Community acceptance, satisfaction, and support for case management of malaria of various degrees in selected rural communities in Ibadan, Oyo-State.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess communities' perception and adoption of the evidenced-based malaria diagnosis and case management intervention targeted at under-five children. The effectiveness of trained Volunteer Community Health Workers (VCHWs) to diagnose malaria among under-five children using rapid diagnostic testing kit, provide treatment using Artemisinin Combination Therapy and rectal Artesunate were assessed. Design: A qualitative evaluation study was conducted in October 2015. Setting: Communities in the 6 rural wards in Ona-Ara Local Government Area, Oyo State Nigeria. Participants: Caregivers of under-five children, community-based frontline health workers, and community leaders selected using purposively sampling. Methods: Nine Focus Group Discussions and 15 Key Informant Interviews were conducted using a pre-tested guide. Data were subjected to thematic analysis. Results: It was disclosed that VCHWs promoted people's access to prompt and appropriate malaria treatment. The communities accepted the VCHWs; the reasons given for this included the following: effectiveness of VCHWs in case management of malaria; good inter-personal relationship with caregivers; and the positive health outcomes associated with services provided by them. In addition, community members expressed satisfaction with the VCHWs and provided them with all the support needed to function throughout the malaria case management intervention. The VCHWs considered the support as a great source of encouragement. Conclusions: The use of VCHWs to treat malaria was adjudged to be effective and considered acceptable to the communities. The adoption of the intervention and its integration into the primary health system by the government is advocated for in medically underserved rural communities. Funding: This work was supported by UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research & Training in Tropical Diseases, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (project ID: A80550 [Nigeria] through funds made available by the European Commission (FP7) for research to improve community access to health interventions in Africa.

Youths and non-consensual sex: exploring the experiences of rape and attempted rape survivors in a tertiary institution in Ibadan, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Non-consensual Sex (NCS) is a worldwide problem with far reaching effects on the survivors. This study explored the experiences of rape and attempted rape (AR) survivors in a tertiary institution in Nigeria. METHODS: In-depth interviews with fourteen survivors of rape and AR were used to explore the context of experience of NCS, its consequences and help-seeking. Interviewees consisted two males and five females for each form of NCS who were identified during the quantitative aspect of the study. Interviews were subjected to content analysis. RESULTS: Mean age of the respondents was 22.3±2.5 years. Context of non-consensual sexual experiences varied with sex. Female survivors reported use of physical violence on them by their perpetrators while males reported verbal threats, nudity, forceful hugging and kissing. Means of escape adopted by survivors of AR varied between the sexes. Female AR survivors used physical force as a means of escape while males employed deception/plea. Perpetrators were majorly acquaintances of the survivors. Consequences of the experiences reported include physical injuries and pregnancy among females and psychological disturbances among males. Majority, both males and females did not report, nor seek help due to shame and did not know appropriate methods of preventing future experience. CONCLUSION: Although both males and females reported they have experienced rape and AR, the context of the experiences and consequences reported varied between both sexes and most did not know how to prevent future experience. This call for urgent development of gender sensitive sexual violence prevention programmes to address this phenomenon. FUNDING: The study received grant support from The Gates Institute, John Hopkins University Baltimore, USA through The Centre for Population and Reproductive Health, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Married Men Perceptions and Barriers to Participation in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Care in Osogbo, Nigeria.

Men's role in HIV prevention is pivotal to changing the course of the epidemic. Men's barriers toward participation in Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) have not been adequately documented. This study is therefore designed to determine men's level of awareness and barriers to their participation in PMTCT programmes in Osogbo, Nigeria. This study was a descriptive qualitative one that utilized Focus Group Discussion (FGD). One-hundred and sixty married men were selected by convenience sampling and interviewed. Data collected were analysed using content analysis technique. Demographic data were analysed using SPSS 15.0 software to generate frequency tables. Participants mean age was 31.9 ± 5.9 years. Many of the participants had heard about PMTCT and the majority agreed that it is good to accompany their wife to Antenatal Care (ANC) but only few had ever done so. Societal norms and cultural barriers were the leading identified barriers for male involvement in PMTCT programmes. The majority of the participant perceived it was a good idea to accompany their wife to antenatal care but putting this into practice was a problem due to societal norms and cultural barriers. Community sensitization programmes such as health education aimed at breaking cultural barriers should be instituted by government and nongovernmental agencies.

Prevalence and factors associated with perpetration of non-consensual sex among students of a tertiary institution in Ibadan, Nigeria.

This cross-sectional survey explored the extent to which students of the Polytechnic, Ibadan had perpetrated Non-Consensual Sex (NCS). A total of 594 randomly selected students completed a questionnaire and three perpetrators were interviewed in-depth. Mean age of the survey respondents was 22.7 +/- 2.9 years. Twenty-two percent had ever perpetrated at least a form of NCS, out of which 75.9% reported involvement in this behaviour in the six months preceding the study. Forms of NCS perpetrated included unwanted touch of breast/back side (14.6%), unwanted kiss (9.4%), attempted rape (2.7%) and rape (1.7%). The predictors of perpetration of NCS were alcohol use (OR: 2.2; CI: 1.41-3.33) and cigarette smoking (OR: 2.5, CI: 1.13-5.56). In-depth interview revealed that peer group influence and alcohol consumption contributed to perpetration of NCS. Behavioural change interventions are recommended to prevent perpetration of NCS in this institution.