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.

Objective: To determine and compare prevalence of Gender based Violence (GBV) in public and private secondary schools students and to identify factors associated with experience of GBV by the students. Design: Comparative cross-sectional survey of using a 60 item self-administered questionnaire. Setting: Ten public and private secondary schools in Ilorin South Local Government area of Kwara State. Participants: 640 students, (320 each) from public and private schools. Main outcome variable: Prevalence and factors influencing experience of physical, sexual and psychological violence Results: At least one form of GBV was experienced by 89.1% of public and 84.8% private schools students (p=0.32). Psychological violence was commonest type of GBV experienced (Public-72.5% vs. Private-69.2%; p=0.37), while sexual violence was least (Public-41.4% vs. Private-37.4%; p=0.3). Females were less likely to experience physical violence (OR 0.3; 95% CI 0.2-0.4) and psychological violence (aOR 0.6; 95%CI 0.4-0.8). Students who were in a relationship and who had history of parental violence were more likely to experience sexual (aOR 1.7; 95%CI 1.2-2.4) and aOR 1.5; 95%CI 1.2-2.2) and psychological (aOR 1.3; 95%CI 1.1-1.5 and aOR 1.3; 95%CI respectively) violence. Conclusions: GBV was a common experience of students in both groups of schools. Multidisciplinary interventions emphasising ending physical and psychological violence among private school students and sexual violence in public school are recommended. Interventions that involve the parents, school authorities and students on nonviolence conflict resolution are urgently required. Parents and students who perpetrate violence should be referred for counselling.

The “disconnect” between the body of knowledge acquired in classroom settings and the application of this knowledge in clinical practice is one of the main reasons for professional fear, anxiety and feelings of incompetence among freshly graduated nurses. While the phenomenon of the theory-to-practice gap has been researched quite extensively in high-income country settings much less is known about nursing students’ experiences in a developing country context. To rectify this shortcoming, the qualitative study investigated the experiences of nursing students in their attempt to apply what they learn in classrooms in clinical learning contexts in seven sites in Nigeria. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse data gained from eight focus group discussions (n = 80) with the students. The findings reveal a multifaceted theory-practice gap which plays out along four tensions: (1) procedural, i.e. the difference between practices from education institutions and the ones enacted in clinical wards – and contradictions that emerge even within one clinical setting; (2) political, i.e. conflicts that arise between students and clinical staff, especially personnel with a lower qualification profile than the degree that students pursue; (3) material, i.e. the disconnect between contemporary instruments and equipment available in schools and the lack thereof in clinical settings; and (4) temporal, i.e. restricted opportunities for supervised practice owing to time constraints in clinical settings in which education tends to be undervalued. Many of these aspects are linked to and aggravated by infrastructural limitations, which are typical for the setting of a developing country. Nursing students need to be prepared regarding how to deal with the identified procedural, political, material and temporal tensions before and while being immersed in clinical practice, and, in so doing, they need to be supported by educationally better qualified clinical staff.

Background: Considering HIV pandemic among uniform service personnel (UPS), a lot of HIV intervention programmes designed to mitigate the spread have not been very successful thus the introduction of the HIV minimum prevention package intervention (MPPI). This paper therefore presents the achievements of HIV prevention programme among UPS in Kogi State, Nigeria including its implications for programming. Methods: This project was implemented among uniform service personnel who are in army, police, custom and prison in Kogi State. A total of 2676 was an estimated sample size for this intervention and MPPI was used for implementation of project activities. Data were entered on DHIS2 platform and later exported and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Results: Out of the total number of 67 community dialogues/advocacies carried out during the project period, 56.7% were done in 2014 and a total of 187 participants participated with a participating rate of 62.0% and 38.0% in 2014 and 2015 respectively. The total number of condoms distributed during the entire project was 7,387 and 3038 peers were registered during the project. A total of 82.6% and 71.6% were reached with HIV counselling and testing and MPPI respectively while the prevalence of HIV was 5.3%. Conclusions: This intervention successfully scaled-up demand creation for condoms and HIV counselling and testing among uniform service personnel. More engagement at all levels to engender political commitment and ownership of the HIV response with a view of ensuring sustainability through increased funding should therefore be encouraged.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess communities’ perception and adoption of the evidenced-based malaria diagnosis and case management intervention targeted at under-five children. The effectiveness of trained Volunteer Community Health Workers (VCHWs) to diagnose malaria among under-five children using rapid diagnostic testing kit, provide treatment using Artemisinin Combination Therapy and rectal Artesunate were assessed.Design: A qualitative evaluation study was conducted in October 2015.Setting: Communities in the 6 rural wards in Ona-Ara Local Government Area, Oyo State Nigeria.Participants: Caregivers of under-five children, community–based frontline health workers, and community leaders selected using purposively sampling.Methods: Nine Focus Group Discussions and 15 Key Informant Interviews were conducted using a pre-tested guide. Data were subjected to thematic analysis.Results: It was disclosed that VCHWs promoted people’s access to prompt and appropriate malaria treatment. The communities accepted the VCHWs; the reasons given for this included the following: effectiveness of VCHWs in case management of malaria; good inter-personal relationship with caregivers; and the positive health outcomes associated with services provided by them. In addition, community members expressed satisfaction with the VCHWs and provided them with all the support needed to function throughout the malaria case management intervention. The VCHWs considered the support as a great source of encouragement.Conclusions: The use of VCHWs to treat malaria was adjudged to be effective and considered acceptable to the communities. The adoption of the intervention and its integration into the primary health system by the government is advocated for in medically underserved rural communities.