Female genital mutilation/cutting among girls aged 0-14: evidence from the 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey data.

BACKGROUND: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is considered a social norm in many African societies, with varying prevalence among countries. Mali is one of the eight countries with very high prevalence of FGM/C in Africa. This study assessed the individual and contextual factors associated with female FGM/C among girls aged 0-14 years in Mali. METHODS: We obtained data from the 2018 Mali Demographic and Health Survey. The prevalence of FGM/C in girls was presented using percentages while a multilevel binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to assess the predictors of FGM/C and the results were presented using adjusted odds ratios with associated 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The results indicate that more than half (72.7%, 95% CI = 70.4-74.8) of women in Mali with daughters had at least one daughter who has gone through circumcision. The likelihood of circumcision of girls increased with age, with women aged 45-49 having the highest odds compared to those aged 15-19 (aOR = 17.68, CI = 7.91-31.79). A higher likelihood of FGM/C in daughters was observed among women who never read newspaper/magazine (aOR = 2.22, 95% CI = 1.27-3.89), compared to those who read newspaper/magazine at least once a week. Compared to women who are not circumcised, those who had been circumcised were more likely to have their daughters circumcised (aOR = 53.98, 95% CI = 24.91-117.00). CONCLUSION: The study revealed the age of mothers, frequency of reading newspaper/magazine, and circumcision status of mothers, as factors associated with circumcision of girls aged 0-14 in Mali. It is, therefore, imperative for existing interventions and new ones to focus on these factors in order to reduce FGM/C in Mali. This will help Mali to contribute to the global efforts of eliminating all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation by 2030.

Effectiveness of conditional cash transfers, subsidized child care and life skills training on adolescent mothers' schooling, sexual and reproductive health, and mental health outcomes in Burkina Faso and Malawi: the PROMOTE Project pilot randomized controlled trial protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Girls' and women's health as well as social and economic wellbeing are often negatively impacted by early childbearing. In many parts of Africa, adolescent girls who get pregnant often drop out of school, resulting in widening gender inequalities in schooling and economic participation. Few interventions have focused on education and economic empowerment of adolescent mothers in the region. We aim to conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial in Blantyre (Malawi) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) to examine the acceptability and feasibility of three interventions in improving educational and health outcomes among adolescent mothers and to estimate the effect and cost-effectiveness of the three interventions in facilitating (re)entry into school or vocational training. We will also test the effect of the interventions on their sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and mental health. INTERVENTIONS: The three interventions we will assess are: a cash transfer conditioned on (re)enrolment into school or vocational training, subsidized childcare, and life skills training offered through adolescent mothers' clubs. The life skills training will cover nurturing childcare, SRH, mental health, and financial literacy. Community health workers will facilitate the clubs. Each intervention will be implemented for 12 months. METHODS: We will conduct a baseline survey among adolescent mothers aged 10-19 years (N = 270, per site) enrolled following a household listing in select enumeration areas in each site. Adolescent mothers will be interviewed using a structured survey adapted from a previous survey on the lived experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescents in the two sites. Following the baseline survey, adolescent mothers will be individually randomly assigned to one of three study arms: arm one (adolescent mothers' clubs only); arm two (adolescent mothers' clubs + subsidized childcare), and arm three (adolescent mothers' clubs + subsidized childcare + cash transfer). At endline, we will re-administer the structured survey and assess the average treatment effect across the three groups following intent-to-treat (ITT) analysis, comparing school or vocational training attendance during the intervention period. We will also compare baseline and endline measures of SRH and mental health outcomes. Between the baseline and endline survey, we will conduct a process evaluation to examine the acceptability and feasibility of the interventions and to track the implementation of the interventions. DISCUSSION: Our research will generate evidence that provides insights on interventions that can enable adolescent mothers to continue their education, as well as improve their SRH and mental health. We aim to maximize the translation of the evidence into policy and action through sustained engagement from inception with key stakeholders and decision makers and strategic communication of research findings. Trial registration number AEARCTR-0009115, May 15, 2022.

Adolescents' experience of mistreatment and abuse during childbirth: a cross-sectional community survey in a low-income informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya.

BACKGROUND: Adolescent girls in Africa have poorer maternal health outcomes than older women partly because they are less likely to access antenatal and facility-based delivery care. Mistreatment and abuse of adolescents during facility-based childbirth can further negatively impact their use of maternal healthcare services. Yet studies on this topic are limited. As a result, patterns of mistreatment and abuse, their association with care satisfaction, and the intention to use health facilities for future births or recommend facilities to others are poorly understood. This study estimates the prevalence of mistreatment and abuse of adolescent girls during facility-based childbirth in low-income settlements in an urban area. It also examines whether experiencing mistreatment and abuse during facility-based childbirth is associated with care satisfaction, willingness to recommend the facility to others, and intention to use the facility for subsequent childbirths. METHODS: We used cross-sectional data collected from 491 adolescent mothers recruited through a household listing in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. Girls self-reported their experience of physical and verbal abuse, stigma and discrimination, lack of privacy, detainment (baby or mother detained in the clinic due to inability to pay user fees), neglect and abandonment during childbirth. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise the categorical variables while binary logistic regression models were used to examine the association between experience of mistreatment and abuse and care satisfaction, willingness to recommend the facility to others and intention to use the facility for subsequent childbirths. RESULTS: About one-third of adolescent mothers (32.2%) reported physical abuse, verbal abuse or stigma and discrimination from health providers. 1 in 10 reported neglect and abandonment during childbirth, and about a quarter (24%) reported a lack of privacy. Detainment was reported by approximately 17% of girls. Report of any physical abuse, verbal abuse, and stigma and discrimination was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of satisfaction with care (Adjusted Odds ration (AOR) 0.24; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.38), intention to use the facility for future births (AOR 0.32; 95% CI 0.22 to 0.48) and willingness to recommend the facility to others (AOR 0.23; 95% CI 0.15 to 0.36). Neglect and abandonment during childbirth, and lack of privacy were significantly associated with lower odds of being satisfied with the care, intention to use the facility for future births, and the willingness to recommend the facility to others. Experience of detention was associated with a lower likelihood of intention to use the facility for future births (AOR 0.55; 95% CI 0.34 to 90), but not with the willingness to recommend the facility to others or overall satisfaction with care. CONCLUSIONS: Mistreatment and abuse of adolescent girls during childbirth are common in the study setting and are associated with lower levels of satisfaction with care, intention to use the facility for future births, or recommend it to others. Preservice and in-service training of health workers in the study setting should address the need for respectful care for adolescents.

Sexual violence among young women in Nigeria: a cross-sectional study of prevalence, reporting and care-seeking behaviours.

Background: Only a few studies, mostly hospital-based, have examined sexual violence among young people women in Nigeria. We examined the prevalence, correlates, perpetrators, reporting of and health-seeking behaviour for sexual violence using data of 395 young women (aged 17-24) obtained from a Nigerian university. Methods: We selected participants using stratified sampling and defined sexual violence as sexual acts or attempts to obtain sexual acts by violence or coercion by any person irrespective of their relationship to the victim. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarise the data obtained. Results: Our analysis shows that 39.5% of the respondents had experienced some form of sexual violence. Adequate family financial support was protective against sexual violence after adjusting for all background characteristics (AOR: 0.60 95% CI: 0.39-0.93). However, young women who use alcohol had higher odds of reporting sexual violence experience than those who never used alcohol. In most cases (78.5%), perpetrators were well known to the victims. Only 3.3% of sexual violence cases were reported to law enforcement agencies and just 13.1% of victims sought care from health providers. Conclusion: Sexual violence occurs at a tragically high frequency, and victims rarely report incidents to law enforcement agencies or access the much-needed care. The findings suggest a need for interventions that address why victims of sexual violence rarely report to law enforcement or seek care.

Lived experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescents in Africa: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have not synthesized existing literature on the lived experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescents (aged 10-19) in Africa. Such evidence synthesis is needed to inform policies, programs, and future research to improve the well-being of the millions of pregnant or parenting adolescents in the region. Our study fills this gap by reviewing the literature on pregnant and parenting adolescents in Africa. We mapped existing research in terms of their substantive focus, and geographical distribution. We synthesized these studies based on thematic focus and identified gaps for future research. METHODS: We used a three-step search strategy to find articles, theses, and technical reports reporting primary research published in English between January 2000 and June 2021 in PubMed, Jstor, AJOL, EBSCO Host, and Google Scholar. Three researchers screened all articles, including titles, abstracts, and full text, for eligibility. Relevant data were extracted using a template designed for the study. Overall, 116 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the study. Data were analyzed using descriptive and thematic analyses. RESULTS: Research on pregnant and parenting adolescents is limited in volume and skewed to a few countries, with two-fifths of papers focusing on South Africa (41.4%). Most of the studies were African-led (81.9%), received no funding (60.3%), adopted qualitative designs (58.6%), and were published between 2016 and 2021 (48.3%). The studies highlighted how pregnancy initiates a cycle of social exclusion of girls with grave implications for their physical and mental health and social and economic well-being. Only 4.3% of the studies described an intervention. None of these studies employed a robust research design (e.g., randomized controlled trial) to assess the intervention's effectiveness. Adolescent mothers' experiences (26.7%) and their education (36.2%) were the most studied topics, while repeat pregnancy received the least research attention. CONCLUSION: Research on issues affecting pregnant and parenting adolescents is still limited in scope and skewed geographically despite the large burden of adolescent childbearing in many African countries. While studies have documented how early pregnancy could result in girls' social and educational exclusion, few interventions to support pregnant and parenting adolescents exist. Further research to address these gaps is warranted.

Naïve, uninformed and sexually abused: circumstances surrounding adolescent pregnancies in Malawi.

BACKGROUND: Pregnancy and childbearing in adolescence could negatively affect girls' health and socio-economic wellbeing across the life course. Previous studies on drivers of adolescent pregnancy in Africa have not fully considered the perspectives of parents/guardians vis-à-vis pregnant and parenting adolescents. Our study addresses this gap by examining pregnant and parenting adolescents' and parents/guardians' narratives about factors associated with early and unintended pregnancy. METHODOLOGY: The descriptive study draws on qualitative data collected as part of a larger mixed-methods cross-sectional survey on the lived experiences of pregnant and parenting adolescents. Data were collected between March and May 2021 in Blantyre, Malawi, using semi-structured interview guides. We interviewed 18 pregnant and parenting adolescent girls, 10 parenting adolescent boys, and 16 parents/guardians of pregnant and parenting adolescents. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim into the English language by bilingual transcribers. We used the inductive-thematic analytical approach to summarize the data. FINDINGS: The data revealed several interconnected and structural reasons for adolescents' vulnerability to early and unintended pregnancy. These include adolescents' limited knowledge and access to contraceptives, poverty, sexual violence, school dropout, COVID-19 school closures, and being young and naively engaging in unprotected sex. While some parents agreed that poverty and school dropout or COVID-19 related school closure could lead to early pregnancies, most considered stubbornness, failure to adhere to abstinence advice and peer influence as responsible for adolescent pregnancies. CONCLUSION: Our findings contribute to the evidence on the continued vulnerability of girls to unintended pregnancy. It highlights how parents and adolescents hold different views on reasons for early and unintended pregnancy, and documents how divergent views between girls and their parents may contribute to the lack of progress in reducing adolescent childbearing. Based on these findings, preventing unintended pregnancies will require altering community attitudes about young people's use of contraceptives and engaging parents, education sector, civil society organizations and community and religious leaders to develop comprehensive sexuality education programs to empower in- and out-of school adolescents.

Correlates of intimate partner violence among pregnant and parenting adolescents: a cross-sectional household survey in Blantyre District, Malawi.

BACKGROUND: Despite efforts from the government and developmental partners to eliminate gender-based violence, intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a pervasive global health and human rights problem, affecting up to 753 million women and girls globally. Few studies on IPV have focused on pregnant and parenting adolescent (PPA) girls in Africa, although the region has the highest rates of adolescent childbearing. This limited attention results in the neglect of pregnant and parenting adolescents in policies and interventions addressing IPV in the region. Our study examined IPV prevalence and its individual, household, and community-level correlates among pregnant and parenting adolescent girls (10-19 years) in Blantyre District, Malawi. METHODS: We collected data from a cross-section of pregnant and parenting adolescent girls (n = 669) between March and May 2021. The girls responded to questions on socio-demographic and household characteristics, lifetime experience of IPV (i.e., sexual, physical, and emotional violence), and community-level safety nets. We used multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression models to examine the individual, household, and community-level factors associated with IPV. RESULTS: The lifetime prevalence of IPV was 39.7% (n = 266), with more girls reporting emotional (28.8%) than physical (22.2%) and sexual (17.4%) violence. At the individual level, girls with secondary education (AOR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.16-2.54), who engaged in transactional sex (AOR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.35-3.89), and accepted wife-beating (AOR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.27-3.08) were significantly more likely to experience IPV compared to those with no education/primary education, who never engaged in transactional sex and rejected wife beating. Girls aged 19 (AOR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.27-0.87) were less likely to report IPV than those aged 13-16. At the household level, girls with fair and poor partner support had higher odds of experiencing IPV, but the effect size did not reach a significant level in the parsimonious model. A high perception of neighborhood safety was associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing IPV (AOR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.69-0.95). CONCLUSION: Intimate partner violence is rife among pregnant and parenting adolescent girls in Malawi, underscoring the need for appropriate interventions to curb the scourge. Interventions addressing IPV need to target younger adolescents, those engaging in transactional sex, and those having weaker community-level safety nets. Interventions to change social norms that drive the acceptance of gender-based violence are also warranted.

Socio-ecological factors associated with probable depression among pregnant and parenting adolescent girls: findings from a cross-sectional study in Burkina Faso and Malawi.

BACKGROUND: Pregnant and parenting adolescent girls are at risk of poor mental health because of stigma and social exclusion. Despite one in four girls starting childbearing by the age of 19 in Africa, no study, to the best of our knowledge, has examined the multi-layered factors (individual, family, friends, and neighborhood-related factors) associated with depressive symptoms among pregnant and parenting girls in Africa. Our study contributes to addressing this gap by examining the socio-ecological factors associated with depression symptoms among pregnant and parenting adolescent girls. METHODS: Our study adopted a cross-sectional design. Between March and September 2021, we interviewed 980 pregnant and parenting adolescent girls in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and 669 in Blantyre, Malawi. We recruited pregnant and parenting adolescent girls in randomly selected urban and rural enumeration areas in Burkina Faso (n = 71) and Malawi (n = 66). We assessed depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), which generated an overall score of 27. We considered a score of 10 or more as probable depression. We also obtained information on individual, family, friends, and neighborhood characteristics. We employed logistic regression models to examine the significant factors associated with probable depression among pregnant and parenting adolescent girls. RESULTS: The prevalence of probable depression was 18.8% and 14.5% in Burkina Faso and Malawi, respectively. At the individual level, having secondary education was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of probable depression in Malawi (AOR: 0.47; 95% CI 0.27-0.82) but not in Burkina Faso. At the family level, denying paternity (AOR: 3.14; 95% CI 1.34-7.11 in Malawi) and no parental support (AOR: 2.08; 95% CI 1.22-3.55 in Burkina Faso) were associated with higher odds of probable depression. At the community level, perceived neighborhood safety was associated with a lower likelihood of probable depression in Malawi (AOR: 0.74; 95% CI 0.61-0.89) and Burkina Faso (AOR: 0.81; 95% CI 0.73-0.90). Having a safety net within the community was associated with lower odds of probable depression in Burkina Faso (AOR: 0.87; 95% CI 0.78-0.96) but not in Malawi. CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms are common among pregnant and parenting adolescents, suggesting the need to screen them regularly for depression during antenatal and postnatal visits. Factors associated with depression among pregnant and parenting girls operate at multiple levels suggesting a need for multilevel interventions that address all areas of vulnerabilities.

"I don't like to be seen by a male provider": health workers' strike, economic, and sociocultural reasons for home birth in settings with free maternal healthcare in Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Ending maternal mortality has been a significant global health priority for decades. Many sub-Saharan African countries introduced user fee removal policies to attain this goal and ensure universal access to health facility delivery. However, many women in Nigeria continue to deliver at home. We examined the reasons for home birth in settings with free maternal healthcare in Southwestern and North Central Nigeria. METHODS: We adopted a fully mixed, sequential, equal-status design. For the quantitative study, we drew data from 211 women who reported giving birth at home from a survey of 1227 women of reproductive age who gave birth in the 5 y before the survey. The qualitative study involved six focus group discussions and 68 in-depth interviews. Data generated through the interviews were coded and subjected to inductive thematic analysis, while descriptive statistics were used to analyse the quantitative data. RESULTS: Women faced several barriers that limited their use of skilled birth attendants. These barriers operate at multiple levels and could be grouped as economic, sociocultural and health facility-related factors. Despite the user fee removal policy, lack of transportation, birth unpreparedness and lack of money pushed women to give birth at home. Also, sociocultural reasons such as hospital delivery not being deemed necessary in the community, women not wanting to be seen by male health workers, husbands not motivated and husbands' disapproval hindered the use of health facilities for childbirth. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that free healthcare does not guarantee universal access to healthcare. Interventions, especially in the Nasarawa state of Nigeria, should focus on the education of mothers on the importance of health facility-based delivery and birth preparedness.

Prevalence and correlates of induced abortion: results of a facility-based cross-sectional survey of parturient women living with HIV in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: There is a paucity of studies examining the prevalence and correlates of induced abortion among women living with HIV. Our study fills this gap by examining the prevalence and correlates of induced abortion among parturient women living with HIV in Eastern Cape, South Africa. METHODS: We analysed cross-sectional survey data of the East London Prospective Cohort Study, which took place between September 2015 and May 2016 in three large maternity facilities in the Buffalo/Amathole districts of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A total of 1709 parturient women living with HIV who gave birth over the study period were recruited. We carried out descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: The prevalence of induced abortion was 19% (95% CI: 17.2-20.9%), but varied by women's socio-demographic characteristics. Induced abortion prevalence was higher among women aged 25 years and over (21.4%), than among women aged less than 25 years (11.0%). Those ever married or cohabiting (26.8%) reported a higher level of induced abortion than those never-married women (15.6%). Those already diagnosed HIV positive before their index pregnancy (20.2%) had a higher prevalence of induced abortion than those diagnosed during their index pregnancy (14.1%). In the adjusted logistic regression, women were more likely to have ever induced abortion if they were ever married or cohabiting (aOR; 1.86 95% CI; 1.43-2.41), ever smoked (aOR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.01-2.28) and diagnosed with HIV before their index pregnancy (aOR:1.44; 95% CI: 1.02-2.05) but less likely if younger than 25 years (aOR; 0.51 95% CI:0.35-0.73). CONCLUSION: About one in five women living with HIV had ever induced abortion in the study settings, indicating that abortion service is one of the main reproductive health services needed by women living with HIV in South Africa. This is an indication that the need for abortion is somewhat high in this group of women. The finding, therefore, highlights the need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to address the unmet need for contraception among women living with HIV to prevent unintended pregnancy.

There is a paucity of studies examining the prevalence and correlates of induced abortion among women living with HIV. Our study fills this gap by examining the prevalence and correlates of induced abortion among parturient women living with HIV in Eastern Cape, South Africa. We analysed a cross-sectional survey data of the East London Prospective Cohort Study, which took place between September 2015 and May 2016 in three large maternity facilities in the Buffalo/Amathole districts of the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A total of 1709 parturient women living with HIV who gave birth over the study period were recruited. We carried out descriptive and inferential statistics. The prevalence of induced abortion was 19%, but varied by women's sociodemographic characteristics. Induced abortion prevalence was higher among women aged 25 years and over (21.4%), ever married (26.8%), those already diagnosed HIV positive before their index pregnancy (20.2%). About one in five women living with HIV had ever induced abortion in the study settings, indicating that abortion service is one of the main reproductive health services needed by women living with HIV in South Africa. This is an indication that the need for abortion is somewhat high in this women. The finding, therefore, highlights the need for concerted efforts from all stakeholders to address the unmet need for contraception among women living with HIV to prevent unintended pregnancy.

Knowledge of diabetes and associated factors in rural Eastern Cape, South Africa: A cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes management is complex and requires several lifestyle modifications and engagement in self-management behaviours to prevent complications and to improve health outcomes. Adequate disease knowledge is required in order to engage in appropriate self-management behaviours. Yet, patients' knowledge of diabetes and associated factors are scarcely investigated. Context-specific data on diabetes knowledge are crucial for designing appropriate interventions for improving knowledge and treatment outcomes. This study examined the level of diabetes knowledge and its associated factors among persons with diabetes in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study among 399 individuals attending diabetes care at six randomly selected primary healthcare facilities in Eastern Cape. Demographic data were obtained through questionnaire interviews while diabetes knowledge was assessed using the validated Michigan Diabetes Knowledge Test questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to assess the mean diabetes knowledge and its associated factors. RESULTS: Participants' median age was 63 (IQR: 54-70) years, and the median diabetes duration was 6 (IQR: 3-13) years. From a total score of 20, participants' knowledge of diabetes ranged from 0 to 17 with an average score of 7.5 (SD±2.2). After controlling for relevant covariates, being employed was positively associated with higher diabetes knowledge (p<0.001). However, health facility level was negatively associated with diabetes knowledge (p = 0.001). Participants receiving care at the community healthcare centres had a lower level of diabetes knowledge compared to those receiving care at the primary healthcare clinics. CONCLUSION: There was a low level of knowledge on the various components of diabetes management among individuals with diabetes in this setting. Therefore, context-specific interventions to improve the knowledge of diabetes is required and should target unemployed individuals and the community health centres in the region.

Lower limb amputations among individuals living with diabetes mellitus in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: The burden of diabetes mellitus (DM) and its associated complications continue to burgeon, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Lower limb amputation (LLA) is one of the most life-altering complications of DM, associated with significant morbidity, mortality and socio-economic impacts. High-income countries have reported a decreasing incidence of DM-associated LLA, but the situation in many LMICs is unknown. We aim to conduct a systematic review to determine the incidence and prevalence of DM-associated LLA in LMICs to better inform appropriate interventions and health system response. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: A systematic search of the literature will be conducted on five databases: MEDLINE, Embase, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Scopus and African Journal Online (AJOL). Only observational, quantitative studies reporting the incidence and/or prevalence of DM-related LLA will be considered. A validated study design-specific critical appraisal tool will be used to assess the risk of bias in individual studies. We will determine the incidence of LLA by examining the number of new cases of LLA among individuals with confirmed DM diagnosis during the specified period, while the prevalence will be based on the total number of all new and existing LLAs in a population. LLA will be considered as the resection of the lower limb from just above the knee to any point down to the toe. If heterogeneity is low to moderate, a random-effects meta-analysis will be conducted on extracted crude prevalence/incidence rates, with the median and interquartile range also reported. The systematic review will be performed in accordance with the JBI guideline for prevalence and incidence review. Study reporting will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guideline. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021238656.

Association Between Girl-child Marriage and Intimate Partner Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa: Insights From a Multicountry Analysis of Demographic and Health Surveys.

While considerable attention has been given to the health consequences of child marriage in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), limited studies exist on its impact on intimate partner violence (IPV) in the region. We address this gap by examining the link between child marriage and IPV. We tested our study hypothesis using demographic and health survey data of 28,206 young women aged 20-24 years from 16 SSA countries with recent surveys (2015-2019). Binary logistic regression models were used to examine the effect of child marriage on IPV. Child marriage prevalence ranged from 13.5% in Rwanda, in East Africa, to 77% in Chad, in Central Africa, while IPV ranged from 17.5% in Mozambique in Southern Africa to 42% in Uganda, in East Africa. Past year experience of IPV was higher among young women who married or begun cohabiting before the age of 18 (36.9%) than those who did at age 18 or more (32.5%). This result was consistent for all forms of violence: physical violence (22.7% vs 19.7%), emotional violence (25.3% vs 21.9%), and sexual violence (12% vs 10.4%). After controlling for covariates, we found that young women in SSA who married before 18 years were more likely to experience IPV than those who married as adults (AOR: 1.20; 95% CI [1.12, 1.29]). Significant heterogeneity was observed in the country-level results, with a higher likelihood of IPV found in 14 of the 16 countries and lower in Angola and Chad. Child marriage is associated with a higher likelihood of IPV in most SSA countries, suggesting that ending child marriage will result in a substantial reduction in IPV. There is a need to institute policies to support and protect women who marry as children from abusive relationships in SSA.

Intimate Partner Violence, Partner Risk, and Depression as a Predictor for PrEP Uptake Among African-American Women in the United States.

African-Americans bear a disproportionate burden of HIV infections in the United States and African-American women make up 64% of new HIV infections. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the predictors of those who are more likely to use Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) among women reporting IPV, depression, and partner risk. This study used secondary data analysis to explore IPV, depression, and increased partner risk as predictors of PrEP use among 768 women (506 African-American women and 262 White women in the United States) who responded to survey questions regarding potential PrEP use and barriers to uptake. The parent data had been collected at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. Results of the data analysis of the sample (N = 768) indicated that women who reported high levels of partner risk (p < 0.05), depression (p < 0.01), and/or experienced IPV (p < 0.01), were more likely to use PrEP. In addition, younger women aged 20-35 were more likely to use PrEP, compared to women older than 36 years. Furthermore, college educated African-American women were more likely to use PrEP than White women. Despite limitations, findings indicated that IPV, depression, and partner risk are predictors of PrEP use. There is need for a multi-modal approach in addressing these predictors of PrEP use among African-American women in the United States.

Trends in emergency contraception awareness among women and girls in 28 sub-Saharan countries.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that emergency contraception (EC) remains underutilised in preventing unintended pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Small-scale surveys have attributed EC underutilisation to gaps in EC awareness among SSA women and girls. However, limited studies have explored trends in EC awareness in SSA. We address this gap by examining trends in EC awareness using data from 28 SSA countries. Our analysis was disaggregated by age distribution, place of residence, level of education, and wealth to show differences in EC awareness trend. METHODS: We analysed the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data of 1,030,029 women aged 15 to 49 on emergency contraception awareness. EC awareness was defined as having ever heard of special pills to prevent pregnancy within 3 days after unprotected sexual intercourse. Frequencies and percentages were used to summarise trends in EC awareness between years 2000 and 2019. RESULTS: Overall, there was an upward shift in the level of EC awareness in all countries, except in Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad, and Ethiopia. While some countries recorded a significant upward trend in EC awareness, others recorded just a slight increase. Women in Kenya, Ghana, Gabon, and Cameroon had the highest upward shift in EC awareness. For example, only 28% of women were aware of EC in Ghana in 2003, but in 2014, 64% of women knew about EC, an increase of over 36 percentage points. Increase in EC awareness was starker among women aged 20-24 years, those who resided in urban areas, had higher education, and belong to the highest wealth quintile, than those aged 15-19, in rural areas, with no formal education and belonging to the lowest wealth quintile. CONCLUSION: Our analysis shows that the level of EC awareness has increased substantially in most SSA countries. However, EC awareness still differs widely within and between SSA countries. Intervention to improve EC awareness should focus on women aged 15 to 19, those with no formal education, residing in rural areas, and within the lowest quintile, especially, in countries such as Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, and Ethiopia where level of EC is low with lagging progress.

Unequal access and use of contraceptives among parenting adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-sectional analysis of demographic and health surveys.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the divergent patterns, prevalence and correlates of contraceptive use among parenting adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa using the Demographic and Health Survey datasets of 17 countries. DESIGN: We included a weighted sample of 9488 parenting adolescent girls in our analysis. Current contraceptive use was defined as the use of any methods to delay or avoid getting pregnant at the survey time. We reported the prevalence of any contraceptive use for all countries and used multilevel binary logistic regression analysis to examine the individual and contextual factors associated with contraceptive use. OUTCOME MEASURES: Contraceptive use. RESULTS: We found an overall contraceptive prevalence of 27.12% (CI 27.23% to 28.03%) among parenting adolescent girls in sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from 70.0% (CI 61.76% to 77.16%) in South Africa to only 5.10% (CI 3.04% to 8.45%) in Chad. The prevalence of contraceptive use was lowest in West andCentral Africa, with most countries having less than 20% prevalence. Increasing age (adjusted OR (aOR)=1.46, 95% CI 1.28 to 1.65), being married (aOR=1.63, 95% CI 1.43 to 1.87), having a secondary or higher level of education (aOR=2.72, 95% CI 2.25 to 2.3.27), and media exposure (aOR=1.21, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.36), were associated with higher odds of contraceptive use in the pooled data but preference for a higher number of children (more than five children) (aOR=0.61, 95% CI 0.52 to 0.72) was related to lower likelihood of use. Significant heterogeneity was observed in the country-level disaggregated results. CONCLUSION: African countries differ widely when it comes to contraceptive use among parenting adolescent girls, with only three countries having a relatively high prevalence of use. The governments of countries in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly those in West and Central Africa, should invest in expanding access to contraceptives for adolescent mothers to prevent repeat pregnancy and improve the overall well-being of parenting adolescent girls.

Prevalence and correlates of sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women: findings from a cross-sectional study in a South African university.

BACKGROUND: Epidemiological data on the prevalence and factors associated with sexual violence is critical to understanding the magnitude of the problem and designing effective interventions. Drawing from cross-sectional data from a South African university, we examined the prevalence and correlates of sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW). METHODS: We analysed data of 451 AGYW selected using stratified sampling. Sexual violence was defined as any sexual acts, and attempt to obtain sexual acts without consent. We used adjusted and unadjusted logistic regression models to examine the factors associated with exposure to sexual violence while controlling for relevant covariates. RESULTS: The lifetime and past-year prevalence of sexual violence was 37.9% and 25.3%, respectively. A higher prevalence of sexual violence was reported by heavy episodic drinkers of alcohol (lifetime 48.4% and past year 34.0%), those who received insufficient financial support (lifetime 58.0% and past year 35.8%) compared to non-users of alcohol (lifetime 27.2% and past year 17.2%),) and those who received adequate financial support (lifetime 20.8% and past year 13.1%). AGYW who reported heavy episodic use of alcohol had higher odds of reporting lifetime (AOR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.07-3.25) and past year (AOR: 2.03; 95% CI: 1.10-3.75) experience of sexual violence compared to non-users. However, individuals who received adequate family financial support were 76% and 65% less likely to report lifetime and past year experience of sexual violence than those who received inadequate family financial support. Also, AGYW who rated themselves as very religious were 80% and 75% less likely to report lifetime and past year experience of sexual violence compared to those who were not religious. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that sexual violence affects a large proportion of girls, requiring intervention that not only focuses on increasing social support for survivors, facilitating reporting, and ensuring perpetrators are convicted, but also target alcohol use reduction and poverty alleviation.

Protocol for a scoping review of research on abortion in sub-Saharan Africa.

INTRODUCTION: Unsafe abortion is a leading cause of maternal mortality, and access to safe abortion services remains a public health priority in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A considerable amount of abortion research exists in the region; however, the spread of existing evidence is uneven such that some countries have an acute shortage of data with others over-researched. The imbalance reflects the complexities in prioritization among researchers, academics, and funders, and undeniably impedes effective policy and advocacy efforts. This scoping review aims to identify and map the landscape of abortion research in SSA, summarize existing knowledge, and pinpoint significant gaps, both substantive and geographic, requiring further investigation. This review will provide direction for future research, investments, and offer guidance for policy and programming on safe abortion. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We utilize the Joanna Briggs Institute's methodology for conducting scoping reviews. We will perform the search for articles in 8 electronic databases (i.e., PubMed, AJOL, Science Direct, SCOPUS, HINARI, Web of Knowledge, CINAHL, and WHO Regional Databases). We will include studies written in English or French language, produced or published between January 1, 2011, and July 31, 2021, and pertain directly to the subject of abortion in SSA. Using a tailored extraction frame, we will extract relevant information from publications that meet the inclusion criteria. Data will be analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis in response to key review questions. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Formal ethical approval is not required, as no primary data will be collected. The findings of this study will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations.

Public opinion regarding government response to COVID-19: case study of a large commercial city in Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: government measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic cannot be effective without widespread compliance by the public. A greater understanding of citizens' perceptions of these measures can help government agencies adapt their strategies to boost compliance. We examined citizens' perceptions of government's measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic and its implications on compliance using data from Onitsha city, Anambra State Nigeria. METHODS: data was obtained through in-person interviews of 140 consenting adults in March 2020. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to summarize the data. RESULTS: most participants (84.7%) doubted government's ability to manage the COVID-19 outbreak, raising concerns about ineffective governance (25.7%) and inadequate health facilities (20.7%). However, participants expressed a favorable perception of school closures (92.3%) and a ban on large gatherings (83.9%), driven mostly by the need to contain the COVID-19 and avoid its spread. But, they were generally indifferent about the closure of the markets and workplaces due to concerns for food insecurity and lack of government's relief programs. Participants who had a positive perception of the ban on large gatherings were more likely to have high knowledge and to adopt good COVID-19 preventive practices. CONCLUSION: the study showed a lack of public's confidence in the government's ability to manage the pandemic. This provides an opportunity for the city government and the public to reflect on the existing relationships, build mutual trust, and devise collaborative engagement that will boost compliance and help contain the devastating impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

Prevalence and Demographic Correlates of Substance Use among Adults with Mental Illness in Eastern Cape, South Africa: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This study reports on the prevalence and demographic correlates of substance use among individuals with mental illness in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Outpatient Clinic of a large hospital in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. A pre-validated tool on alcohol and psychoactive drug use was administered to 390 individuals with mental illness. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to explore the demographic correlates of alcohol and psychoactive drug use. Of the total participants (N = 390), 64.4% and 33.3% reported lifetime (ever used) and past-year use of alcohol, respectively, but the prevalence of risky alcohol use was 18.5%. After adjusting for relevant covariates, only male sex, younger age, and rural residence remained significantly associated with risky alcohol use. The prevalence of ever-use and past-year use of psychoactive substances was 39.7% and 17.4%, respectively. The most common substance ever used was cannabis (37.4%). Male sex, younger age, owning a business, and being unemployed were significantly associated with higher odds of lifetime and past-year use of psychoactive substances. Findings highlight the need for dedicated infrastructure and staff training in the management of these dual diagnoses in the region.