Sociodemographic Correlates of Integrated Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Services Utilization Among Childbearing Mothers in Nigeria.

Background Some social and demographic factors might limit the ability of childbearing mothers (CBMs) to use healthcare services for themselves and their children, thereby exposing them to maternal, infant, and child morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate the sociodemographic correlates of the utilization of integrated maternal, newborn, and child health (IMNCH) services by CBMs in Benue State, Nigeria. Methodology A community-based, correlational survey study was conducted among a random sample of 1,200 CBMs. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using a pretested, structured questionnaire, the Integrated Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Services Utilization Questionnaire (IMNCHSUQ), and study participants were chosen using a multistage sampling procedure. Of the IMNCHSUQ issued, only 896 copies had complete data, which were used for the analysis. The data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 25.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). The data were evaluated using the mean, standard deviation, and point-biserial correlation, and the null hypotheses were tested using linear regression at the 0.05 level of significance. Results The majority of the CBMs were married (79.7%) and unemployed (66.0%) while the predominant age group was between 15 and 24 years (42.7%). CBMs had a high level of utilization of IMNCH services (x= 3.30, SD = 0.94). The sociodemographic factors studied had little or no influence on the utilization of IMNCH services among CBMs. The most significant demographic predictor was the place of residence. Marital status, educational level, parity, and age were also found to be significant predictors in a few services. Conclusions Uneven distribution of IMNCH centers may be a major cause of the failure of CBM's lack of utilization of IMNCH services, especially in rural settlements with sparse distribution of facilities.

Influence of Cultural Beliefs on the Utilization of Integrated Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Services in Benue State, Nigeria.

Background The maternal mortality ratio in Nigeria is high at 576 per 100,000 live births. The health policy is in favor of health advocacy programs that promote the utilization of integrated maternal newborn and child health (IMNCH) services in local primary health centers by childbearing mothers. Cultural factors, however, have been shown to limit the widespread adoption of these services. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of cultural beliefs on the utilization of IMNCH services by child-bearing mothers (CBMs) in Benue state. Methods A community-based correlational survey research was conducted on a random sample of 1,200 CBMs. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the study participants and a pretested, structured questionnaire was used to collect data through face-to-face interviews. Only 896 copies of the distributed Integrated Maternal Newborn and Child Health Services Utilization Questionnaire (IMNCHSUQ) had complete information and were used for analysis. The collected data were managed and analyzed using SPSS version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY). Mean, standard deviation, and point-biserial correlation were used to answer the research questions while linear regression was used to test the null hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Results The majority of the CBMs were married (79.7%) and unemployed (66.0%) while the predominant age group was between 15 and 24 years (42.7%). CBMs had a high level of utilization of IMNCH services (X ®=3.30, SD=0.94); there was a positive moderate relationship between IMNCH utilization and cultural factors (rbp=.43, ρ= 0.000). Results also suggest that cultural factors were significant predictors of IMNCH services utilization in Benue State, Nigeria. Conclusion Any health education program for maternal and child health in Benue State should take cognizance of the cultural values, beliefs, and norms of the people to sustain positive ones while discouraging values and norms detrimental to the health and well-being of CBMs and their children.

Prevalence of loneliness and association with depressive and anxiety symptoms among retirees in Northcentral Nigeria: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Retirees face numerous challenges, including disassociation from persons in their social networks in Nigeria. Perceived social isolation or loneliness could impair the quality of life in old age, and lead to mental disorders. However, it is uncertain whether perceived loneliness has an independent association with depressive and anxiety symptoms and comorbid conditions in Nigerian retirees. Therefore, we aimed at examining the association between perceived loneliness, depressive and anxiety symptoms, including comorbid conditions among retirees in Northcentral Nigeria. METHODS: This community-based cross-sectional study enrolled retirees aged 60 years and above in different pension zones from February 2019 to August 2019. A two-stage sampling procedure was used to select the study participants. Data on perceived loneliness, depressive, and anxiety symptoms were collected using the 8-item University of California, Los Angeles Loneliness Scale (ULS-8), and the DASS 21-depression and anxiety subscales, respectively. We collected information on the demographic characteristics using a well-validated structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, binary and multivariable logistic regression were used to examine the independent associations between loneliness, depression, anxiety, and anxious depression. P-values below 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 71.3 (± 6.01) years, and 54.4% were men. The prevalence of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and anxious depression was 21.8, 52.0, 27.7, and 20.5%, respectively. Retirees with depression or anxiety symptoms perceived that they were lonelier than those without depression or anxiety. The multivariable logistic regression model showed that female gender (AOR 1.49; 95% CI (1.09, 2.00), having secondary education (AOR 2.24, 95% CI (1.40, 3.57) and having higher education (AOR 3.82, 95%CI (2.37, 6.16) were significantly associated with depression. Also, lonely retirees are 1.19 times (AOR 1.19; 95% CI (0.84, 1.69) more likely to be depressed compared to retirees that are not lonely, and the anxious depressed retirees are 314.58 times (AOR 314.58; 95% CI (508.05, 1941.70) more likely to be depressed than those without anxious depression. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and anxious depression were relatively high among the older retirees. Female gender and advanced age were significantly associated with perceived loneliness, depression and anxiety.

Effects of a rational-emotive health education intervention on stress management and irrational beliefs among technical college teachers in Southeast Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Stress is the product of how an individual reacts and adapts to the specific demands and threats they encounter while carrying out given tasks. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a rational-emotive health education intervention (REHEI) on stress management, and irrational beliefs in a sample of technical college teachers in Southeast Nigeria. METHOD: The study design was a pretest-posttest control group. Repeated measures analysis of variance, paired t test and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze the data collected. RESULTS: The REHEI significantly reduced teacher stress in those teaching staff exposed to the treatment intervention, relative to a waitlist control group. Furthermore, the REHEI program significantly decreased irrational beliefs about teaching in those teaching staff exposed to the treatment intervention compared to a waitlist control group. CONCLUSION: The REHEI program can be used to coach teachers on how to manage and cope with stress and overcome irrational beliefs in teaching.