rings in Nigeria

During the last two decades, Nigeria’s contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) for modern methods remained at 10 percent, one of the lowest rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Following the renewed global commitments culminating in the 2012 London Summit on Family Planning with promises to reach an additional 120 million new users of modern contraceptives worldwide, Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Health set a new target of raising Nigeria’s CPR to 36 percent by 2018. One way to accomplish this is by meeting the contraceptive needs of women in the immediate postpartum period and beyond. Attention is being focused on making proven contraceptive methods more available and affordable for postpartum use by including newer technologies that are breastfeeding-friendly. The progesterone vaginal ring is an effective method specifically geared for breastfeeding women. For use beyond the postpartum period, an investigational long-acting contraceptive vaginal ring (CVR) is being developed. As a prelude to introducing the rings in sub-Saharan Africa, the Population Council conducted a “Willingness to Pay” study in Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal. This study provides key findings on the maximum consumers are willing to spend for the PVR and CVR in Nigeria

Providers\u27 and key opinion leaders\u27 attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding emergency contraception in Nigeria: Key findings

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, along with increased education of potential users and providers

Landscape analysis of pre-eclampsia/eclampsia in Nigeria

The Population Council’s Ending Eclampsia project, with support from USAID, seeks to expand access to proven, underutilized interventions and commodities for the prevention, early detection, and treatment of pre-eclampsia and eclampsia (PE/E) and to strengthen global partnerships. The Council conducted a landscape analysis on PE/E in Nigeria in 2015. Its main objectives were to understand the level of programmatic and policy support for PE/E prevention and treatment; to analyze gaps in providers’ competence to prevent, detect, and manage PE/E; to determine capacity at primary health facilities to manage PE/E; to assess community awareness, beliefs, and experiences around PE/E; to understand the research conducted on PE/E in the last 15 years; and to determine priority areas for research and programmatic interventions. This landscape report provides highlights of the landscape analysis in Nigeria and suggests priority areas for intervention

Providers\u27 and key opinion leaders\u27 attitudes, beliefs, and practices regarding emergency contraception in Nigeria

Despite significant progress in product development, procurement, and distribution in the past few decades, emergency contraception’s (EC) capacity to benefit many women in countries such as Nigeria is hampered by a number of potential barriers, that are not well understood. The Population Council, with support from the International Consortium for Emergency Contraception, documented EC-related knowledge, attitudes, and practices among providers in Nigeria as well as perceptions of key opinion leaders who help shape the policy environment for EC and family planning in general. Findings suggest significant gaps in Nigeria, potentially necessitating continuous training and re-training to help dispel misperceptions and negative attitudes. In Nigeria, where much of the health infrastructure, facilities, and human resources are controlled by the government, the public sector must play a greater role in providing EC-supportive policies and practices, and in monitoring their implementation

Progesterone vaginal ring: Results of an acceptability study in Nigeria

The progesterone vaginal ring (PVR) is used to extend the contraceptive effectiveness of lactational amenorrhea among breastfeeding women. The PVR was first registered in Chile and Peru in 1998 for use by postpartum women and has since been expanded to other Latin American countries. Previous studies have shown that contraceptive vaginal rings are safe, effective, and well accepted in varied cultural settings. However, the extent to which the ring is acceptable in the sub-Saharan African context is unknown. This study examined the acceptability of the PVR in Nigeria as part of a larger project that was also conducted in Kenya and Senegal. The specific objectives of the study were to assess the factors influencing the acceptability of the method among clients, their partners, providers, community members, and those who were counseled but did not choose the method, to inform future introduction efforts. Findings indicate that women and their partners, as well as family planning service providers, have positive attitudes toward the PVR, which is vital to its acceptance within the larger society

Synthesis of PET-Magnesium Oxide-Chitosan Nanocomposite Membranes for the Dehydration of Natural Gas

Flat thin-film magnesium oxide-chitosan nanocomposite membranes were synthesized with polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and employed for natural gas dehydration. The water vapor permeation was most pronounced with a nanocomposite membrane doped with 0.9 g MgO nanoparticles (NP) as a result of a significant upsurge in the permeability of water vapor in the membrane (0.87). With the increase in MgO NP, large macro-voids are created, substratum pore size, and thickness together with the water vapor permeation were upsurged. The dehydration of natural gas performance of magnesium oxide-chitosan nanocomposite membranes synthesized with PET was enhanced with the increase in MgO NP embedded in the membrane. Though water vapor permeation was restricted by the polyester non-woven material used as a support for the nano composite membranes, as the three membranes did not reach the permeation coefficient of 1. However, the permeation coefficient increased with an increased MgO NP, with three mambrane samples (M1, M2 and M3) having permeation coefficient of 0.763, 0.77 and 0.87 respectively. The gas reduced with an increase MgO NP, with M1, M2 and M3 having 3.46×10−2, 3.17×10−2 and 3.88×10−3 kg/m3 respectively. From the adsorption study, the discrepancy observed between CH4 and vapor with isotherm models was ascribed to the different adsorption behavior of CH4 and vapor on the membrane-active area. The cost of making the membrane cannot be considered as a terminal criterion because most of the cost-effective option is not always the optimum one. The membranes confirmed their suitability for the dehydration of natural gas