Community Readiness for Drug Abuse Prevention in Two Rural Communities in Enugu State, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Drug abuse is an issue that affects all people regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, age, or socioeconomic status. It is associated with a range of physical, social, and economic consequences at both individual and community levels. Community involvement is necessary for effective drug abuse prevention. Communities need to be ready for such involvement. METHODS: We applied the Community Readiness Model and its assessment tool to determine the level of readiness for prevention of drug abuse in Obukpa and Ubollo communities of Nsukka and Udenu Local Government Areas of Enugu North Senatorial zone, Nigeria. Community Readiness Model and the Tool are very useful in identifying gaps in community readiness and capacity as well as guiding strategies for community initiatives. Twelve key informant interviews were conducted and analyzed according to procedures outlined in the Community Readiness handbook. RESULTS: The results of the study showed that members of Obukpa and Ubollo communities were at the vague awareness stage. SWOT analysis of the qualitative data revealed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats within the communities for an intended intervention to increase level of readiness. One such strength is the church, which was identified as a viable means of disseminating information on drug abuse prevention in both communities. CONCLUSION: Rural communities are vulnerable to drug-related problems as a result of low levels of awareness of the dangers of drug abuse. The findings of this study provided strategies and directions for future intervention programmes in the study area. Nurses and other health personnel involved in Community Health Education should take cognizance of the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities within the communities in designing drug abuse prevention intervention programmes.

Prevalence and maternal socio-demographic factors associated with stillbirth in health facilities in Anambra, South-East Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Stillbirth is a major adverse perinatal outcome especially in low and middle income countries across the globe. Certain factors relating to mothers from such countries may be associated with this adverse condition. OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of stillbirth and also explore the maternal socio-demographic factors associated with stillbirth among mothers in rural communities in Anambra Central Senatorial District of Anambra State Nigeria who gave birth between January 2012 and December 2016. METHODS: All case files of mothers who were delivered of their babies were accessed at the sampled health facilities in the district. Data were collected using a structured proforma. A total of 313 stillbirth cases were recorded across the health facilities from 2012-2016. RESULTS: The highest prevalence of stillbirth was recorded in 2012 (38.07 per 1,000 total births). The prevalence of stillbirth was significantly associated with the maternal level of education, occupation, age and type of health facility the mother utilized (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We recommend that women empowerment should be a priority at both family and community levels to enable women to seek and obtain necessary care during pregnancy and delivery.

Sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS) for adolescents in Enugu state, Nigeria: a mixed methods approach.

BACKGROUND: Availability and accessibility of sexual and reproductive health services for adolescents are very crucial for prevention and control of sexual and reproductive health problems. These services also play vital roles in the promotion of adolescents' sexual and reproductive health generally. The main purpose of the study was to determine the availability and accessibility (geographical and financial) of sexual and reproductive health services (SRHS) among adolescents in Enugu State, Nigeria. METHODS: A mixed methods approach was adopted for the study. 192 health facilities were reached to check availability of SRH services. Randomly sampled 1447 adolescents (12-22 years) completed the questionnaire correctly. Twenty-seven interviews and 18 group discussions were conducted. Instruments for data collection consisted of a checklist, a questionnaire, a focus group discussion guide and an in-depth interview guide. All instruments were pre-tested. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests. NVivo 11 Pro software was used to code and thematically analyze the qualitative data. RESULTS: A total of 1447 adolescents (between 12 and 22 years) completed the questionnaire correctly. Among these adolescents, males constituted 42.9% while females were 57.1%. The majority (86.7%) of the adolescents reported availability of safe motherhood services, and 67.5% reported availability of services for prevention and management of STIs and HIV and AIDS. The majority reported that these services were geographically accessible but few were financially accessible to adolescents. However, qualitative data revealed that available services were not specifically provided for adolescents but for general use. Age (p = ≤ .05), education (p = ≤ .05) and income (p = ≤ .05) were found to be significantly associated with access to SRHS. CONCLUSION: SRHS were generally physically available but not financially accessible to adolescents. Adolescents' clinics were not available and this could affect the access of SRHS by adolescents. Education and income were significantly associated with access to SRHS.

Alcohol and drug usage; and adolescents' sexual behaviour in Nigeria.

This study determined students' perception of the influence of alcohol and drug usage on adolescents' sexual behaviours in Nigeria. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-made questionnaire. The population for the study comprised all students in government secondary schools in Enugu state, Nigeria. The sample was made up of 600 students randomly selected from the population. Means, t-test and ANOVA were used for data analysis. The result of the study revealed that there were significant differences at 0.05 level of significance in the mean perception of the students of the influence of alcohol and drug usage on adolescents' sexual behaviours when they were classified by gender and class. All the students irrespective of age agreed that alcohol and drug usage negatively influence sexual behaviour. The students perceived that students who do not take alcohol usually control their sexual desires while rape is common with students who are drug users. It was recommended among others that preventive health programmes meant to address adolescents' sexuality should be combined with appropriate drug education for maximum benefit.

The impact of a multiple intelligences teaching approach drug education programme on drug refusal skills of Nigerian pupils.

The rising incidence of drug abuse among youths in Nigeria is a source of concern for health educators. This study was carried out on primary six pupils to determine the effect of a Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach Drug Education Programme (MITA-DEP) on pupils' acquisition of drug refusal skills. A programme of drug education based on the Multiple Intelligences Teaching Approach (MITA) was developed. An experimental group was taught using this programme while a control group was taught using the same programme but developed based on the Traditional Teaching Approach. Pupils taught with the MITA acquired more drug refusal skills than those taught with the Traditional Teaching Approach. Urban pupils taught with the MITA acquired more skills than rural pupils. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean refusal skills of male and female pupils taught with the MITA.