Gender norms and modern contraceptive use in urban Nigeria: a multilevel longitudinal study.

Background: Evidence suggests that gender equality positively influences family planning. However, the evidence from urban Africa is sparse. This study aimed to examine the association between changes in gender norms and modern contraceptive use over time among women in urban Nigeria.

Trends in reproductive health indicators in Nigeria using demographic and health surveys (1990-2013).

There is an urgent need to improve reproductive health (RH) in Nigeria - the most populous country in Africa. In 2015, Nigeria had the highest number of maternal deaths in the world. This study assessed the trends in select RH indicators in Nigeria over two decades.

Media Influence on Sexual Activity and Contraceptive Use: A Cross Sectional Survey among Young Women in Urban Nigeria.

This study assessed the relationship between recent exposure to family planning (FP) messages in the media (newspaper, radio, television, and mobile phones) and use of modern contraceptive methods among women aged 15-24 years living in six cities in Nigeria. Logistic regression models were used to predict recent media exposure to FP messages and its association with sexual experience and modern contraceptive method use. About 45% of our sample had ever had sex with only a quarter of them using a modern contraceptive method at the time of survey.

Belief in Family Planning Myths at the Individual and Community Levels and Modern Contraceptive Use in Urban Africa.

Context: Negative myths and misconceptions about family planning are a barrier to modern contraceptive use. Most research on the subject has focused on individual beliefs about contraception; however, given that myths spread easily within communities, it is also important to examine how the prevalence of negative myths in a community affects the aggregate level of method use.

Methods: Baseline data collected in 2010-2011 by the Measurement, Learning & Evaluation project on women aged 15-49 living in selected cities in Kenya, Nigeria and Senegal were used.

Influence of parental factors on adolescents' transition to first sexual intercourse in Nairobi, Kenya: a longitudinal study.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated a link between young people's sexual behavior and levels of parental monitoring, parent-child communication, and parental discipline in Western countries. However, little is known about this association in African settings, especially among young people living in high poverty settings such as urban slums. The objective of the study was to assess the influence of parental factors (monitoring, communication, and discipline) on the transition to first sexual intercourse among unmarried adolescents living in urban slums in Kenya.

Exposure to family planning messages and modern contraceptive use among men in urban Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Family planning (FP) researchers and policy makers have often overlooked the importance of involving men in couples' fertility choices and contraception, despite the fact that male involvement is a vital factor in sexual and reproductive health programming. This study aimed to assess whether men's exposure to FP demand-generation activities is associated with their reported use of modern contraceptive methods.

Methods: We used evaluation data from the Measurement, Learning & Evaluation project for the Urban Reproductive Health Initiative (URHI) in select cities of three African countries (Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal) collected in 2012/2013.

Skilled Birth Attendance in Nigeria: A Function of Frequency and Content of Antenatal Care.

The utilization rate of maternal services remains low in sub-Saharan Africa and may be contributing to the region's high maternal mortality rate. This study examines the influence of antenatal care (ANC) on skilled birth attendance (SBA) in Nigeria. The data used were collected from a nationally representative sample of women (aged 15-49) in 2011.

Determinants of Sexual Activity and Pregnancy among Unmarried Young Women in Urban Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objectives: With age of marriage rising in Kenya, the period between onset of puberty and first marriage has increased, resulting in higher rates of premarital sexual activity and pregnancy. We assessed the determinants of sexual activity and pregnancy among young unmarried women in urban Kenya.

Methods: Baseline data from five urban areas in Kenya (Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Machakos, and Kakamega) collected in 2010 by the Measurement, Learning & Evaluation project were used.

Provider barriers to family planning access in urban Kenya.

Objective: A better understanding of the prevalence of service provider-imposed barriers to family planning can inform programs intended to increase contraceptive use. This study, based on data from urban Kenya, describes the frequency of provider self-reported restrictions related to clients' age, parity, marital status, and third-party consent, and considers the impact of facility type and training on restrictive practices.

Study Design: Trained data collectors interviewed 676 service providers at 273 health care facilities in five Kenyan cities.

Risk factors for transactional sex among young females in post-conflict Liberia.

This study aimed to examine the risk factors for engaging in transactional sex among young females in Montserrado County, Liberia. Data from an HIV behavioral survey conducted among young people aged 14 - 25 years were used. The analytical sample included 493 sexually-experienced females.

Unmet need for contraception among clients of FP/HIV integrated services in Nigeria: the role of partner opposition.

While women are aware of family planning (FP) methods in Nigeria, the unmet need for modern contraception remains high. We assessed the association between male partner opposition to FP and unmet need for modern contraception among women seeking anti-retroviral therapy (ART), HIV counseling and testing (HCT) and prevention-of-mother-to-child-transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services in Cross-River State, Nigeria. This secondary analysis used data from a facility-based FP/HIV integration study.

Factors associated with unmet need for modern contraception in post-conflict Liberia.

We examined the association between intimate partner violence and unmet need for modern contraception in post-conflict Liberia. This is a secondary analysis of data collected using the Priorities for Local AIDS Control Efforts (PLACE) method. Data from 499 sexually experienced young women (aged 14-25) in Montserrado County, Liberia were examined.

Informing HIV prevention efforts targeting Liberian youth: a study using the PLACE method in Liberia.

Background: Preventing HIV infection among young people is a priority for the Liberian government. Data on the young people in Liberia are scarce but needed to guide HIV programming efforts.

Methods: We used the Priorities for Local AIDS Control Efforts (PLACE) method to gather information on risk behaviors that young people (ages 14 to 24) engage in or are exposed to that increase their vulnerability for HIV infection.

Influence of integrated services on postpartum family planning use: a cross-sectional survey from urban Senegal.

Background: Although the majority of postpartum women indicate a desire to delay a next birth, family planning (FP) methods are often not offered to, or taken up by, women in the first year postpartum. This study uses data from urban Senegal to examine exposure to FP information and services at the time of delivery and at child immunization appointments and to determine if these points of integration are associated with greater use of postpartum FP.

Methods: A representative, household sample of women, ages 15-49, was surveyed from six cities in Senegal in 2011.

Growing up at the 'margins': Concerns, aspirations, and expectations of young people living in Nairobi's slums.

We explore the concerns, challenges, aspirations, and expectations of sub-Saharan African youth, and investigate how these youth cope with neighborhood constraints to aspiration achievement. We draw on cross-sectional survey data from 4033 12-22 year olds (50.3% males) from two Kenyan urban slums and subsequent in-depth interviews conducted with a subset of 75 youth when they were 13-24 years old (45.