Association between intimate partner violence and utilisation of maternal health services in Nigeria

This study examines the relationship between intimate partner violence and utilisation of maternal healthcare services. Data was extracted from the 2008 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. Data were analysed using the STATA. Results show that: 15.6% of the women have ever experienced at least one type of physical violence; 4.1% of the women have ever experienced at least one type of sexual violence; and 22.4% of the women have ever experienced at least one type of emotional violence. The logistic regression show that women who have ever experienced emotional violence were: 24.2% less likely to utilise skilled antenatal care (OR=0.7578,p<0.001); 36.0% less likely to have facility delivery (OR= 0.6399,p<0.001); and 37.3% less likely to have skilled assistance during delivery (OR=0.6272,p<0.001). The study suggested the need for a special public health programme that will focus on persons entering into marital unions at adolescence.

Drivers of Unmet Need for Family Planning among Women of Advanced Reproductive Age in Urban Western Africa

Studies have examined unmet need for family planning among urban women in a number of countries, but women of advanced reproductive age have not been explicitly examined. This chapter examined drivers of unmet need for family planning among urban women of advanced reproductive age in selected West African countries. Data were extracted from individual recode of the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) implemented in the selected countries. The study analysed weighted sample sizes of 800 women in Guinea, 4928 women in Nigeria and 1253 women in the Gambia. The outcome variable was unmet need for family planning. Key explanatory variables are sets of individual and community characteristics. Three multilevel logistic regression models were fitted using Stata 12. Results showed that among urban women of advanced reproductive age, unmet need for limiting was dominant. Results further revealed that individual and community characteristics significantly drive variations in unmet need for family planning in the studied countries. Urban interventions to reduce unmet need for family planning in West African countries should target women of advanced reproductive age

Spousal violence and pregnancy termination among married women in Nigeria

Background: In Nigeria, the relationship between spousal violence and pregnancy termination had not been adequately explored. Objectives: To assess the prevalence of spousal violence, and examine the relationship between spousal violence and pregnancy termination. Methods: Data on spousal violence among ever married women was extracted from the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. The outcome variable is pregnancy termination. The explanatory variables were the type of spousal violence experienced by the women in the last 12 months preceding the survey. Descriptive statistical analysis and binary logistic regression were applied using stata version 12. Results: Results show that 13.8% of women had ever terminated pregnancy; 19.9% had ever experienced at least one type of spousal violence; and women who had ever terminated pregnancy had higher prevalence of all types of spousal violence. Women who had ever experienced spousal physical violence were 9% more likely to experience pregnancy termination (OR=1.09; CI: 1.03-2.86); and women who had ever experienced spousal emotional violence were 33% more likely to experience pregnancy termination (OR=1.33; CI: 0.97-1.95). Conclusions: Spousal violence is significantly related to pregnancy termination. Improving women\u2019s sexual and reproductive health in the country requires fresh initiatives that address spousal violence to further reduce women\u2019s exposure to pregnancy termination

Factors influencing contraceptive use and non-use among women of advanced reproductive age in Nigeria

Background: Factors influencing contraceptive use and non-use among women of advanced reproductive age have been insufficiently researched in Nigeria. This study examines factors influencing contraceptive use and non-use among women of advanced reproductive age in Nigeria. Methods: Secondary data were pooled and extracted from 2008 and 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS). The weighted sample size was 14,450 women of advanced reproductive age. The dependent variable was current contraceptive use. The explanatory variables were selected socio-demographic characteristics and three control variables. Analyses were performed using Stata version 12. Multinomial logistic regression was applied in four models. Results: Majority of the respondents are not using any method of contraceptive; the expected risk of using modern contraceptive relative to traditional method reduces by a factor of 0.676 for multiparous women (rrr = 0.676; CI: 0.464\u20130.985); the expected risk of using modern contraceptive relative to traditional method reduces by a factor of 0.611 for women who want more children (rrr = 0.611; CI: 0.493\u20130.757); the relative risk for using modern contraceptive relative to traditional method increases by a factor of 1.637 as maternal education reaches secondary education (rrr = 1.637; CI: 1.173\u20132.285); the relative risk for using modern contraceptive relative to traditional method increases by a factor of 1.726 for women in richest households (rrr = 1.726; CI: 1.038\u20132.871); and the expected risk of using modern contraceptive relative to traditional method increases by a factor of 1.250 for southern women (rrr = 1.250; CI: 1.200\u20131.818). Conclusions: Socio-demographic characteristics exert more influence on non-use than modern contraceptive use. The scope, content and coverage of existing BCC messages should be extended to cover the contraceptive needs and challenges of women of advanced reproductive age in the country

Drivers of transactional sexual relationships among students in a Nigerian University: implications for elimination of reproductive rights violation

Background: The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence and drivers of transactional sex in a Nigerian University.Methods: Data was collected through Mobile Data Collection platform (Google form). The dependent variable was transactional sex. The independent variables are self-reported household wealth group, gender, current age, marital status, age at sexual debut, family structure, consumption of alcohol, and use of psychoactive drugs. Two binary logistic regression models were fitted.Results: The prevalence of transactional sex was 23.85%. The odds of transactional sex were higher among females (OR=1.642, 95% CI: 1.499-1.799) and older students, but lower among undergraduates who were 18 years or older at the time of first intercourse (OR=0.842, 95% CI: 0.764-0.927). Results further revealed that while being from richest household wealth group (OR=0.587, 95% CI: 0.486-0.710) and being from a nuclear family structure (OR=0.446, 95% CI: 0.213-0.933) lowers the odds of transactional sex, the use of psychoactive drugs and alcoholic consumption increased the likelihood of transactional sex among undergraduates.Conclusions: The drivers of transactional sex in tertiary institutions in Nigeria are age, age at sexual debut, family structure, use of psychoactive drugs and alcoholic consumption. Promoting responsible sexual behaviour of undergraduates is imperative in the country

Sexual satisfaction and associated individual factors among midlife and older people in Ile-Ife, Southwest Nigeria: implications for sexual and reproductive health

Background: Studies in Nigeria have rarely documented the prevalence and associated factors of sexual satisfaction among the midlife and older persons as a special group of underserved population in the country. This study investigates the prevalence and individual associated factors of sexual satisfaction among the midlife and older people in Ile-Ife, Southwest Nigeria.Methods: A sample size of 404 was analysed in the study. The outcome variable was sexual satisfaction. The explanatory variables are sets of individual and relational characteristics. Data were analysed using Stata 14. Bivariable and multivariable binary logistic regression models were estimated.Results: Findings reveal 42.0% level of sexual satisfaction. Higher educational attainment (AOR=0.864, p<0.01; 95% CI: 0.841-0.886), longer length of marriage (AOR=0.931, p<0.01; 95% CI: 0.912-0.950), remarriage (AOR=0.536, p<0.01; 95% CI: 0.387-0.742), economic inactivity (AOR=0.456, p<0.01; 95% CI: 0.322-0.646) reduces the odds of sexual satisfaction while absence of serious health challenges (AOR=2.742, p<0.01; 95% CI: 1.594-4.716) and spousal high wealth level (AOR=1.038, p<0.01; 95% CI: 1.017-1.059) increase the odds of sexual satisfaction.Conclusions: Individual characteristics of midlife and older men and women are significantly associated with their sexual satisfaction. These characteristics should be targeted in a special programme focusing on midlife and older persons in Nigeria.

Does Having a Living Child Increase Women’s Risk of Intimate Partner Violence? Evidence from 2008- 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys

This study examined the relationship between number of living children and intimate partner violence. This was with the view to ascertaining whether having living children or not having a living child was associated with increased risk of intimate partner violence among currently married women in Nigeria. The study analyzed data from 2008-2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys. The binary logistic regression was applied. Results showed that women who had two or more living children were 20.5% more likely to experience intimate partner violence compared with women who had no living child (OR=1.205; CI: 0.993-1.461). The study concluded that having living children increase women’s risk of intimate partner violence in Nigeria. Women experiencing intimate partner violence should seek psychosocial counselling to reduce the incidence of intimate partner violence that may arise from childbearing

Improving postnatal checkups for mothers in West Africa: A multilevel analysis

This study examined multilevel factors related to postnatal checkups for mothers in selected West African countries. The study analyzed data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for five West African countries: Sierra Leone (2013), Cote d’Ivoire (2012), Guinea (2012), Niger (2012), and Liberia (2013). The weighted sample sizes were 2125 (Cote d’Ivoire), 2908 (Guinea), 1905 (Liberia), 5660 (Niger), and 3754 (Sierra Leone). The outcome variable was maternal postnatal checkups. The explanatory variables were community and individual/household characteristics. With the use of Stata 12, the chi-square statistic and multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression were applied. More than two-thirds of respondents in Guinea and Niger did not receive a postnatal checkup after their last birth, while in Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, more than half of respondents received a postnatal checkup after their last childbirth. Community characteristics accounted for the following variations in postnatal checkups: 33.9% (Cote d’Ivoire), 37.2% (Guinea), 27.0% (Liberia), 33.5% (Niger), and 37.2% (Sierra Leone). Community factors thus had important relations to use of postnatal care in West Africa. Interventions targeting more community variables, particularly community education and poverty, may further improve postnatal care in West Africa

Polygyny and Resources for Empowerment and Equality in Anglo-Phone West Africa: Implications for Childbearing and Women’s Well-Being

In West Africa, polygyny remained a common type of marriage. However, in spite of numerous studies exploring polygyny, the relationship between polygyny and access to resources for empowerment and equality is not well-ascertained in West Africa. This study addresses this gap by raising the question: to what extent does polygyny explains access to resources for empowerment and equality among married women? Data were extracted from 2013 Demographic and Health Surveys in The Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra-Leone. The outcome variable is access to resources for empowerment and equality measured by access to education, employment and barriers to accessing health care. The key explanatory variable is type of marriage with specific attention to polygyny. Multivariate multiple regression was applied using Stata 12. Results showed that polygyny was negatively associated with access to education in the studied countries; positively associated with access to employment in the studied countries; and negatively associated with access to health in Nigeria and Sierra Leone. It is important to refocus national attention to improving the capabilities of women because economic empowerment will not only improve women’s well-being, it will also translate to the reduction of childbearing pressures among women