Public health officials have advocated the involvement of men as a strategy for addressing the dismal performance of family planning (FP) programmes. This study was therefore designed to explore the challenges and determine way forward to male involvement in FP in Olorunda Local Government Area, Osogbo, Nigeria. This cross-sectional study involved the use of a four-stage sampling technique to select 500 married men and interviewed them using semistructured questionnaire. In addition, four focus group discussions (FGDs) were also conducted. Mean age of respondents was 28.5 ± 10.3 years. Some (37.9%) of the respondents’ spouse had ever used FP and out of which 19.0% were currently using FP. Only 4.8% of the respondents had ever been involved in FP. Identified barriers to male involvement included the perception that FP is woman’s activity and was not their custom to participate in FP programme. More than half of the FGD discussants were of the view that men should provide their wives with transport fare and other resources they may need for FP. The majority of the respondents had never been involved in family planning with their wives. Community sensitization programmes aimed at improving male involvement in FP should be provided by government and nongovernmental agencies.

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.

Female sex workers (FSWs) who inject drugs have higher risks of HIV infection due to injection drug use and the array of sexual practices employed. This study, therefore, is designed to determine sexual practices of FSWs who inject drug in Osogbo, Nigeria. This study was a cross-sectional descriptive mixed-methods design. Twenty-seven FSWs who inject drug were selected from 11 brothels by snowball sampling and interviewed with a semistructured questionnaire and in-depth interview guide. The mean age of respondents was 26.2 ± 7.5. Many of the respondents were aware of the magnitude of HIV and some were sex workers first before turning to be drug users. Some of the respondents had ever tested for HIV and few had ever been treated for STI more than once. Some respondents were willing to have male clients who do not wear a condom in exchange for accepting more money in return. Many of the respondents reported use of condom, regular talking of herbs, and good personal hygiene as ways of protecting themselves from HIV. Respondents have relatively high numbers of sexual partners. Involving sex workers directly in HIV prevention campaigns will encourage them to look after their health and to access services that could help them.

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Background:Health manpower is one of the critical factors in the development of a region. This is because health is an index of development. Bayelsa State has a low level of health manpower. Thus, in this study, we sought to identify factors necessary for effective development of health manpower.Methods:Three methods were used to gather information, ie, face-to-face interviews, postal surveys, and documentary analysis. Critical incidents were identified, and content and thematic analyses were conducted.Results:There is no full complement of a primary health care workforce in any of the health centers in the state. The three health manpower training institutions have the limitations of inadequate health care educators and other manpower training facilities, including lack of a teaching hospital.Conclusion:Accreditation of health manpower training institutions is a major factor for effective development of health manpower. Public officers can contribute to the accreditation process by subsuming their personal interest into the state’s common interest. Bayelsa is a fast-growing state and needs a critical mass of health care personnel. To develop this workforce requires a conscious effort rich in common interests in the deployment of resources.