Discussion and conclusion By 2030, the majority of SSA women will be urban dwellers. Complexities surround IPV in urban SSA, highlighting the unique dynamics of the problem in this setting. While affirming the link between IPV and marital power inequities and dynamics, findings suggest that the specific correlates of prevalence rates for different IPV sub-types in urban SSA women can, at once, be both similar and unique. The contextual drivers of the differences and similarities in the correlates of the prevalence rates of IPV sub-types among the region's urban women need further interrogation.

This article examines the socioeconomic inequalities in the use of antenatal care and medical assistance at delivery in Nigeria, using the multi-rounds of the cross-sectional Nigerian Demographic Health Survey conducted between 1990 and 2008. The analyses include only women aged 15 to 49 with at least one live birth in the past 3 years preceding the surveys date. The socioeconomic indicators selected were household wealth index and women's level of education. The results indicate that the use of antenatal care has stagnated while medical assistance at delivery has increased sluggishly in Nigeria during 1990 to 2008. Stark socioeconomic differences in utilization of antenatal care and medical assistance at delivery services exist with growing inequalities in utilization across household wealth and women's level of education. Despite existing maternal health promotion initiatives in the country, the use of antenatal care and medical assistance at delivery is disproportionately lower among the poor and uneducated women.

BackgroundTo determine the association between malnutrition and early childhood caries (ECC) in children resident in sub-urban, Nigeria.MethodsThis study was a subset of a larger cross-sectional study the data of which was generated through a household survey conducted in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The study’s explanatory variable was malnutrition (underweight, overweight, wasting and stunting) and the outcome variable was ECC. Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the association between ECC and malnutrition. Variables (sex, frequency of sugar consumption, maternal knowledge of oral hygiene, oral hygiene status) associated with ECC in the primary study were adjusted for to obtain the adjusted prevalence ratio (APR).ResultsOf the 370 children, 20 (5.41%) were underweight, 20 (5.41%) were overweight, 67 (18.11%) were wasting, 120 (32.43%) were stunted and 18 (4.86%) had ECC. Factors associated with ECC were being stunted, underweight, overweight and fair oral hygiene. The prevalence of ECC was lower in children who were stunted (APR: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.03–0.69; p = 0.02), almost seven times higher in children who were overweight (APR: 6.88; 95% CI: 1.83–25.85; p < 0.001), and predictively absent in children who were underweight (APR: 0; 95% CI: 0–0; p < 0.001) when compared with children who had normal weight. Non-significant risk indicators for ECC included consuming sugar between meals three times a day or more, having low socioeconomic status and being female.ConclusionsFor this study population, the indicators of malnutrition – being stunted, underweight, overweight - and fair oral hygiene were risk indicators for ECC. The frequency of sugar consumption was not a significant risk indicator when malnutrition was included as an explanatory variable for ECC in the study population.

Malaria in pregnancy (MiP) remains a key cause of poor maternal and neonatal health outcomes, particularly in the African region. Two strategies globally promoted to address MiP require pregnant women in malaria-endemic regions to sleep under insecticide-treated bed nets (ITNs) and take at least three doses of intermittent preventive treatment (IPTp) during pregnancy. Yet, several multilevel factors influence the effective uptake of these strategies. This study explored the factors for the poor uptake of IPTp and use of ITNs in lower socio-economic communities in Nigeria. We conducted semi-structured interviews (SSI) and focus group discussions (FGD) with a total of 201 key stakeholders in six communities in Ogun State, South-Western Nigeria. Twelve SSIs were conducted with traditional birth attendants (TBAs), faith-based birth attendants and healthcare providers operating in public health facilities. Community leaders (7), pregnant women (30) and 20 caregivers were individually interviewed. Sixteen FGDs were conducted with multi- and first-time pregnant women grouped by location and pregnancy experiences. A thematic approach was used for data analysis. At the individual and social levels, there is a high general awareness of MiP, its consequences and ITNs but low awareness of IPTp, with type of antenatal care (ANC) provider being a key factor influencing access to IPTp. The choice of ANC provider, which facilitates access to IPTp and ITNs, is influenced by the experiences of women, relatives and friends, as well as the attitudes of ANC providers and community perceptions of the type of ANC providers. Concurrent use of multiple ANC providers and ANC providers’ relationships further influence acceptability and coverage for IPTp and ITN use. At the health sector level, there is low awareness about preventive malarial strategies including IPTp among TBAs and faith-based birth attendants, in contrast to high IPTp awareness among public healthcare providers. The findings highlight several factors that influence the utilisation of IPTp services and call for greater synergy and collaboration between the three groups of healthcare providers towards enhancing access to and acceptability of IPTp for improving maternal and child outcomes.

Objectives This study determined the correlates of unwanted pregnancy and induced abortion among sexually active female street-involved adolescents (SIAs) aged 10–19 years in two urban cities in South-west, Nigeria. Methods The data for this study were extracted from a larger mixed-method survey dataset on the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of 1505 street-involved young people aged 10 to 24 years. For the quantitative data, the explanatory variables were age, history of school attendance, employment status, religion, living arrangement and city of residence. The study outcomes were a history of pregnancy and a history of induced abortion of last pregnancy. Binomial regression analysis was performed to determine the association between the explanatory and outcome variables. For the qualitative data generated through focus group discussions and in-depth-interviews, inductive and deductive approaches were used in conducting a thematic analysis to explore the perspectives and experiences of SIA on pregnancy and induced abortion. Results Of the 424 female SIAs, 270 (63.7%) reported having had sex. Sixty-four (23.7%) respondents had a history of pregnancy, of which 38 (59.4%) gave a history of induced abortion of the last pregnancy. A history of school attendance significantly reduced the likelihood of being pregnant (AOR: 0.42, 95% C.I: 0.19–0.91), while 15–19-years-old SIAs who were pregnant were significantly less likely to abort (AOR: 0.13, 95% C.I: 0.02–0.77). Qualitative reports indicated that unintended pregnancy and induced abortion was a common experience among the sexually active SIAs. Many participants were aware of the methods of, and places to induce abortion. Conclusion A large proportion of SIAs are sexually active with a high incidence of unintended pregnancy and a high rate of unsafe abortion. Access of female SIAs to education can reduce the risk of unintended pregnancy. Attention needs to be paid to how SIAs can have access to contraception.