32 research outputs found
Understanding medicalisation of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C): A qualitative study of parents and health workers in Nigeria
No full textThis community-based, cross-sectional qualitative study was conducted in four communities in Nigeria’s Delta, and was conceptualized to address gaps in our understanding of medicalization of female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and to provide critical evidence needed to effectively design abandonment interventions. The study findings reveal that the social norms driving FGM/C practice remain entrenched despite a shift to medicalization. They also reflect the tendency of parents and health workers to view FGM/C, whether traditional or medicalized, as a minor procedure with few complications and significant benefits that would positively impact a daughter’s future status as a wife and mother. Findings reveal that there is a need for aggressive, consistent, and specific FGM/C abandonment interventions targeting families and key influencers including health workers, traditional cutters, traditional birth attendants, and community leaders in the study communities. Such interventions should explicitly discourage medicalization along with other forms of FGM/C practice and must involve men who are often removed from the mechanics of FGM/C but are key decisionmakers. Interventions focused on health workers must view them not only within their professional capacities but also as community members functioning within FGM/C friendly socio-cultural milieus who may share community social norms
EFFECTS OF PARTIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF NEGOTIATION OUTCOMES ON PERFORMANCE OF CIVIL SERVANTS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA
No full textAbstract: The study explored possible effects of partial implementation of negotiation outcomes on performance of civil servants in Kwara State, Nigeria. Using descriptive survey research design, the 382 respondents used for the study were drawn from different stratum of civil servants in Kwara state, Nigeria. Stratified, proportionate and convenience sampling techniques were used at different stages of the study. Primary data used for the study were collected through semi-structured questionnaire and were analysed using mean, standard deviation and Logit model. The findings of the study revealed a negative but significant relationship between partial implementation of negotiation outcomes and performance of civil servants in Kwara State, Nigeria. It recommends that government and other employers of labour should ensure full implementation of negotiation outcomes to encourage worker’s full commitments to their jobs thereby enhancing their performance. Also, both parties to negotiation should come with clean and open minds to the negotiation table.
Keywords: Implementation, Partial Implementation, Negotiation, Labour, Negotiation Outcome, Performance.
Title: EFFECTS OF PARTIAL IMPLEMENTATION OF NEGOTIATION OUTCOMES ON PERFORMANCE OF CIVIL SERVANTS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA
Author: Echebius ACHUGO, Hezekiah Olufemi ADETAYO, Lanre Raphael OLANIPEKUN, Merai PHILIP
International Journal of Recent Research in Social Sciences and Humanities (IJRRSSH)
ISSN 2349-7831
Vol. 10, Issue 2, April 2023 - June 2023
Page No: 1-8
Paper Publications
Website: www.paperpublications.org
Published Date: 07-April-2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7807966
Paper Download Link (Source)
https://www.paperpublications.org/upload/book/EFFECTS%20OF%20PARTIAL%20IMPLEMENTATION-07042023-1.pdfInternational Journal of Recent Research in Social Sciences and Humanities (IJRRSSH), ISSN 2349-7831, Paper Publications, Website: www.paperpublications.or
“Like a broom tied together”: A qualitative exploration of social cohesion and its role in community capacity strengthening to support integrated health in Nigeria
No full textSocial cohesion, broadly understood as the degree of connectedness, solidarity, and trust across various community groups and between individuals, is critical for community capacity. This paper examines social cohesion and its role in community capacity strengthening for sustaining integrated health gains in Nigeria. This study took place in the context of a mid-course qualitative evaluation of a Community Capacity Strengthening approach that focuses on engaging Ward Development Committees (WDC) to increase community agency, coordinate and support the ward-level health ecosystem and ensure sustained community-level activities supporting behaviour change for improved health outcomes. This qualitative study was conducted in four selected wards per state in Bauchi and Sokoto states, targeting WDC members, Village Development Committee members, Community Volunteers, local government officials, traditional leaders, and Community Capacity Strengthening project staff. Thematic content analysis findings show that recognition and legitimacy were operationalized through the election of members into committees which in turn gave them a sense of identity and credibility. At the community level, WDCs leveraged the influence of social networks in the community to achieve their goal. Trust was also identified as a prerequisite to the acceptance and accomplishment of social and behaviour change programming. At the institutional level, our findings revealed strong conflict management skills and high collective efficacy of committee members for programme implementation. This study found high cohesion among committee members, promoting a sense of belonging and agency, and facilitating social and behavior change activities for improved health outcomes. However, we found clear limits to the extent to which high social cohesion can contribute to community capacity to sustain health implementation and improvements. While cohesive community organizations present a good opportunity for health programmes, there is a need for more investment of resources to address funding, logistics, and service delivery limitations
Acceptance of the Advocacy Core Group approach in promoting integrated social and behaviour change for MNCH+N in Nigeria: A qualitative study
No full textObjective: This paper examines the acceptance of the Advocacy Core Group (ACG) programme, a social and behaviour change intervention addressing maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCH+N) in Bauchi and Sokoto states, with an additional focus on the perceived endorsement of health behaviours by social networks as a potential factor influencing acceptance. Design: This study used the qualitative social network analysis approach and used in-depth interviews to collect data from 36 participants across Bauchi and Sokoto states. Setting: This study was conducted in selected communities across Bauchi and Sokoto states. Participants: A purposive sample of 36 participants comprised of men and women aged 15-49 years who have been exposed to the ACG programme. Results: Programme beneficiaries actively engaged in various ACG-related activities, including health messaging delivered through religious houses, social gatherings, home visits, community meetings and the media. As a result, they reported a perceived change in behaviour regarding exclusive breast feeding, antenatal care visits, family planning and malaria prevention. Our findings indicated consistent discussions on health behaviours between programme beneficiaries and their network partners (NPs), with a perceived endorsement of these behaviours by the NPs. However, a potential negative factor emerged, whereby NPs exhibited perceived disapproval of key behaviours, which poses a threat to behaviour adoption and, consequently, the success of the ACG model. Conclusions: While findings suggest the successful implementation and acceptance of the model, it is important to address possible barriers and to further explore the socially determined acceptance of MNCH+N behaviours by NPs. Interventions such as the ACG model should mobilise the networks of programme participants, particularly those with decision-making power, to improve the uptake of health behaviours
Breakthrough RESEARCH\u27s evaluation of Breakthrough ACTION Nigeria’s community capacity strengthening approach
No full textThis docuslide presents an abridged synthesis of the Qualitative evaluation of Breakthrough ACTION/Nigeria\u27s community capacity strengthening approach to sustaining integrated social and behavior change programming: Phase I study report. Use this docuslide to explore key findings and takeaways and refer to the full study report for more details and information
“We help people change harmful norms”: Working with key opinion leaders to influence MNCH+N behaviors in Nigeria
No full textBackground: Nigeria’s Maternal, newborn, and child health and nutrition (MNCH+N) outcomes rank among the world’s poorest. Engaging traditional and religious leaders shows promise in promoting related behaviors. The Breakthrough ACTION/Nigeria project worked with leaders in northern Nigeria to implement the Advocacy Core Group (ACG) model, a social and behavior change (SBC) approach aimed at influencing community norms and promoting uptake of MNCH+N behaviors. Qualitative assessment of the model contributes to evidence on SBC approaches for enhancing integrated health behaviors. Methodology: This qualitative study was conducted in Nigeria’s Bauchi and Sokoto states in May 2021. It involved 51 in-depth interviews and 24 focus group discussions. The study was grounded in the social norms exploration (SNE) technique to examine normative factors influencing behavior change within the ACG model context. Data analysis used a reflexive thematic analysis approach. Ethical approvals were received from all involved institutions and informed consent was obtained from participants. Results: The ACG model was vital in the uptake of MNCH+N behaviors. The influence of ACG members varied geographically with greater impact observed in Sokoto State. Normative barriers to improving MNCH+N outcomes included perceived religious conflicts with family planning, preference for traditional care in pregnancy, misinformation on exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), and gender-based violence resulting from women’s decision-making. The study demonstrated positive progress in norm shifting, but EBF and GBV norms showed slower changes. Broader challenges within the health system, such as inadequate services, negative attitudes of healthcare providers, and workforce shortages, hindered access to care. Conclusion: The ACG model increased awareness of health issues and contributed to potential normative shifts. However, slower changes were observed for EBF and GBV norms and broad health system challenges were reported. The model appears to be a promising strategy to further drive SBC for better health outcomes, especially where it is combined with supply-side interventions
Qualitative evaluation of Breakthrough ACTION/Nigeria’s community capacity strengthening approach to sustaining integrated social and behavior change programming: Phase I
No full textTo ensure the maintenance and sustainability of social and behavior change (SBC), Breakthrough ACTION/Nigeria is implementing a phased, performance-based community capacity strengthening (CCS) approach that focuses on engaging existing community leaders and structures—namely ward development committees—to increase community self-efficacy, coordinate and support the health ecosystem in general, and to ensure sustained community-level activities supporting behavior change and positive social norms for improved health outcomes. Using a qualitative approach, Breakthrough RESEARCH assessed early successes, challenges, and opportunities for Breakthrough ACTION/Nigeria’s CCS Phase 1 approach in selected wards of the Bauchi and Sokoto states in Nigeria
A diagnostic assessment of the health system\u27s response to FGM/C management and prevention in Nigeria—Brief
No full textGlobally, over 200 million women have been cut and are living with FGM/C-related consequences. In Africa, an estimated 27 million, 24 million, and 20 million girls/women have undergone FGM/C in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Nigeria respectively, the countries with the highest prevalence of FGM/C on the continent. In Nigeria, although the practice is considered widespread, national surveys suggest a gradual decline of FGM/C prevalence among women aged 15–49 years from 30 percent in 2008 to 20 percent in 2018. While these statistics suggest progress, the prevalence is still as high as 67 percent in some states. Nigeria’s National Strategic Health Development Plan Framework highlighted the need to strengthen the health system to cater to an increasing population served by scarce skilled health professionals. Findings from this study show that the level of readiness of the health facilities to handle FGM/C-related complications is low as evidenced by poor infrastructure, lack of equipment, and limited human capacity. Improving the health system response in the prevention and management of FGM/C complications requires focused funding, political leadership, and better stakeholder coordination
Understanding caregivers’ and community influencers’ perspectives on the barriers to childhood immunisation in Northern Nigerian States with public-private partnerships in routine immunisation programme
No full textAbstract Background Despite investments by the Nigerian government and international organisations in childhood immunisation to combat child mortality, coverage in many northern states remains below the national average, thereby increasing the risk of vaccine-preventable diseases. This paper examines the barriers to immunisation in six states in northeast and northwest Nigeria, which have the lowest vaccination coverage rates in the country. Method We conducted 24 focus group discussions (FGDs) with mothers/caregivers and community influencers who collaborate with health workers to provide routine immunisation. The socio-ecological framework informed the design of the FGDs. We thematically analysed inductively and deductively coded data on NVivo version 12. Results Barriers to immunisation uptake included: Individual and interpersonal level - limited female mobility, adverse events after immunisation; community level - misconceptions and myths about vaccines, religious beliefs and norms, health provider-patient gender discordance, mistrust of immunisation; system level - poor health worker attitude, ineffective documentation of immunisation appointments, distance to health facilities, inadequate human resource capacity at health facilities, vaccine supply shortages, and lack of incentives. Conclusion This study highlights the intricate barriers to immunisation uptake in northern Nigeria. Key recommendations include engaging male caregivers through tailored social and behavioural change initiatives and capacity building for health workers to improve their counselling skills on vaccine side effects. Findings from the study provide valuable insights for policymakers and programme implementers. Implementing these interventions can tackle ongoing challenges and improve routine immunisation in these states
