Association between mass media exposure and endorsement of HIV-infected female teachers' teaching: insight from 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey.

INTRODUCTION: Ghana recorded 19,931 new annual HIV infections in 2018 translating to 14,181 AIDS-related deaths. Mass media is capable of ensuring the sustainability of initiatives aimed at curbing HIV/AIDS epidemic by reducing HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination. The study aimed at exploring if mass media plays a role in whether HIV-infected female teachers should be allowed to teach in Ghana. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study used women's file of the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). The current study was restricted to 6025 women who had complete information on the variables analysed. Binary Logistic regression was conducted between mass media and the dependent variable whilst controlling for the effect of the significant covariates. The results were presented in odds ratio (OR) and adjusted odds ratio (AOR) at 95% confidence interval (CI). All analyses were carried out using STATA version 14.0. RESULTS: Generally, 51% of the women mentioned that HIV-infected female teachers should be allowed to teach in Ghana. Women who accessed mass media had higher odds of endorsing that HIV-infected female teachersshould be allowed to teach compared to those without access to mass media [AOR = 1.37, CI 1.200-1.555], just as among those  with secondary or higher education compared to those with no formal education [AOR = 1.30, CI 1.102-1.529]. Rural inhabitants had decreased odds of proclaiming that HIV-infected female teachers should be allowed to continue teaching compared with urban residents [AOR = 0.83, CI 0.717-0.957]. CONCLUSIONS: Endorsement of HIV-positive female teachers' continued teaching was associated with access to mass media. This is suggestive that various mass media platforms could help to reach the public with HIV/AIDS-related information, particularly those that touch on stigma and discrimination, which will potentially increase women's knowledge and shape their perceptions about persons living with HIV.

Understanding the determinants of postnatal care uptake for babies: A mixed effects multilevel modelling of 2016-18 Papua New Guinea Demographic and Health Survey.

BACKGROUND: Papua New Guinea (PNG) recorded 22 neonatal deaths out of every 1,000 livebirths in 2019. Some of these deaths are related to complications that arise shortly after childbirth; hence, postnatal care (PNC) utilisation could serve as a surviving strategy for neonates as recommended by the World Health Organisation. National level study on determinants of PNC uptake in PNG is limited. Utilising the Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Model of Human Development, the study aimed at assessing determinants of PNC utilisation for babies by their mothers aged 15-49 in PNG. METHODS: The study used data from the women's file of the 2016-18 PNG Demographic and Health Survey (2016-18 PNGDHS) and a sample of 4,908 women aged 15-49 who had complete information on the variables of interest to the study. Nineteen (19) explanatory variables were selected for the study whereas PNC for babies within first two months after being discharged after birth was the main outcome variable. At 95% confidence interval (95% CI), six multilevel logistic models were built. The Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) was used to assess models' fit. All analyses were carried out using STATA version 14.0. RESULTS: Generally, 31% of the women utilised PNC for their babies. Women with primary education [aOR = 1.42, CI = 1.13-1.78], those belonging to the middle wealth quintile [aOR = 1.42, CI = 1.08-1.87], working class [aOR = 1.28, CI = 1.10-1.49], women who had the four or more ANC visits [aOR = 1.23, CI = 1.05-1.43], those with twins [aOR = 1.83, CI = 1.01-3.29], women who belonged to community of medium literate class [aOR = 1.75, CI = 1.34-2.27] and those of moderate socioeconomic status [aOR = 1.60, CI = 1.16-2.21] had higher odds of seeking PNC for their babies. The odds to seek PNC services for babies reduced among the cohabiting women [aOR = 0.79, CI = 0.64-0.96], those at parity four or more [aOR = 0.77, CI = 0.63-0.93], women who gave birth to small babies [aOR = 0.80, CI = 0.67-0.98] and residents in the Highlands region [aOR = 0.47, CI = 0.36-0.62]. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal education, wealth quintile, occupation, partner's education, ANC visits, marital status, parity, child size at birth, twin status, community literacy and socioeconomic status as well as region of residence were associated with PNC uptake for babies in PNG. Variation in PNC uptake for babies existed from one community/cluster to the other. There is the need to strengthen public health education to increase awareness about the benefits of seeking PNC services for babies among women in PNG. Such programs should consider maternal and community/cluster characteristics in their design.