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This paper documents the results of an intervention conducted in Nigeria to test the effectiveness of a mobile phone technology, text4life, in enabling women to self-report gender-based violence (GBV). Women experiencing GBV and other challenges related to sexual and reproductive health and rights were requested to use their mobile phones to text a code to a central server. In turn, the server relayed the messages to trained nearby health providers and civil society organization (CSO) officials who reached out to provide health care and social management services to the callers. Interviews were conducted with some callers, health care providers, and CSO staff to explore their experiences with the device. The interviews and data from the server were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. The results indicate that over a 27-month period, 3,403 reports were received by the server, 34.9% of which were reporting GBV. While interviewees perceived that a large proportion of the women were satisfied with the use of text4life, and many received medical treatment and psychological care, the consensus opinion was that many women reporting GBV did not wish to pursue police or legal action. This was due to women's perceptions that there would be negative cultural and social backlash should they pursue civil punishments for their partners. We conclude that a mobile phone device can be used effectively to report GBV in low-resource settings. However, the device would be more useful if it contributes to equitable primary prevention of GBV, rather than secondary prevention measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Unintended pregnancy is a global public health issue with significant adverse effects which include health and economic consequences. Globally, there were 121 million unintended pregnancies annually between 2015 and 2019 among women of reproductive age between 15 and 49 mainly due to the non-uptake of modern contraceptives, harmful norms, stigma and lack of sexual and reproductive health care and information. Methods: We extracted information from the Nigeria Demographic Health Survey conducted in 2008, 2013, and 2018 to assess the trends and factors associated with unintended pregnancies among women of reproductive-aged 15–49. The descriptive summaries were presented using percentages and binomial logistic regressions for the inferential analysis. All analyses were computed using Stata 15.0 at a 5% level of significance and accounted for the complex survey nature as well as the population size. Results: The study included a total of 63,040 women of reproductive age. The prevalence of unintended pregnancy was highest among adolescents aged 15–19 years (15.1%, 95% CI: 13.9–16.5) and decreased with increasing age. The pooled adjusted model revealed that women had 11% lower odds of reporting unintended pregnancies in 2013 compared to 2008. Adolescent girls (aOR 2.48; 95%CI: 2.14–2.89) and young adults (aOR 1.86; 95%CI: 1.69–2.04) have higher odds of reporting unintended pregnancies compared to older women. Also, unmarried women had 9.8 times higher odds of reporting unintended pregnancies compared to ever-married women. Conclusions: The findings from this study highlight the need for further family planning educational programs and initiatives that support the uptake of effective contraceptive methods to reduce the likelihood of unintended pregnancy and improve women's sexual and reproductive health while considering regional variations within the country to ensure tailored interventions that address specific needs within each region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compared the sexual reproductive health and rights related knowledge and attitudes towards inclusive gender norms among students in comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) exposed and naïve technical and vocational centers in Lagos state, Nigeria. It also explored the benefits of teaching and learning about CSE from exposed students and their instructors. A mixed-method research design was used. The study population comprised of students 15-24 years of age attending technical and vocational centers in Lagos State and instructors in CSE-exposed centres. Sample size of 450 per group was calculated. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire; focus group discussions and key informant interviews were used for data collection. Quantitative data was analyzed at p<0.05; coding and thematic analysis of qualitative data was followed by integration and of the findings; and interpreted using the information-motivation-behavioural skills model. Students in CSE-exposed schools had statistically significantly higher SRHR-related knowledge scores and positive attitudes towards inclusive gender norms. The CSE training improved the educational knowledge and teaching modalities of the instructors. The adolescents had increased knowledge, acquired behavioural skills, and changed certain behaviors. The SRHR-related benefits extended to their siblings and friends. This study contributes to the knowledge available on the benefits of CSE for young people in non-formal settings in Nigeria. It revealed that CSE training benefits not only the students but also their instructors, who reported acquisition of new teaching skills and improved parenting skills. The study findings suggest that the integration of CSE into non-formal educational settings could improve the SRHR- related knowledge among young people, promote inclusive gender norms and potentially contribute to improved SRH outcomes and related SDGs in Nigeria., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 ADELEKAN et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)