reproductive health among religious leaders

BACKGROUND: Rohingya women suffer from inaccessibility to sexual and reproductive health services in Myanmar. After the forcible displacement of the Rohingya from Myanmar to Bangladesh in 2017, pregnancy termination services have been increasingly important and desired, while knowledge gaps and obstacles to access services still exist. The role of community stakeholders is critical as gatekeepers and decision-makers to improve and strengthen pregnancy termination services for women in camps...

Adolescents' sexual and reproductive health challenges are of global public health concern and good quality sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education has an important role to play in addressing these negative sexual health outcomes. Yet in most Sub-Saharan African countries including Ghana, there is limited implementation of SRH education. Several environmental factors hinder the implementation of SRH education with the attitudes expressed by religious leaders having a major impact. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 15 Christian leaders in Bolgatanga, Ghana, to explore the factors influencing their decision to adopt and implement SRH education...

BACKGROUND: Family planning decision making is defined as women´s ability to determine the family planning methods that she wanted to use through the process of informed decision making. Despite the availability and accessibility of family planning methods, the utilization rate is not more than 41% in Ethiopia. Evidence and experts have consistently show that women decisions making ability on family planning method they desired to use is one of the possible reasons for this slow rate of family planning use increment...

BACKGROUND: Improving access to family planning (FP) is associated with positive health benefits that includes averting nearly a third of all maternal deaths and 10% of childhood deaths. Kenya has made great strides in improving access to family planning services. However, amid this considerable progress, regional variation has been noted which begs the need for a clearer understanding of the the patterns and determinants that drive these inconsistencies. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study that involved 663 Muslim women of reproductive age (15-49 years) from Wajir and Lamu counties in Kenya between March and October 2018...

Within Africa, maternal mortality remains a concern that can be prevented and addressed. Among the various African countries, Nigeria has one of the highest mortality rates, particularly in a context where the population continues to rise. The relationship between contraceptive usage among married Nigerian women and low socioeconomic development contributes to another concerning public health issue- performing unskilled abortions. This cross-sectional study examines how seven (7) key social determinants of health impact the usage of contraceptive methods among Nigerian women ages 15-24...

INTRODUCTION: Modern family planning is one of the most "health-promoting" and cost-effective activities in public health promotion and has the potential to avert approximately 30% of maternal and 10% of child deaths. Family planning is an important preventive measure against maternal and child morbidity and mortality. It is an essential component of primary health care and reproductive health. It confers important health and development benefits to individuals, families, communities, and the nation at large...

In Kenya similar to other countries in Eastern and Southern Africa There is a disproportionately high burden of the global HIV incidence among youth ages 15-24 years, and where adolescent girls and young women account for up to a third of all incident HIV infections and more than double the burden of HIV compared to their male peers. Previous work has shown early sexual debut as entry point into risks to sexual and reproductive health among young people including STI/HIV acquisition. This was a formative assessment of the local context of three sexual risk behaviors among youth ages of 15-24 years: early sexual debut, multiple sexual partnerships, and age-mixing /intergenerational sex for purposes of informing comprehensive combination HIV intervention program design...

BACKGROUND: Women's health and welfare, as well as the survival of their children, are adversely affected by high fertility rates in developing countries. The fertility rate in Ethiopia has been high for a long time, with some pockets still showing poor improvement. Thus, the current study is aimed to assess the spatial distribution and its predictors of high fertility status in Ethiopia. METHODS: Secondary data analysis was used using the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS)...

Despite commitments and interventions, Female Genital Mutilations (FGM) practice persists in West African countries. This research analyzes the effect of living conditions on FGM practice. Data were sourced from thirty-four demographic and health surveys conducted between 1995 and 2020 in 12 countries. The study sample consisted of 69,971 adolescent girls aged 15-19 years. Meta-regression analysis and binary logistic regression analyses showed the effect and relative contribution of study covariates on the phenomenon...

Despite the documented importance of sexual and reproductive health in women's life, access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services by migrant women remains low leading to negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes. This study investigated the factors associated with access to condoms and Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing services among 2070 women aged 15-49 years residing in high migration communities. Logistic regression models were fitted and migration status was found to be an important factor in women's access to HIV testing services...

IUCD (Copper-T) is a safe, effective and long-acting reversible contraceptive and its uptake in Zimbabwe is currently less than 1%. Interventions to improve the uptake of IUCD require evidence on key factors contributing to its low uptake. The study was conducted to identify the gaps and offer opportunities for evidence-based family planning aimed at improving demand for IUCD, supply-side conditions, and influencing attitudes towards IUCD. A descriptive qualitative study design was conducted to explore and understand the perceptions of 169 women, 22 men, 16 community leaders and 20 health care providers regarding the use of IUCDs (Copper-T)...

This study aimed to identify the priorities of the factors affecting family planning practices in Ethiopia, with the ultimate aim of providing evidence to the Ethiopian government and international organizations for establishing family planning policies or family planning-related project plans. Multi-stage, clustered, stratified random sampling was performed on a total of 35,479 men aged above 15 years and women of childbearing age (15-49 years) in two metropolitan cities and five regions of Ethiopia. The survey was conducted by face-to-face interview using Tablet PC, and 25,972 responses, excluding censored data were included in the final analysis...

BACKGROUND: Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is a harmful traditional practice with severe health complications, deeply rooted in many sub-Saharan African countries. In Kenya, the prevalence of FGM/C is 15% in women aged between 15 and 49 years. The Kenyan Somalis practice FGM/C with a prevalence above 90%. FGM/C practice continues to persist in Alungu village, Mandera County in the North Eastern of Kenya despite efforts by anti-FGM programs. However, the underlying factors behind FGM practice in the area have not been explored...

BACKGROUND: From 2018, the International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians (FIGO) implemented the Advocating Safe Abortion project to support national obstetrics and gynecology (Obs/gyn) societies from ten member countries to become leaders of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). We share experiences and lessons learnt about using value clarification and attitude transformation (VCAT) and abortion harm reduction (AHR) as strategies for our advocacy engagements...

INTRODUCTION: early adolescent sexuality is associated with an increase in risky sexual behaviour, unwanted pregnancies, and the occurrence of sexually transmitted infections. However, despite the efforts of governments and their partners, the implementation and effectiveness of appropriate and adapted services to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health are lagging. Therefore, this study aimed to document determinants of early adolescent sexuality in the central district of Tchaourou in Benin based on a socio-ecological approach...

BACKGROUND: Adolescent maternal healthcare utilisation is low in Nigeria, and little is understood about the pregnancy experiences and drivers of maternal healthcare utilisation among of adolescent girls. This study investigated the pregnancy experiences and maternal healthcare utilisation among adolescent mothers across Nigeria. METHODS: The study used the qualitative design. Urban and rural communities in Ondo, Imo and Katsina states were selected as research sites...

BACKGROUND: Between 2010 and 2014, approximately 25 million unsafe abortions were performed annually across the globe. Africa alone accounted for 29% of all unsafe abortions, and 62% of the related deaths. Women living in poverty, especially adolescents, lack information about where and how to access safe abortion services. They often lack adequate insight to make informed decisions. The purpose of this study was to explore the empowered perspectives of women leaders in Rwanda about the recent policy change for safe abortion...

BACKGROUND: Uganda has registered an increased investment in family planning (FP) programs, which has contributed to improvement in knowledge of modern contraceptive methods being nearly universal. However, this has not matched the uptake of modern methods or the reduction in the unmet need for FP. This may be explained by the different influences which include health workers, family, and friends. Due to the limited uptake of contraceptive methods, a program on improving awareness, access to, and uptake of modern contraceptives is being implemented in selected regions in Uganda...

BACKGROUND: Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), aged 15-24 years, are disproportionately affected by HIV and other sexual and reproductive health (SRH) risks due to varying social, cultural, and economic factors that affect their choices and shape their knowledge, understanding, and practices with regard to their health. Socio-Behavioral Change Communication (SBCC) interventions targeted at strengthening the capabilities of individuals and their networks have supported the demand and uptake of prevention services and participation in biomedical research...

BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown that suboptimal health in men can result in poor reproductive health outcomes. The factors associated include lifestyle exposures and poor health-seeking behavior. The poor reproductive health outcomes can be mitigated through preconception care (PCC). PCC services for men are however rare. This qualitative study explored views about men's need for PCC in Nigeria. METHODS: This exploratory qualitative study was done in Ibadan North Local Government Area, Oyo State, Nigeria...