Psychosocial consequences and reasons for illicit drug use among police officers in a northern Nigerian city: A mixed-method study

Harmful use of drugs is one of the principal risk factors affecting population health worldwide. Chronic use has been linked to medical, psychological and socioeconomic consequences. This study assessed the psychosocial consequences and reasons for illicit drug use among police officers in Kano, Nigeria. Using a mixed method of data collection, quantitative data was obtained from a cross-section of 275 officers using the Shortened Inventory of Problems-Drug Use (SIP­DU) and a pretested adapted questionnaire. In-depth interviews with 10 officers who used illicit drugs provided additional information. Almost half of the respondents (46.5%, n=128) were in their fourth decade of life with a mean age (±SD) of 35.1 ± 7.7 years. Over a quarter of the respondents (n=75) reported ever using illicit drugs, out of which 14.9% (n=41) were current users. Among the current drug users, 80.5% (n=33) attested to having money problems, 61.0% (n=25) agreed that they had spent too much money, and 56.1% (n=23) failed to do what was expected of them as a result of drug use and have hurt their family. Helping to stay awake and improving confidence were the major reasons (100%, n=41) for drug use mentioned by the respondents. The Nigerian Police Force should look into easing shifts and introducing stress-relieving activities. There is also the need to strengthen substance education and counselling and support officers with confidence issues, sleep disorders, and treat those with mood disorders.

Implementation of assistance for one pregnant woman one cadre (OPOC) in Banjarnegara District, Central Java Province, Indonesia

The high maternal mortality rate caused by late detection of risk factors for pregnant women is a major health problem in Banjarnegara District. One of the efforts made to overcome this problem is the implementation of assistance for one pregnant woman by one cadre (OPOC). The application of OPOC consists of four mentoring activities, namely reminders about antenatal care schedule, detecting risk factors, monitoring fetal movements, and carrying out delivery planning and handling complications.Therefore, this study aims to describe the implementation of OPOC as well as to evaluate cadres' performance in Banjarnegara District. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used, where a total of 200 cadres were selected as respondents using a representative purposive sampling method. The results showed that reminding mothers about their antenatal care schedule,detecting risk factors, monitoring of fetal health through movements, and making commitments for birth planning and complications prevention were carried out by 199 (99.49%), 129 (64.84%), 138 (69.05%), and 159 (79.42%) respondents, respectively. More than 92% of them know their duties and responsibilities as companions for pregnant women, but only 28% have knowledge about the benefits of assisting. Furthermore, 93% often carry out OPOC assistance. The knowledge of cadres about OPOC assistance was good, but some of them are not knowledgeable about its benefits. These findings show that they need guidance, training, and motivation from public health centers. (Afr J Reprod Health 2022; 26[7]: 83-89).