Kabiru K. Salami

Willingness to seek HIV testing and counseling among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Ogun State, Nigeria.

HIV counseling and testing (CT) is slowly being introduced as one of several key components of the comprehensive package of HIV/AIDS prevention and care in Nigeria, particularly in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). Across-sectional survey of 804 women attending antenatal clinics (ANC) in Ogun State, Nigeria was done using questionnaires to assess their willingness to seek and undergo CT and know the determinants. Focus group discussions were also held in the general community: 84.3% of respondents believed in AIDS reality, while 24.3% thought they were at risk of HIV infection. Only 27% knew about MTCT, while 69.7% of 723 who had heard of HIV/AIDS did not know about CT. Only 71 (8.8%) had thought about CT and 33 (4.5%) mentioned HIV testing as one of antenatal tests. After health education on CT, 89% of the women expressed willingness to be tested. Their willingness for CT was positively associated with education (p < 0.05), ranging from 77% (no education) to 93% (post-secondary). More of those with self-perceived risk expressed willingness to test for HIV (p < 0.05). Those willing to be tested had a higher knowledge score on how HIV spreads than those not willing. Multiple regressions identified four key factors that were associated with willingness for CT: increasing educational level; not fearing a blood test; perception that the clinic offered privacy; and perceptions of higher levels of social support from relatives and peers. Those unwilling or undecided about CT expressed strong fear of social stigma/rejection if tested positive. The results provided insights for planning promotional programs and showed that not only are IEC efforts needed to boost knowledge about HIV/AIDS, but that change in clinic setting and community are imperative in creating supportive environment to encourage uptake of CT services.

Relative Height and Weight among Children and Adolescents of Rural Southwestern Nigeria

Background: There are few data describing the relative height and weight patterns of children and adolescents in rural Nigeria, despite a prevalence of stunting of over 38% among children younger than 5 years. Aim: The present study documented the height and weight patterns relative to international standards among children and adolescents aged 5–20 years in rural Nigeria. Subjects and methods: Children 5–20 years of age were enrolled from two rural villages. Height and weight were measured; body composition was estimated using bioelectrical impedance analysis. z-scores and centiles for height and body mass index were calculated; prevalences of low relative height (i.e.>2 standard deviations below mean for age and sex) and weight by sex and age were estimated. Results: A total of 623 participants (326 male and 297 female) were enrolled. The mean height-for-age z-score for males younger than 19 years was –2.1 and prevalence of low relative height was 50%. Among females, the mean height-for-age z-score was –1.2 during adolescence; only 15% of adolescent females were of low relative height. Based on BMI-for-age, 37% of the adolescent males and 23% of females were underweight. No children or adolescents were overweight based on BMI-for-age. Conclusions: Low relative height and underweight occur in a large proportion of children and adolescents in rural Nigeria, with the lowest relative heights and weights occurring in mid-adolescence and among males.

Stress and Coping among Mothers of Twins in Rural Southwestern Nigeria

High rates of twinning have been reported in Africa. This study sought to learn whether mothers of twins experience different stress levels than those who have only singletons. Both twin mothers (101) and singleton mothers (101) were interviewed. Using a scale of 15 stressors the researchers found that the mean stress score was significantly higher for twin mothers than singleton mothers. Higher stress scores were also associated with parity and perceptions of problems in caring for children and inversely related to perceived levels of social support. Confronting stressors or simply accepting them were the two main ways that mothers coped with their problems.

Knowledge and perception of HIV/AIDS among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in Ogun State, Nigeria

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) is responsible for more than 90% of the cases of HIV infection in infants and children in sub-Saharan Africa. Accurate data on the knowledge and perceptions of HIV/AIDS among women attending antenatal clinics in Nigeria are scarce. A cross-sectional survey of 804 women attending antenatal clinics in Ogun State, South-West Nigeria was done using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Approximately 90% of the women respondents had heard of HIV/AIDS, but only about 27% knew HIV could be transmitted from mother to child; of those, almost 94% believed in the reality of HIV disease; in contrast, the majority (64%) believed they were not at risk of HIV infection, and a slightly greater proportion (70%) did not understand the benefits of voluntary HIV counselling and testing (VCT). Nonetheless, almost 90% of respondents were willing to know their status following health education about VCT. Those that were older, attending public hospitals, and with a higher level of education had more knowledge and better perceptions about HIV. The results suggest an urgent need for public health education on HIV/AIDS and the benefits of VCT to control MTCT, particularly targeting young women and those with little or no education.

Ethnic variations in health-seeking behaviours and attitudes between Fulani herders and Oruba farmers in southwestern Nigeria

Rural Yoruba and Fulani residents of two local governments in Oyo State, Nigeria, were surveyed to determine differences in health-seeking behaviour. Fulani residents were more likely to use private facilities during a recent illness, while Yoruba residents more commonly used government facilities: a fact reflected in the overall attitudes of those surveyed. The need for greater outreach and involvement of minority populations is recommended to enhance public service utilization.

Migrant Farm Workers in Southwestern Nigeria: Implications for HIV Transmission

Migration of labor is an international phenomenon, but is especially pronounced within the West African region. Such migration is also known to be associated with the spread of sexually transmitted infections and HIV. Farmers in southwestern Nigeria increasingly depend on migrant farm workers (MFWs) as the traditional source of farm labor, their children are seeking further education and urban employment. This study documented a population of 482 MFWs within the Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State, a number less than 1% of the total population, which is primarily Yoruba. A sample of 244 was interviewed. Three types of MFWs were found: labor team leaders, their apprentices, and independent migrants. Slightly over half were from Nigeria, primarily from Kogi and Benue States in what is referred to as the middle belt of the country. Benue has the highest HIV prevalence in the country. Non-Nigerians came from neighboring Benin Republic and Togo. Their ages ranged from 14–46 years, with a mean of 31. Most were paid at the end of the harvest, though some received some cash and food from the farmers who hired them. The most commonly known STIs were AlDS (86%) and gonorrhea (76%). Fifty respondents (20.5%) reported symptoms of an STI in the past year, and few of these were the apprentices. While 199 (82%) had sex before, only 77 (39%) said they had sex in the past month. Most of these (61%) had sex with their wives, and 13 (17%) had sex with multiple partners. Less than half (47%) who had sex with a non-marital partner used a condom. A positive association was found between condom use and the following: STI knowledge, perceived seriousness of STIs, favorable attitudes toward condoms, and self-efficacy perceptions for condom use.

Confusion and personification in Yoruba thought and practice

The paper traces out the place of Èshù – the Yoruba god associated with confusion, the trickster and the messenger of the gods – in the classic sources on Yoruba religion, in a postcolonial play which comments on current politics, in the formulations of Christianity and Islam, and from fieldwork on present ideas and practices of the people of two towns in Western Nigeria. It works particularly closely on the place of Èshù in the causation, diagnosis and treatment of the condition known as dàrú, disturbance or confusion, which can apply to many levels of being from the mind to the body to relationships.

Unmet social needs and teenage pregnancy in Ogbomosho, South-western Nigeria

BACKGROUND Consistent high teenage pregnancy rates in South-western Nigeria are characteristically underpinned by the unmet social needs of the teenagers. OBJECTIVE To elicit intergenerational views on the influence of unmet social needs on teenage pregnancy. METHODS Through a descriptive and cross-sectional design, a total of 174 respondents who were either pregnant teenagers, teenage mothers during the survey or had been pregnant as teenagers, were interviewed, using questionnaire supplemented with 12 key informant interviews. RESULTS With the mean age of 16.5 years, and educational status range of between primary and below (25.8%) and tertiary (9.8%) levels, only 39.7% respondents were married, about half (47.7%) remained single while others were separated (12.6%). Less than half (44.9%) of the respondents were engaged in occupational activities. The unmet material and financial supports expected from parents (43.1%), the lack of free education from government up till secondary school level (51.2%), the lack of sex education and knowledge needs for signs of maturity (53.4%) and discouragement from friends not to have boyfriend (66.1%) prone teenagers to unplanned pregnancy. CONCLUSION Promotion of sexual education and parental care is encouraged as strategy against unplanned pregnancy among teenagers.

Consumer Response and Satisfaction to Prepackaged Antimalarial Drugs for Children in ABA, Nigeria

In July 2003, a consortium of three USAID partners launched a project to promote the correct use of color-coded, age-specific, prepackaged drugs (PPDs) to treat malaria promptly in preschool-aged children in Aba, Abia State, Nigeria. A 3-pronged promotional approach included training of patent medicine vendors (PMVs), home visits by community health promoters, and mass media. Five hundred seventy respondents were interviewed in February–March 2004. People heard about the PPDs from medicine sellers (33.4%), health workers (24.3%), the electronic mass media (18.4%), and friends or relatives (13.5%). Most children (81.1%) took Robaquine (chloroquine—CQ), while 108 (18.9%) took Fansidar (sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine—SP). The median amount paid for Robaquine was x50 (

Planning Health Education: Internet and Computer Resources in Southwestern Nigeria

0.36) and for Fansidar, x80 (