Background Globally, intimate partner violence (IPV) epitomizes a greater proportion of the violence experienced by women, with more than a third of women (41.3%) in sub-Saharan Africa reporting IPV during their lifetime. This study examined the association between exposure to IPV and the nutritional status of women and their children in Nigeria. Methods The study analyzed secondary data obtained from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. Data on women’s lifetime experience of psychological, physical, and sexual IPV, as well as demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, were collected. We used regression models to determine the association between exposure to IPV and women and child nutrition indicators. A weighted sample of 4,391 women aged 15–49 years and 2,145 children 6–59 months were analyzed. Results The lifetime experience of IPV in the study was 35.31% (95% CI: 33.35, 37.33), 30.43% (95% CI: 28.54, 32.38) experienced psychological IPV, 19.43% (95% CI: 17.79, 21.19) experienced physical IPV, and 6.03% (95% CI: 5.12, 7.09) experienced sexual IPV. After adjusting for a range of characteristics, maternal lifetime exposure to IPV was associated with underweight (ARRR = 0.63; 95% CI: 0.44, 0.91) and overweight/obesity (ARRR = 1.28; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.58). We also found that, children whose mothers experienced IPV were less likely to be underweight compared to their counterparts (ARRR = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.50, 0.96). Conclusions Overall, IPV against women, particularly psychological, physical, and sexual IPV, is common in Nigeria and has an association with the nutritional status of affected women and their children. According to the study, women with a lifetime experience of IPV were more likely to be overweight. On the other hand, affected women’s children were less likely to be underweight. A far-reaching effort is required to curb IPV against women, particularly policies, programs, and laws are needed to protect women and children from the unfavourable effects of IPV to reduce the prevalence and impact of such violence.

Background Early and frequent antenatal care (ANC) has been linked to better pregnancy outcomes. This study assessed whether having at least four ANC contacts was associated with increased prenatal care content if the first visit was started in the first trimester in Ethiopia. Methods Data from the 2019 Ethiopia Mini Demographic and Health Survey on 2894 women aged 15–49 who received ANC during their last pregnancy were analyzed. The sum of women’s responses to six questions about ANC components (blood pressure taken, urine sample taken, blood sample taken, provided or bought iron tablet, counselling by a health worker on nutrition, and told about pregnancy complications) was used to construct a composite score of routine ANC components. The main predictor was a combination of the timing of the first contact and the number of ANC contacts before birth. Results We found that 28.7% of women who began ANC early made at least four ANC contacts. More than one-third (36%) received all six components, with blood pressure monitoring being the most common (90.4%). After adjusting for potential confounding factors, women who had at least four contacts and booked early were substantially more likely than their counterparts to get a factor-of-one increase in the number of components received (IRR = 1.08; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.10). Conclusion We found a strong association between increased prenatal care content and early ANC with at least four contacts. However, less than a third of women in the study setting had at least four contacts, with the first occurring in the first trimester. In addition, less than half of women received essential prenatal care interventions before delivery. The findings suggest that the WHO’s new guidelines for ANC frequency and timing may be challenging to implement in some countries, such as Ethiopia, that already have low coverage of four or more contacts. If the recommendations are adopted, effective strategies for increasing early starts and increasing contacts are required.

The objective of this study was to determine whether adherence to the new WHO recommendations for the frequency and timing of antenatal care (ANC) contacts was associated with receiving quality prenatal care in Cameroon. The 2018 Cameroon Demographic and Health Survey yielded a weighted sample of 5,694 women aged 15 to 49 years for analysis. We found that 8.9% of women had at least eight ANC contacts, with 47.3% of those occurring during the first trimester. Overall, 28.3% (95% CI [26.4, 30.3]) of the women received all eight ANC interventions studied. Women who made at least eight ANC contacts prior to delivery had a higher chance of receiving the full set of interventions (AOR = 1.41; 95% CI [1.00, 1.99]). Even among women who started ANC in the second trimester, those who made at least eight contacts were more likely than those who made fewer contacts to receive the full set of interventions. Furthermore, women who had their first contact later in the second (AOR = 0.85; 95% CI [0.72, 0.99]) or third trimester (AOR = 0.33; 95% CI [0.19, 0.57]) were less likely to receive the full set of interventions. According to our findings, Cameroonian women who followed the new global recommendations for prenatal care were more likely to receive quality prenatal care before giving birth. To have a positive pregnancy experience, however, more women must begin ANC in the first trimester and have at least eight contacts with health care providers before delivery.

Some contraceptive methods, such as long-acting and permanent methods, are more effective than others in preventing conception and are key predictors of fertility in a community. This study aimed to determine which factors were linked to married women of childbearing age who no longer desired children using long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) in Yemen. We used a population-based secondary dataset from Yemen's National Health and Demographic Survey (YNHDS), conducted in 2013. The study analyzed a weighted sample of 5149 currently married women aged 15 to 49 years who had no plans to have children. Logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the parameters linked to the present use of LARCs. The final model's specifications were evaluated using a goodness-of-fit test. An alpha threshold of 5% was used to determine statistical significance. Of the total sample, 45.3% (95% CI: 43.3-47.4) were using contraception. LARCs were used by 21.8% (95% CI: 19.6-24.1) of current contraceptive users, with the majority (63.8%) opting for short-acting reversible contraceptives (SARCs). In the adjusted analysis, maternal education, husbands' fertility intention, place of residence, governorate, and wealth groups were all linked to the usage of LARCs. According to the findings, women whose spouses sought more children, for example, were more likely to use LARCs than those who shared their partners' fertility intentions (AOR = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.07-1.94; P = .015). In this study, married women of reproductive age who had no intention of having children infrequently used contraception and long-acting methods. Improving women's education and socioeconomic status could contribute to increasing their use of LARCs.

Background Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has helped reduce the burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in the majority of countries. Its contribution to the HIV/AIDS burden in Ghana is still understudied. This study examined HIV/AIDS trends in Ghana before (1990–2004) and after (2004–2020) the implementation and expansion of ART. Methods We obtained HIV/AIDS epidemiology and treatment data for the years 1990–2020 from the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. We investigated the impact of the ART rollout on HIV/AIDS in Ghana using Joinpoint regression models. Results The HIV incidence, prevalence, and AIDS-related deaths decreased significantly after 2004, as ART coverage increased from 1% to 2004 to 60% in 2020. The HIV incidence decreased by approximately 3% (AAPC = -2.6%; 95% CI: -3.2, -1.9) per year from 1990 to 2004 and approximately 5% (AAPC = -4.5%; 95% CI: -4.9, -4.2) per year from 2004 to 2020. Between 1990 and 2004, the HIV prevalence increased by approximately 5% (AAPC = 4.7%; 95% CI: 3.6, 5.8) per year but decreased by 2% (AAPC = -1.9%; 95% CI: -2.1, -1.6) per year between 2004 and 2020. Between 1990 and 2004, the annual increase in AIDS-related mortality was 14% (AAPC = 13.8%; 95% CI: 12.6, 15.0), but between 2004 and 2020, it decreased at nearly a 4% (AAPC= -3.6%; 95% CI: -4.7, -2.5) annual rate. Conclusions We found trends indicating progress in Ghana’s fight against HIV/AIDS. However, the most significant declines occurred after the introduction of ART, suggesting that the scale-up of ART may have contributed to the decline in HIV/AIDS in Ghana. We advocate for the rapid expansion of ART in Ghana.