scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 on maternal healthcare in Africa and the way forward

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward Kwabena Ameyaw ◽  
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah ◽  
Abdul-Aziz Seidu ◽  
Carolyne Njue
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Expert Advice ◽  
Maternal Healthcare ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Family Planning Services ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background The impact of COVID-19 is weighing heavily on many African countries. As of November 14th 2021, 6,109,722 cases had been recorded with 151,173 deaths and 2.5% case fatality rate. Studies reveal substantial morbidity and socioeconomic impacts when accessing quality maternal healthcare including fear of infection and the containment measures in place, including social distancing and community containment. The pandemic has put additional strain on healthcare systems that are overburdened and under-resourced even in normal times and has exposed the vulnerabilities of high-risk population groups in addressing critical healthcare concerns. This study presents a mini review of how COVID-19 has disrupted maternal healthcare in Africa, and it further proposes ways to improve the situation. Main body COVID-19 has disrupted antenatal, skilled birth, and postnatal family planning services. Women and girls are vulnerable to the impact of COVID-19 on several fronts and represent a group whose needs including antenatal, skilled birth, and postnatal family planning services have been disrupted, leading to unmet needs for contraception and an increase in unintended pregnancies. Restricted travel due to the fear and anxiety associated with contracting COVID-19 has resulted in delays in accessing prompt skilled care and essential healthcare services such as pregnancy care, immunisation, and nutritional supplementation. Misconceptions relating to COVID-19 have prompted concerns and created distrust in the safety of the healthcare system. Innovative measures are required to address these obstacles and ensure women are not denied access to available, accessible, acceptable, and quality maternal healthcare services in spite of COVID-19. Conclusions In the immediate term while physical distancing measures remain in force, deliberate effort must be made to provide evidence-based guidelines, good practice and expert advice that addresses the unique sexual and reproductive health context of African countries. Efforts to train and motivate healthcare providers to adopt online, remote approaches such as use of telemedicine, and expand the involvement of frontline maternal healthcare providers to deliver information on the availability of services through phone-based referral networks, culturally appropriate social media, community radio and folklore messaging strategies are critical to mobilise and secure community confidence in the safety of sexual and reproductive health and maternal care services.

Analysis the contraception usage and unmet needs of education and reproductive health in Hubei province, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
peng meilin ◽  
kai zhao ◽  
Huiping Zhang ◽  
kunming Tian ◽  
Yiwei Fang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Unmet Needs ◽  
Unwanted Pregnancy ◽  
Hubei Province ◽  
Family Planning Services ◽  
Contraceptive Failure ◽  
Modern Contraceptives ◽  
Living Children

Abstract background: In recent years, contraceptives have developed rapidly, which are divided into modern contraceptives and non-modern contraceptives. The use of contraceptives less unwanted pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections(STIs) including HIV. And cause traditional attitudes towards sex, marriage and family have changed. It leads to a lack of caution about sex and pre-marital sex is more acceptable. Hence, the number of miscarriages caused by unwanted pregnancies has increased. People is going to settle many of sexual and reproductive health matters. Methods: This study, was conducted of about 103 counties in Hubei Province from August 2014 to July 2016, which used frequencies, percentage, mean, chi-square, logistic regression to analysis this data that collected from 17555 respondents. (IBM-SPSS v 25.0)Results: The results in this article describe more men (62.6%) received family planning services education than women (37.4%). And people who did not participate in family planning services education, 17.0% and 21.9% did not know about vasectomy and withdrew as a method of male contraception, respectively. Striking, up to 23.9% and 22.8% of people with or without participating in family planning services education had experienced contraceptive failure (pregnancy for example) in couple. Age, educational, occupational status and the number of living children were strongly associated with contraceptive failure within participating in family planning services education. Only age, place of residence and number of living children were significant associated with contraceptive failure without participating in family planning services education. The figure showed greatly unmet needs of education and reproductive health whether or not to accept family planning services educationConclusion: There is a huge difference in Knowledge and use of contraceptives, as well as unmet educational and reproductive health needs between those who participated in family planning services education and those who did not. That means people who participate in family planning services education got more about sexual and reproductive health education and understand the important of the family planning services. Therefore, it is necessary to provide family planning services for more people and regions to obtain a good understanding of contraceptives, sexual intercourse and unintended pregnancy.

scholarly journals “The Financial Is the Main Issue, It’s Not Even the Child”: Exploring the Role of Finances in Men’s Concepts of Fatherhood and Fertility Intention

2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1074-1083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Hamm ◽  
Elizabeth Miller ◽  
Lovie Jackson Foster ◽  
Mario Browne ◽  
Sonya Borrero
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Fertility Intention ◽  
Reproductive Health Services ◽  
Family Planning Services

Despite demonstrable need, men’s utilization of sexual and reproductive health services remains low. This low utilization may particularly affect low-income men, given the disproportionate prevalence of unintended pregnancy in low-income populations. Bolstering men’s utilization of sexual and reproductive health services requires understanding the services that are most relevant to them. Semistructured interviews about fatherhood, fertility intention, and contraceptive use were conducted with 58 low-income Black and White men in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The interviews were analyzed using content analysis to determine common themes that were most relevant to the men interviewed. The primacy of financial stability emerged as a dominant theme in men’s perceptions of fatherhood readiness, successful fathering, and fertility intentions. However, men had children despite feeling financially unprepared, and their contraceptive use was not always congruent with their stated fertility intentions. Some men described financial services as a feature of family planning services that they would find useful. Because of the salience of financial stability in preparation for fatherhood, integrating financial counseling and job skills training into the context of sexual and reproductive health services could be a useful structural intervention to increase men’s use of family planning services and to provide them with the support they say they need as fathers.

scholarly journals Integration of HIV prevention into Sexual and Reproductive Health Services in an urban setting in South Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shireen Parker ◽  
Vera Scott
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Hiv Prevention ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Cape Town ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Urban Setting ◽  
Reproductive Health Services ◽  
Family Planning Services

Background: The United Nations Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS of 2006 stressed the need to strengthen policy and programme linkages between HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH). However, the effectiveness and best practices for strengthening SRH and HIV linkages are poorly researched in the context of family-planning services. In Cape Town, HIV-prevention services have been integrated into family-planning services. There are two models of service configuration: dedicated stand-alone reproductive health clinics and family planning services located in comprehensive primary-care facilities.Objective: To describe how reproductive health services are integrating HIV prevention and care strategies and to measure the coverage and quality of these integrated services.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using structured interviews with facility managers; a facility-based checklist; and a patient record review to assess the availability of resources, training, access, quality and integration.Results: Facilities in Cape Town are equipped adequately to offer integrated HIV-prevention and SRH services. Overall there was poor coverage of integrated services with 54% of family planning clients having a known HIV status; 47% being screened for a sexually transmitted infection and 55% being offered HIV counselling and testing and receiving condoms. Quality and continuity of care seemed better at the dedicated clinics than at the comprehensive facilities,supported by better training coverage.Conclusion: Engaging middle-level management is crucial with regard to improving integration within a well-resourced setting.

scholarly journals Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on women reproductive health and family planning services

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 1757
Author(s):  
Manish Taywade ◽  
Rudra Prasad Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Universal Access ◽  
Healthcare Services ◽  
Reproductive Age ◽  
Family Planning Services ◽  
Sustainable Development Goal ◽  
Reproductive Healthcare ◽  
Reproductive Age Group

Globally, women and adolescents health in the reproductive age group are heavily affected during the ongoing coronavirus disease - 2010 (COVID-19) pandemic. Contraception shortage across the world. Sustainable development goal, target 3.7 is “to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services, including for family planning, information and education and integration of reproductive health into national strategies and programmes.” The demand of health workers and supply chain are affected and impacted the availability and accessibility to the sexual and reproductive health

scholarly journals A Qualitative Analysis of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceptions of Family Planning Among Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

2019 ◽  
pp. 346-353
Author(s):  
Jain R ◽  
Davison CM ◽  
Michael S ◽  
Durand MA ◽  
Bartels SA
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Syrian Refugees ◽  
Reproductive Health Services ◽  
Family Planning Services ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Attitudes And Perceptions

Introduction: The Syrian conflict has displaced approximately 1.5 million people to Lebanon. In this setting of forced displacement, child marriage, insecurity, and limited access to sexual and reproductive health services can lead to increased rates of adolescent pregnancy, which have been linked to exacerbated maternal morbidity and mortality. Family planning can help to delay childbirth, increase time between pregnancies, and empower women to make their own reproductive health choices. To date, there is limited research on the knowledge of, and attitudes towards, family planning among Syrian refugees in Lebanon.Objective: Identify knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards family planning among Syrian refugees with the overarching goal of informing response strategies to improve sexual and reproductive health for displaced Syrian families in Lebanon.Methods: A thematic qualitative analysis of focus group discussions conducted in Lebanon in January 2017 by the ABAAD Resource Center for Gender Equality. The sample of 99 participants included Syrian women, girls and men.Results: While contraceptive use was generally deemed acceptable by women and girls, husbands’ and mother-inlaws’ attitudes towards fertility influenced their decisions about its use in practice. Additionally, reliable family planning services and sexual and reproductive health education were perceived as seldom available to Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Participants suggested that family planning awareness programs were needed for both parents and girls.Discussion: Changes at the policy, service, community, and individual levels are required to increase knowledge regarding and access to family planning services for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. In the interim, non governmental organizations may play a role in providing educational and supportive services for displaced Syrian girls and women.

scholarly journals What do Service Providers in Southern Ethiopia Think About Barriers to using Youth-Friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health Services for Adolescents?: Qualitative Study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yitagesu Habtu ◽  
Mirgissa Kaba ◽  
Hussen Mekonnen
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
System Level ◽  
Southern Ethiopia ◽  
Reproductive Health Services ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Youth Friendly

Abstract Background: In Ethiopia, lowest utilization of adolescent friendly sexual and reproductive health services (AFSRHs) is recorded among Sub-Saharan African countries. Little is known why adolescents were not accessing the existing services to the side of healthcare providers. Objective: The aim of this study is to explore contextual perceived and actual barriers to accessing AFSRHs by adolescents in Southern Ethiopia.Methods: Phenomenological study design supplemented with observation was used to explore perceived and actual barriers to accessing AFSRHs in 2020. Criterion sampling was used to select study participants. In-depth interviews with key healthcare providers and non-specialist sexual and reproductive health providers were conducted. Transcribed interviews and observation were imported to Open Code 4.02 for coding, categorizing codes, and creating themes. Finally, barriers to assessing the services were explained using thematic analysis. Results: The study explores contextual barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health services in five emergent themes. According to providers’ view, barriers include ranging from providers (e.g poor providers’ competency), health facility (e.g. supply constraints and unsupportive environment), adolescents (e.g perceived lack of information and attitude towards SRHs), community (e.g. lack of parental and social support), and broader health system (e.g. poor implementation and multi-sectorial engagement). Conclusion: As to providers, adolescents face multiple barriers to accessing youth friendly sexual and reproductive health services. Healthcare facilities and the health systems should implement varieties of approaches to increase access to the services for adolescents. The existing strategies should be re-evaluated and new interventions at all levels of the healthcare system are needed. Moreover, implementation research is required at system level factors.

scholarly journals Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practice on Contraceptive Use among Women Attending Family Planning Services in Some Health Centers of Muhima District Hospital, Rwanda

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tegera Mpamya Frederic ◽  
Kanyange Phoibe ◽  
Joseph Ntaganira
Keyword(s):  
Family Planning ◽  
Health Education ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Health Knowledge ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
District Hospital ◽  
Family Planning Services ◽  
The Family ◽  
Reproductive Health Knowledge ◽  
The Impact

Introduction: In developing countries, especially in Africa, reproductive health is a great concern to many stakeholders as maternal mortality and morbidity are very high compared to that in the developed world. Moreover, reproductive health knowledge and access to quality maternal health services in Africa are poor with significant health consequences. Appropriate reproductive health knowledge and attitude can empower women to access quality family planning services (preventive and curative), which are essential for improvement of women’s reproductive health. Objectives: This research aimed to assess reproductive health knowledge, attitude, and practice on contraceptive use among women attending family planning services at Muhima district hospital.  Methods and Materials: The study was cross-sectional in nature involving 326 randomly selected respondents among women attending family planning services at Muhima district hospital. The study instrument was a self-administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Science) statistics software 17.0 version. Hypothesis: Looking at the aforementioned objective, one may wonder if the health education on contraceptive use given by health staff of Muhima district hospital is well done; we may also wonder about reproductive health beliefs and determinants of contraceptive use among women attending the family planning service; and to what extent women in Muhima district hospital have access to health education on contraceptive use. Trying to find an interim response to this question, we have come to realize that the impact of belief in personal and community health practices is strong; but individual beliefs may not be scientifically true and as such, may make one rightly or wrongly access health care. Results: The majority of the respondents knew when pregnancy can occur and believed that having sex even once with a man may result in pregnancy. 90.0% of respondents had knowledge of benefits of family planning. Consideration about personal health (86.0%) and husband’s approval (74.9%) were major determinants of respondents’ use of contraceptives.  Conclusions: Though respondents were knowledgeable about the benefits of family planning, there is the need for continuous education of women about reproductive health issues and integration of men’s participation in the family planning program to increase utilization of family planning services at Muhima district hospital. 

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