The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of rural women on breast cancer and its screening methods in Southwest Nigeria. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate data among 422 rural women in selected communities in Egbeda local government area of Ibadan. The qualitative data was generated through in-depth interviews among rural women and key informant interviews among health workers in the communities. The study revealed that only 63.7% were aware of breast cancer screening methods compared to 31.6% who were not aware of it. The commonly known screening method among women in the study was breast self-examination (66.7%). Some believed that breast cancer is used as a form of spiritual attack to punish women. Knowledge of breast cancer etiology was also low. The major source of information on breast cancer was radio. The study concluded that health education and programs targeting rural women should be adopted to increase their awareness of breast cancer.

Background Despite efforts from the government and developmental partners to eliminate gender-based violence, intimate partner violence (IPV) remains a pervasive global health and human rights problem, affecting up to 753 million women and girls globally. Few studies on IPV have focused on pregnant and parenting adolescent (PPA) girls in Africa, although the region has the highest rates of adolescent childbearing. This limited attention results in the neglect of pregnant and parenting adolescents in policies and interventions addressing IPV in the region. Our study examined IPV prevalence and its individual, household, and community-level correlates among pregnant and parenting adolescent girls (10–19 years) in Blantyre District, Malawi. Methods We collected data from a cross-section of pregnant and parenting adolescent girls (n = 669) between March and May 2021. The girls responded to questions on socio-demographic and household characteristics, lifetime experience of IPV (i.e., sexual, physical, and emotional violence), and community-level safety nets. We used multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression models to examine the individual, household, and community-level factors associated with IPV. Results The lifetime prevalence of IPV was 39.7% (n = 266), with more girls reporting emotional (28.8%) than physical (22.2%) and sexual (17.4%) violence. At the individual level, girls with secondary education (AOR: 1.72; 95% CI: 1.16–2.54), who engaged in transactional sex (AOR: 2.29; 95% CI: 1.35–3.89), and accepted wife-beating (AOR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.27–3.08) were significantly more likely to experience IPV compared to those with no education/primary education, who never engaged in transactional sex and rejected wife beating. Girls aged 19 (AOR: 0.49; 95% CI: 0.27–0.87) were less likely to report IPV than those aged 13–16. At the household level, girls with fair and poor partner support had higher odds of experiencing IPV, but the effect size did not reach a significant level in the parsimonious model. A high perception of neighborhood safety was associated with a lower likelihood of experiencing IPV (AOR: 0.81; 95% CI: 0.69–0.95). Conclusion Intimate partner violence is rife among pregnant and parenting adolescent girls in Malawi, underscoring the need for appropriate interventions to curb the scourge. Interventions addressing IPV need to target younger adolescents, those engaging in transactional sex, and those having weaker community-level safety nets. Interventions to change social norms that drive the acceptance of gender-based violence are also warranted.