Objective: To determine the prevalence and predictors of precancerous cervical lesions among HIV-positive women in Jos, Nigeria.

Background: Meeting the health-care needs of a rapidly expanding population is one of the biggest challenges facing Nigeria, and contraceptive use, at 16%, is low. Aims: This study aimed to assess the knowledge and use of family planning methods among men in Mista Ali District, Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria Methods: A descriptive design was used, and a total of 172 respondents took part in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Results: 98.8% of the respondents were aware of family planning. The most-heard-of contraceptive method was the male condom (reported by 85.5% of respondents), which was also the most-used method (93.5%). Level of education significantly influenced the use of any family planning method by the men. Conclusions: A broader range of activities towards educating men should be undertaken.

Background: Respectful maternity care is acknowledged as necessary for reaching higher levels of care quality for women during labour and delivery. In Nigeria, the problem of disrespect and maltreatment during childbirth is quite high; midwives have been acclaimed as agents in this regard. Understanding the experiences of midwives in providing respectful maternity care during childbirth is critical to its promotion. This study therefore aimed at exploring and documenting the experiences of midwives in providing respectful maternity care during the birth of a child. Methods: This research was performed using a qualitative, phenomenological approach involving in-depth interviews conducted on purposefully selected midwives providing services in the labour ward of a Nigerian hospital. The thematic analysis procedure was used to create descriptive accounts of the study information, which was analysed using NVivo software. Study Sample: In total, 10 nurses or midwives currently working in the labour ward of the selected hospital participated in the study. Results: Midwives expressed expectations from pregnant women during childbirth that aligned with their belief in the preservation of patients’ dignity. Additionally, the opinion of the midwives pointed to the justification of disrespect with some patients acting outside of acceptable behaviours and composure in labour. Furthermore, health system constraints were also expressed to influence the experience of the midwives. Conclusion: Midwives are favourably disposed to providing respectful care during childbirth, but when their expectations are not met, their care becomes limited, and there are health system constraints. Several strategies could improve the experiences of midwives, including system-level changes and a collaborative shared model of care delivery between the antenatal clinic and labour wards.

Background: Premalignant cervical lesions are a potential precursor of cervical cancer, which can be identified through screening. Approximately 80% of cervical cancers occur in developing countries, where routine screening is rare. Aims: This study aimed to examine the incidence and risk factors of premalignant cervical lesions among women screened at Jos University teaching hospital (JUth) in 2009. Methods: A purposive sampling technique was used to select a sample size of all the women (1962) who were screened at JUth during January–December 2009. Data were retrieved with the help of the data manager of the cervical cancer screening unit. Descriptive and multiple regression analyses were done to determine risk factors. Findings: Of the 1962 subjects, 5.8% tested positive and 94.2% negative. The majority (82.5%) of those with premalignant cervical lesions had experienced sexually transmitted infections. Those using oral contraceptives had a higher rate (44.7%) of lesions than women using other forms of contraception. Women who had first sexual intercourse aged 10–15 years had a higher rate (41.2%) of lesions, as did those who had seven or more sexual partners (50.9%), or with seven or more children (43.9%). Conclusions: There was a fairly low incidence of positive screening results among the study population. Major risk factors included sexually transmitted infections, early age of first sexual intercourse, increased number of sexual partners, use of oral contraceptive pills and increased parity. The authors recommend a public health campaign on the benefits of cervical cancer screening in Plateau state and across nigeria.