Contraceptive prevalence and determinants among women of reproductive age group in Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: The fertility rate in Nigeria is 5.7 children per woman. The contraceptive prevalence rate has been found to be low at 15% in 2013, compared to other countries such as the US and Pakistan. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the contraceptive prevalence among women of reproductive age in Ogbomoso town, and determinants of use, with a view to make appropriate recommendations that will enhance the uptake of family planning services. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted with 560 respondents, using a multistage sampling technique. Data were retrieved using a semi-structured, pretested questionnaire. RESULTS: All the respondents were aware of contraception; however, only 49.7% (271) had ever used any method, while 25.4% (69) of the number who had ever used contraception were currently using a method. The methods being used were the traditional type (four [5.9%]), natural type (two [3.0%]), and modern type (63 [91.1%]). The predictors of contraception use included the age group of 40-49 years (odds ratio [OR] 14.1; confidence interval [CI] 3.06-73.24; P=0.0001); the married women were approximately four times more likely to use contraception than the single women (OR 4.5; CI 3.03-6.72; P<0.0001). The women with tertiary level of education were three times more likely to use contraception than those without formal education (OR 3.1; CI 1.13-9.95; P=0.0268), and the odds ratio of respondents with a positive attitude to using contraception more than those with negative attitude was 2 (OR 2; CI 1.41-2.91; P<0.0001). CONCLUSION: In light of the advantages associated with contraception use, there needs to be a conscious effort, especially among health care workers, to educate women about contraception and encourage its use.

Public perception of climate change and its impact on health and environment in rural southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Climate change (CC) has received extensive media attention recently, and it is currently on the international public health agenda. A study of knowledge and attitudes to climate change, most especially from rural Nigerian communities, is important for developing adaptation strategies. This is a study of public perceptions of CC and its impact on health and environment in rural southwestern Nigeria. METHODS: This was a community-based descriptive cross-sectional study of 1,019 rural respondents using a multistage sampling method. The research instrument used was a pretested, structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. χ2, Cramér's V, and Kendall's τ-c statistics were employed in addition to fitting the data to a logistic regression model to explore associations found significant on bivariate analysis. RESULTS: Mean age of respondents was 36.9 (±12.4) years. About 911 (89.4%) of respondents opined that there has been a change in climate in the last 10 years. Supernatural reasons were prominent among respondent-reported causes of CC. Identified risky behavior contributing to CC included smoking (10.7%), bush burning (33.4%), and tree felling (41.0%). Poor knowledge of causes but good knowledge of effects of CC were found in this study. About two-thirds of respondents had a positive attitude to causes of CC, while half had a positive attitude to the effects of CC. A significant association was found between educational status (P˂0.001, Kendall's τ-c=-0.042), occupational status (P˂0.01, Kendall's τ-c=0.088), and attitude to causes of CC. Further analysis using logistic regression showed that occupational status was significantly associated with likelihood of having a positive attitude, but educational status and marital status were not. CONCLUSION: Rural areas of Nigeria are vulnerable to the adverse effects of CC. Respondents' poor knowledge but positive attitude to CC calls for dissemination of adequate information on CC in sustained health-promotion programs.