Stigma surrounding contraceptive use and abortion among secondary school teachers: A cross-sectional study in Western Kenya

Abstract Background In Kenya, unsafe abortion is the leading cause of maternal deaths in adolescent girls aged 15–19 years, and a majority did not use a modern contraceptive before becoming pregnant. The aim of this study was to explore attitudes related to abortion and contraceptive use among secondary school teachers and student peer-counsellors in a low-resource setting in western Kenya. Methods A mixed methods design, combining a questionnaire-survey and focus group discussions (FGDs), was utilised to explore attitudes to abortion and contraceptive use among teachers (n = 15) and student peer-counsellors (n = 21) at a secondary school in Kisumu, Kenya. First, two Likert scale questionnaires were used: a modified version of the Stigmatising Attitudes, Beliefs and Actions (SABA) scale and the Contraceptive Use Stigma (CUS) scale. Secondly, four FGDs were conducted. Descriptive statistics and Abductive Thematic Network Analysis (ATNA) were used to analyse the data. Results Overall, Social judgments on abortion and contraceptive use were found among teachers and student peer-counsellors, with similar patterns between sexes. Christian and cultural values; A majority, 28/36 considered abortion a sin, and chastity and purity before marriage were highly valued feminine ideals. Discrimination and isolation; 18/36 believed that a girl who has had an abortion might be a bad influence on other girls, and 13/35 stated that an adolescent girl cannot decide for herself if to use a contraceptive method. Conflicting views on abortion and contraceptives; A third (11/34) believed that contraceptives may cause infertility, and its use was related to promiscuity. Girls associated with abortion and contraceptive use were considered immoral, lacking parental guidance, and were used to represent bad examples in school. Although conflicting views were present, sexuality was considered a taboo topic, which left adolescents ignorant on contraceptive use. Conclusions Adolescent girls associated with abortion and contraceptive use are at risk for social judgements and discrimination, by both peers and teachers. Sexual and reproductive health training needs to be implemented in teacher education to increase knowledge on adolescent sexuality, abortion and contraceptive use to improve adolescents’ sexual health and decrease the stigma. Trial registration This was a prestudy nested in a cluster randomised intervention study, registered on February 28, 2017, at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03065842).

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Fluoride in Drinking Water and Urine: A Cross-Sectional Study among Secondary School Children in Kuala Kubu Bharu, Selangor, Malaysia

Reaching the Unreached: Improving Population Health in the Rural and Remote Areas ◽

10.26911/theicph.2018.01.51 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Khairin Nabila I ◽

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Shaharuddin MS ◽

Zaenal Abidin ◽

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...

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Secondary School ◽

School Children ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional

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Prevalence of Depression and Associated factors among Secondary School Teachers in Al-Madinah City, KSA (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.15988 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Faisal Alqahtani Sr

Keyword(s):

Secondary School ◽

Health Problem ◽

Secondary School Teachers ◽

Minor Depression ◽

School Teachers ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Health Care Clinics ◽

Post Natal Depression ◽

Sample Technique ◽

History Of

BACKGROUND Depression is the most common psychiatric condition seen in primary health care clinics. On the other hand, teaching is one of the most stressful jobs. The aim was to determine prevalence and correlates of depression among secondary school teachers in Al-Madinah city. OBJECTIVE This study was aimed to explore the extent of depression as a health problem among secondary school teachers in Al-Madinah city. METHODS A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted on a representative sample of secondary school teachers of both genders in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah city. A Multistage cluster sample technique was implemented to recruit the participants. The data were collected using a self-administered PHQ-9 depression questionnaire. RESULTS The study included 297 teachers. More than half of them (54.2%) were males and the vast majority (97.6%) were Saudis. Major depression, based on PHQ-9 depression questionnaire was reported among 8.4% of the participants whereas minor depression was reported among 14.1% of them. Among the studied habitual factors, the smoking of Shisha and non-practicing of physical exercise were significantly associated with depression among teachers. Regarding obstetric and gynecological factors, female teachers with history of post-natal depression were more likely to have major and minor depression features than those without such history, p=0.017. CONCLUSIONS Depression is a common health problem among secondary school teachers in Al-Madinah city affecting almost one quarter of them. Familial instability, shisha smoking, physical inactivity, heavy teaching load and deficiency of educational competencies are strongly correlated with depression. Further studies are needed to explore the extent of the problem among teachers at different levels of teaching and in other regions of the country.

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