Sexual and Reproductive Health Research and Research Capacity Strengthening in Africa: Perspectives from the region.

Developing the capacity to effectively carry out public health research is an integral part of health systems at both the national and global levels and strengthening research capacity is recognized as an approach to better health and development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Especially fields such as sexual and reproductive health (SRH) would require inter-disciplinary teams of researchers equipped with a range of methodologies to achieve this. In November 2013, as part of the International Family Planning Conference in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a group of African researchers came together to discuss the gaps and strategies to improve sexual and reproductive health research and research capacity strengthening in Africa. This commentary summarizes the three broad areas where the issues and proposed solutions have concentrated around: 1) Addressing research gaps that are most relevant to policies and programmes in SRH, 2) Carrying out high quality and collaborative research, and 3) Translating research findings into SRH policies and programmes. Even though the focus of the discussions was Africa, the issues and proposed solutions can also be applied to other regions facing a high burden of disease with limited resources. The time is now and these can be achieved through synergistic commitment of African and global researchers, funders and organization

New paradigm old thinking: the case for emergency obstetric care in the prevention of maternal mortality in Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The continuing burden of maternal mortality, especially in developing countries has prompted a shift in paradigm from the traditional risk assessment approach to the provision of access to emergency obstetric care services for all women who are pregnant. This study assessed the knowledge of maternity unit operatives at the primary and secondary levels of care about the concept of emergency obstetric care (EmOC) and investigated the contents of antenatal care (ANC) counseling services they delivered to clients. It also described the operatives' preferred strategies and practices for promoting safe motherhood and averting maternal mortality in South-west Nigeria.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The study population included all the 152 health workers (doctors, midwives, nurses and community health extension workers) employed in the maternity units of all the public health facilities (n = 22) offering maternity care in five cities of 2 states. Data were collected with the aid of a self-administered, semi-structured questionnaire and non-participant observation checklist. Results were presented using descriptive statistics.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Ninety one percent of the maternity unit staff had poor knowledge concerning the concept of EmOC, with no difference in knowledge of respondents across age groups. While consistently more than 60% of staff reported the inclusion of specific client-centered messages such as birth preparedness and warning/danger signs of pregnancy and delivery in the (ANC) delivered to clients, structured observations revealed that less than a quarter of staff actually did this. Furthermore, only 40% of staff reported counseling clients on complication readiness, but structured observations revealed that no staff did. Only 9% of staff had ever been trained in lifesaving skills (LSS). Concerning strategies for averting maternal deaths, 70% of respondents still preferred the strengthening of routine ANC services in the health facilities to the provision of access to EmOC services for all pregnant women who need it.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We concluded that maternity unit operatives at the primary and secondary care levels in South-west Nigeria were poorly knowledgeable about the concept of emergency obstetric care services and they still prioritized the strengthening of routine antenatal care services based on the risk approach over other interventions for promoting safe motherhood despite a global current shift in paradigm. There is an urgent need to reorientate/retrain the staff in line with global best practices.</p

Participation des hommes à la prise de décision concernant la planification familiale à Ile – Ife, état d&apos;Osun, Nigéria.

This study assessed men&apos;s awareness, attitude, and practice of modern contraceptive methods, determined the level of spousal communication, and investigated the correlates of men&apos;s opinion in family planning decision making in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Quantitative methodology was employed in this cross-sectional descriptive design using a structured household questionnaire to collect information from 402 male study participants. A multistage sampling procedure was employed. Eighty-nine percent of men approved of the use of family planning while only about 11 percent disapproved of it. Eighty percent of men had ever used contraception while 56 percent of them were current users. Spousal communication about family planning and other family reproductive goals was quite poor. The socio-demographic correlates of men&apos;s opinions included religion, marriage type, educational attainment, and occupation (p<0.05). The study concluded that male involvement in family planning decision making was poor and their patronage of family planning services was lowCette étude a évalué la conscience, l&apos;attitude et la pratique chez les hommes à l&apos;égard des méthodes du contraceptif moderne ; elle a déterminé le niveau de la communication conjugale et elle a étudié les corrélats des opinions des hommes par rapport à la prise de décision sur la planification familiale à Ile - Ife, Nigéria. On a utilisé une méthodologie quantitative dans ce modèle descriptif transversal à l&apos;aide d&apos;un questionnaire de ménage pour collecter l&apos;information auprès de 402 sujets males. Nous avons adopté une procedure d&apos;échantillon à plusieurs étapes. Quatre-vingt-neuf pourcent des hommes ont approuvé l&apos;utilisation de la planification familiale alors qu&apos;il n&apos;y avait qu&apos;à peu près 11% qui n&apos;ont pas approuvé. Quatre-vingt pourcent des hommes ont jamais utilisé la contraception alors que 56% d&apos;eux étaient des utilisateurs actuels. La communication conjugale concernant la planification familiale et d&apos;autres objectifs de reproduction familiale était bien médiocre. Les corrélats sociodémographiques des opinions des hommes comprenaient la religion, le type de mariage, le niveau d&apos;instruction acquise et l&apos;occupation (p<0,05). L&apos;étude a conclu que la participation des hommes à la prise de décision concernant la planification familiale était médiocre et leur patronage est d&apos;un niveau inférieu