Rural Married Women Research Articles

The Structural and Systemic Factors Influencing Underreporting of Intimate Partner Violence among Rural Married Women: A Qualitative Research

This study utilized a phenomenological design to examine the factors that contribute to the underreporting of occurrences of intimate partner violence (IPV) among married women living in rural areas. We obtained the data from a sample of 12 married women recruited using snowball sampling techniques and from four key informants recruited using purposive sampling. The study revealed structural factors such as limited service availability, corruption, and negative attitudes from service providers, and existing systemic barriers. It provides new approaches to address and eliminate the underreporting of IPV, thereby contributing to broader initiatives aimed at achieving gender equality.

"Pleasure to Pain?" The Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Sexual Violence in Marriages: Experiences of Rural Ghanaian Women.

In many parts of the world, particularly in rural areas, sexual violence remains a serious issue. However, cultural orientations urge women to be submissive and obedient sexual partners in marriages. Hence, during COVID-19 lockdowns, when women were thought to be sexually assaulted most, this study used a chain referral sample technique to recruit 20 married rural Ghanaian women to examine their lived experiences of sexual violence. The study established that rural culture denies women sexual autonomy in marriages and offers husbands unrestricted access to their wives' bodies. Sexual violence becomes predominant and unbearable for rural wives during lockdown.

Determinants of household decision making autonomy among rural married women based on Ethiopian demography health survey: a multilevel analysis

IntroductionDecisions made at the household level have great impact on the welfare of the individual, the local community, as well as the welfare of the nation. Women’s independent decision on reproductive health increases women’s access to health information and utilization of reproductive services. This has great impact on maternal and child health outcomes. However, women in developing or low-income countries often have limited autonomy and control over their household decisions. Therefore the main purpose of this research project is to investigate the potential determinants of rural women’s household decision making autonomy.MethodsA multi level analysis was performed using the fourth Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) 2016 data set. A weighted sample of 8,565 married rural women was included in the final analysis. Women were considered to be autonomous if they made decisions alone or jointly with their husband in all three household decision components. It was dichotomized as yes = 1 and no = 0. Multico linearity and chi-square tests were checked and variables which did not fulfill the assumptions were excluded from the analysis. Four models were fitted. Variables with p-value ≤ 0.25 in the bi-variable multilevel logistic regression were included in the multivariable multilevel logistic regression. The Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) with a 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was computed. Variables with a P-value of less than 0.05 in the multi-variable multilevel logistic regression were declared as statistically significant predictors.ResultA total of 8,565 weighted participants involved. From the total respondents, 68.55% (CI: 67.5%, 69.5%) of women had decision making autonomy. wealth index (poor: AOR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.72, 0.97 and middle: AOR: 0.85; 95% CI 0.73, 0.98), literacy (illiterate: AOR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.86), respondents working status (Not working; AOR 0.68; 95% CI; 0.60, 0.76) ,who decides on marriage (parents: AOR 0.76; 95% CI; 0.67, 0.87), and proportion of early marriage in the community (high proportion of early marriage AOR: 1.35; 95% CI; 1.10, 1.72).ConclusionWomen decision making autonomy was significantly determined by women economic participation (their wealth and their working status), women’s literacy, proportion of early marriage in the community and women’s involvement in decision of their marriage. Improving women’s economic participation and enhancing women’s participation to decide on their marriage will enhance women’s decision making autonomy.

Prevalence and factors associated with domestic violence amongst married women in urban and rural areas of Kano State, Nigeria

Domestic violence against women, in its various forms, remains endemic in communities and countries globally and is coupled with contributing marital disharmonies, adverse health outcomes on the victims, their children, immediate families and the community. The study assessed and compared prevalence and factors associated with DV amongst married women in urban and rural areas of Kano, Nigeria. Using a comparative cross-sectional study design, 493 married women were studied. Multistage sampling technique was used to select respondents and data collected using an adapted structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Analysis was done using SPSS vs 25. The overall prevalence of DV was 23%; of which less than a quarter of the urban (17%) and over three quarters of the rural (83%) married women experienced at least one form of DV. Most reported forms in the urban vs rural were: verbal abuse (in form of humiliation, insults and threatening to attack) 15% vs 83%; physical abuse (in form of push, slap, and arm twisting) 6% vs 28%. Older age (women > 45 years) [p=0.00, AOR=0.228, 95% CI=0.096-0.539], and husband’s non-smoking habit [p=0.00, AOR=0.226, 95% CI=0.110-0.467] were protective for the experience of domestic violence. DV was prevalent among married women particularly among those living in the rural area and the younger women. Women whose husbands engaged in smoking were more at risk. Efforts should be made to provide education and support for vulnerable women exposed to DV.

Impacts of family care for children and the elderly on women's employment: evidence from rural China.

China's traditional culture makes rural women and men take on different family responsibilities. Use "China Family Panel Studies" (CFPS) data and build Logit and propensity score matching models to empirically study the impact of children care and elderly care on rural married women going out to work. And explore the welfare effects of basic education public services in helping rural women take care of their families. The results show that caring for children has a significant hindering effect on rural married women's job hunting. Especially for those in low-income families, the employment inhibition is most significant among women aged 20-30 with multiple children. Contrary to previous cognition, supporting the elderly has a certain weak stimulating effect. The kindergarten public services in rural areas can help women take care of their children and relieve their work pressure. The primary school public services have not played a role in alleviating them. This shows that there are still a large number of female laborers in rural China who are unable to go out to work due to family care. The improvement of rural basic education public services can promote more rural women going out to work. This finding will provide a policy reference for the introduction of a formal care system and the establishment of basic education public services in China.

The Expanding Search for Work: The Gender Gap in Livelihood Choices among the Rural Chinese, from 1989 to 2015☆

AbstractSimilar to the rest of developing countries around the world, rural China has experienced rapid growth in the diversification and space expansion of their livelihood choices. However, little is known about the gender gap in the process of expanding. In this study, using the China Health and Nutrition Survey data from 1989 to 2015 and multilevel age, period, and cohort models, we examine the gender gap in livelihood choices of farming, local nonfarm, and distant nonfarming among rural residents over the period. Our study showed that women are constantly behind in taking nonfarming jobs compared with men, and there is no evidence of a convergence trend over time. Further analysis suggests that the family status of being married is the main obstacle for women to close the gap with men, while the gap between unmarried women and men has closed. When comparing the local vs. nonlocal nonfarming work, we found that the gender gap was resistant to close and has even slightly enlarged between married men and women over time. Our study has revealed a concerning trend for rural married women to close the gender gap in pursuing nonfarming occupations and expanding their space in livelihood choice in China.

Limitations and Barriers Affecting Rural Married Women in Resorting to Modern Contraceptive Methods

Limitations and barriers affecting the use of modern contraceptive methods among rural married women in centering the research topic in an experimental space focused on identifying the limitations and barriers affecting the use of modern contraceptive methods among rural married women as the main research objective. In that way, by identifying the individual- centric factors, household-centric factors, sociological factors and socio-cultural factors that influence rural married women to resort to modern contraceptive methods, attention is paid to the policy requirement of inducing modern contraceptive methods to rural women and presenting positive solutions and proposals. A sample of 100 people was taken as purposive sampling under non- random purposive sampling method for the study. Primary data was collected through interviews under survey method. According to the results, identification of barriers and barriers affecting the use of modern contraceptive methods among rural married women. In the study, it was verified that the influence of husband, social support, family culture, social influence and lack of contraceptive education are barriers and restrictions affecting rural married women to refrain from using modern contraceptive methods. Modern deconstructive methods should be disseminated to the rural woman by understanding the wrong attitudes and knowledge centered in social knowledge. Also, it was evident through the study that policy makers and mediators should focus on providing formal education and emphasis on the reproductive rights of rural women.

Reason and Associated Factors for Nonuse of Contraceptives Among Ethiopian Rural Married Women: A Multilevel Mixed Effect Analysis.

Contraception has a clear impact on the health of women and families in developing countries. This study aims to identify multilevel determinants of nonuse of modern contraceptives among Ethiopian rural married women in their productive age group. The study relied on data from the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys. A multilevel logistic regression model was used for analysis. In rural areas, nonuse of modern contraceptives is surprising high (81.7%), primarily due to fear of side effects (12.89%) and breastfeeding (8.2%). Among women aged 35 to 49 years (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.540.81), husbands with secondary and above education levels (AOR = 0.83; 95% CI: 0.7-1), those in the high wealth index (AOR = 0.61; 95% CI: 0.51-0.72), and those who have had 1 to 2 children in the past 5 years (AOR = 0.28; 95% CI: 0.24-0.33), there was a lower chance of not using contraception. Muslims are less likely to want to use modern contraceptives (AOR = 1.2; 95% CI: 0.96-1.4). Women living in Afar (AOR = 20.9; 95% CI: 9.6-44.7), Oromia (AOR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.01-2.3), Somali (AOR = 71.1; 95% CI: 24.1-209.2), Gambela (AOR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.4-3.9), Harari (AOR = 4.4; 95% CI: 2.24-8.72), and Dire Dawa (AOR = 3.2; 95% CI: 1.5-6.9), regional states, were less likely to want to use modern contraceptives as compared to those in Tigray. Family planning interventions should target younger women, women living in rural areas, the poor, and Muslim women. In order to maximize the effectiveness of family planning promotion policies, it's important to address the reasons for nonuse of contraceptives identified in each region and contextual differences regarding women of reproductive age.

Knowledge of HIV/AIDS among married women in Bangladesh: analysis of three consecutive multiple indicator cluster surveys (MICS)

Married women have a higher risk of contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or develop acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) than men. Knowledge of HIV/AIDS contributes significantly to describing the prevalence and consequences of such virus/disease. The study aimed to investigate the level of HIV/AIDS knowledge and the socio-demographic variables that influence HIV/AIDS knowledge among married women in Bangladesh. We used three waves of Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), which included 33,843, 20,727, and 29,724 married women from 2006, 2012, and 2019 MICS. A score was prepared through their interrogation to determine the level of knowledge and logistic regression models were used for analyzing the data. This study found that the prevalence of knowledge level of HIV/AIDS in different questions increased from 55.20% in 2006 to 58.69% in 2019. In our study, respondents having highest education had 4.03 (95% CI 3.50–4.64) times more chance to obtain “High Score” in 2019 MICS which is 5.30 times in 2012 MICS (95% CI 4.41–6.37) and 2.58 times in 2006 MICS (95% CI 2.28–2.93) compared to illiterate married women. Moreover, respondents from urban area were 1.13 times more likely to obtain “High Score” in 2019 MICS which is 1.14 times in 2012 MICS and 1.16 times in 2006 MICS, respectively than the rural married women. This study also found respondent’s age, division, mass media access, and wealth status have played an important role in HIV/AIDS knowledge. Although a significant proportion of women had adequate knowledge of HIV/AIDS, more knowledge is still required to protect against such viruses/diseases. Thus, we advocate for the implementation of educational program in the curriculum, counselling, particularly in rural areas, and mass media access to ensure quality knowledge throughout the country.

Reproductive Autonomy of Women in Rural Bangladesh

Introduction: Reproductive autonomy confers a women's decision and controls over, matters related to contraceptive use, pregnancy, and childbearing. Rural women of Bangladesh have very little control to shape up their family with their minimum empowerment and are lagging behind in the practice of use of family planning methods. Objective: To find out the association among rural women’s reproductive autonomy and contraceptive behavior. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted among 284 married rural women of reproductive aged in Mohammadpur upazilla, Magura district of Bangladesh from June 2016 to December 2016 selected through simple random sampling. Mixed method approach was introduced for data collection through face to face interview using pretested questionnaire and focused group discussion. Results: Mean age of the respondents was 26.5±5.7 years with the range of 17 to 45 years. Average monthly family income was 12,561 Taka where majority of the respondents were housewives (83.8%). Education status above primary level was recorded in 23.6%. Early marriage was highly prevalent (77.5%) and mean age of marriage was 17.2±1.7 years. Mean parity was 2.3 per woman. Only 31% of the respondent found to have well reproductive autonomy. Contraceptive use was prevalent in 61.9% of the respondents and only educated women seen to have chance to participate in family planning decision-making. Male participation in contraceptive use was negligible but still men were in main role to give it the final shape to decide about family planning. Women’s reproductive autonomy found to be significantly associated with their contraceptive behavior (p<0.05). Educational status of the women and age gap with the spouse were significantly associated with their reproductive autonomy (p<0.05). Conclusion: Gender issues were prominent in family planning in rural community and rural women accepted the gender disparity in silence. Policy makers and family planning stake holders should put maximum endeavor to improve women’s reproductive autonomy to strengthen their negotiating capacity in fertility control. JAFMC Bangladesh. Vol 17, No 1 (June) 2021: 30-34

Unmet need for family planning among rural married women in Ethiopia: What is the role of the health extension program in reducing unmet need?

BackgroundEthiopia is striving to reduce unmet need for family planning (FP) and implementation of the health extension program (HEP) is one of the major actions that the country took to address health issues of rural communities including FP. However, there is limited published evidence demonstrating the role of HEP in reducing the unmet need of married rural women for FP. The aim of this study is to estimate the role of HEP in reducing unmet need for FP in rural Ethiopia.MethodsThis paper is based on data extracted from a national rural HEP assessment that covered all regions of Ethiopia. We identified 4991 eligible married women both from agrarian and pastoralist settings. The role of HEP was measured by the exposure of eligible women to FP services through the implementation of HEP packages. We used descriptive statistics to summarize different variables and used logistic regression to model the unmet need for FP.ResultsThe overall prevalence of unmet need for FP among married rural Ethiopian women was 22.41%, contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR) was 44.60%, and the total demand for FP was 60.86%. Women exposed to HEP had a lower level of unmet need (4.82%), a higher demand for FP (37.78%) and a higher CPR (24.93%) compared to women unexposed to HEP. Having exposure to FP services (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.46, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.37–0.59), having level IV Health Extension Workers (HEWs) in the catchment health post (AOR = 0.80, 95% CI 0.67–0.95) and older age are significantly associated with lower levels of unmet need for FP. Having more children (AOR = 2.11, 95% CI 1.67–2.65) and better awareness of the husband about the availability of FP services (AOR = 1.22, 95% CI 1.01–1.48) were associated with a higher likelihood of an unmet need for FP.ConclusionThe unmet need for family planning is high in rural Ethiopia in general and among women who do not have exposure to HEP packages in particular. Assigning a better-qualified health worker at the health post, reaching out to pastoralist women, maximizing opportunities to counsel rural women about FP during any contact with HEWs, and increasing positive attitudes of husbands towards FP use are likely to have positive impacts in reducing the unmet need for FP of rural women.

Married Men’s Perceptions of Their Wives’ Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights: A Study Conducted in the Rural Area of Waterberg District, Limpopo Province, South Africa

Married women often become victims of STIs and HIV due to inability to exercise their sexual and reproductive health rights. The present study was conducted to explore married men’s perceptions and experiences regarding their partners’ sexual and reproductive rights. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 rural, married men in Lephalale villages of Waterberg District in Limpopo Province. The main findings highlight women’s lack of autonomy within their marriage. The findings further suggest that rural married women are at risk due to their socioeconomic status, religion, and sociocultural influences that silence and deny them the opportunity to exercise their sexual and reproductive rights.

Association of spousal violence and women's empowerment status among the rural women of sub-Saharan Africa.

Spousal violence (SV) is a global problem for women and its elimination is one of the prime targets of Sustainable Development Goal-5. Data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of seventeen countries, representing two sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regions (East and Southern Africa [ESA] and West and Central Africa [WCA]), were used to examine the relationship between all types of SV and women's empowerment status among rural married women aged 15-49 years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to explore adjusted associations, and a relative index of inequality (RII) and slope index of inequality (SII) were used to measure the inequality in experiencing SV by rural women based on their overall empowerment position. Within the period 2015-2019, the reported rate of SV was higher in the ESA (physical SV: 33.55%; sexual SV: 16.96%; any type of SV: 46.14%) than the WCA countries (physical SV: 27.80%; sexual SV: 7.63%; any type of SV: 40.83%), except for emotional SV (WCA: 31.28% vs ESA: 29.35%). In terms of overall empowerment status, rural WCA women were slightly ahead of their counterparts in the ESA region (46.09% and 44.64%, respectively). For both ESA and WCA countries, women who didn't justify violence and who had access to health care (except physical SV in WCA) showed negative but significant association with all types of SV in the adjusted analysis. Conversely, economic empowerment significantly increased the odds of experiencing physical and any type of SV in both regions. The significant risk ratios obtained from RII, for any SV were 0.83 and 1.09, and the β-coefficients from SII were -0.082 and 0.037 units, respectively, in ESA and WCA. Multi-sectoral microfinance-based intervening programmes and policies should be implemented regionally to empower women, especially in the economic, socio-culture, health care accessibility dimensions, and this will eventually reduce all types of spousal violence in rural SSA.

Depression in Ugandan Rural Women Involved in a Money Saving Group: The Role of Spouse's Unemployment, Extramarital Relationship, and Substance Use.

BackgroundRural women are highly prevalent to depression, where spouse-related factors, including extramarital affairs and poverty, intensify its likelihood of occurrence. However, women engaged with a Money-Saving Group (MSG) are financially self-dependent, which can reduce the risk of depression suffering. Despite this, there is less study among this cohort, which led us to investigate the prevalence and associated factors of depression among the Ugandan women involved in MSG.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study in Uganda among rural married or cohabiting women aged 18 to 45 years engaged in MSG. The survey was carried out within a total of 153 participants (33.3 ± 6.7 years) in April 2021. Information related to socio-demographic of the participants, their spouse characteristics, and depression were collected.ResultsAbout 65.4% of the participants had depressive symptoms (based on the cutoff 10/27 at the PHQ-9). But, 8.15 times (CI: 2.83–23.44, p<0.001) and 16.69 times (CI: 4.85–57.39, p<0.001), higher risk of depression were observed, if the participants’ spouses were using an addictive substance and had been involved in an extramarital relationship, respectively. Similarly, there was an increased likelihood of depression when the participant or spouse was unemployed.ConclusionThis study observed a higher prevalence of depression, which suggests paying attention to this cohort. Thus, there should be routine screening for depression among married women involved in MSG at lower-level health facilities in rural settings, especially those with spouses engaged in substance use, having an extramarital relationship, and being unemployed.

Prevalence and determinants of spacing contraceptive use among rural married women of Jammu, India

Introduction: Promotion of family planning, especially the use of contraceptive methods is essential to secure the well-being and development of society. Despite rise in the temporary contraceptive usage over the years, the implementation of the spacing method has been indicated lower in rural as compared to the urban areas of India. This study aims to find out the prevalence and determinants of current use of spacing contraceptives among married rural women of Jammu district, Jammu and Kashmir. Material and Methods: A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2018 among married rural women. The survey was conducted house to house, and data were collected with the help of a questionnaire and BG Prasad Scale. Multi-stage sampling procedure was adopted to select the participants. Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to identify the factors associated with the current use of spacing contraceptive methods. Results: The current use of spacing contraceptive among married women was found to be 16.4%. The male condom was the most used method (55.7%) as well as most preferred contraceptive (46.8%). Lack of knowledge was reported as the main reason for not using contraceptive method. The current use of spacing contraceptive method was significantly higher among the upper socioeconomic status (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 2.37(1.06–5.29), women with higher education (AOR) 5.04 (0.68–37.18), living in nuclear family (AOR 1.90; CI: 1.01–3.60), with 2 or more surviving children (AOR) 2.45 (1.27–4.73), and living near health center (AOR) 1.69 (0.91–3.14). Conclusion: Effective targeted programs along with conduction of more field researches that give scientific information should be implemented to achieve the desired goal of contraceptive usage in the rural area among married couples.

Influence of Microfinance Banks on Rural Women’s Entrepreneurial Success in Oyo State

This focus of this paper is centered on the extent to which rural women entrepreneurs can be used as a vital tool for economic development in the State when availed micro credit. The paper discussed the rate at which the micro savings from microfinance banks influenced rural Women’s entrepreneurial success in Oyo State. Two research questions were raised, two hypotheses were formulated and were tested at 0.05 level of significant. The study is premised on Gary Becker’s human capital theory of entrepreneurship which stipulates that all human behavior is based on the economics of self-interest of individuals which operate freely within the competitive market, and Dunford Chris classical theory of microfinance. The instrument for data collection was personal interview and questionnaire tagged: Influence of Microfinance Banks on Rural Women’s Entrepreneurial Success in Oyo State. This paper found that, rural women entrepreneurs significantly differ in their responses regarding extent to which micro credits influence their entrepreneurial success based on age grade. Also, the second finding revealed that single women entrepreneurs rated the influence of micro savings on their entrepreneurial success higher than the married women. However, micro savings for entrepreneurial purpose is good for both single and married rural women entrepreneurs for continuity of their businesses during financial crises. The study recommended that government should release fund to microfinance banks with specifications on sex and age so that women will be accessible to grants and loans with low interest in order to reduce poverty in our society especially among women.

Prevalence of Reproductive Tract Infections/Sexually Transmitted Infections among Rural Married Women – A Community Based Study Using Syndromic Approach

Introduction: Reproductive Tract Infections (RTIs) and Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to be a major public health problem and affecting women's health. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of RTIs/STIs among married women aged 18-49 years in rural areas and to determine the factors associated with these conditions. Method: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out among 308 eligible married women aged 18-49 years in rural areas in District Sonipat, Haryana using the WHO-Syndromic Approach for diagnosis of RTIs/STIs. Results: The mean age of study subjects in our study was 32.1 years (SD = ± 8.3 years) with a range from 18 to 49 years. The overall RTIs/STIs prevalence was 49.3%. The most frequent symptom was vaginal discharge (55.3%) followed by pain during micturition (34.2%), dyspareunia (26.9%), pain lower abdomen (24.3%) and vulval itching (16.4%). RTI/STI symptoms were found significantly more among women who had history of any chronic disease, who had irregular menstrual cycles, used cloths as sanitary pads and among those whose husbands were substance users. Conclusions: This study revealed a high prevalence (49.3%) of RTIs/STIs. Awareness about symptoms of RTIs, menstrual and personnel hygiene, raising literacy level of women, drive against use of addictive substances etc. by husbands is needed for control and prevention of RTIs. Primary health care services in respect of reproductive health should be strengthened and raising awareness among women about reproductive health issues through suitable communication strategies in order to bring about a positive behavior change for effective control of STIs.

Marital Status and Self-Rated Health in China: A Longitudinal Analysis

Research has shown that there exists a positive correlation between marriage and good health, but the reasons for this association are disputed. Scholars acknowledge that the key to answering these questions lies in understanding the role of marriage in specific social contexts. This paper utilizes marital protection, marital selection, and life course perspectives to investigate the relationship between marriage and health in China, a society characterized by nearly universal marriage, strong societal pressure to marry, especially for women, and a distinct rural and urban divide in family life. I analyze the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) with lagged dependent variable models and fixed-effects linear regression models, to predict self-rated health and control for baseline health status and time-invariant omitted variable bias. The health status difference between those who are single and those who are married is primarily explained by marital selection, while marital protection explains the health differences between married and widowed rural women. The health differences between widowed and married rural women vary over age, consistent with the prediction of the life course perspective. Health differences associated with marriage are found mainly among the rural population and less among the urban population. The selection, protection, and life course perspectives each contribute to understanding different pieces of the marriage–health relationship in China. Marriage, gender, and age intertwine with the rural–urban divide to shape self-rated health in different ways and directions for different groups. Most notably, marriage effects on health are mainly a rural phenomenon in China.

Prevalence and Determinants for Hypertension among Rural Women of Reproductive Age in Indonesia

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and determinants of hypertension in rural women of reproductive age. The cross-sectional study was conducted in Cianjur district on August 2019. It involved 193 married rural women aged 20–49 years old. Independent variables investigated were socio-economic characteristics, anthropometry, fat distribution and nutrient intake. The prevalence of hypertension in the study population using the new American Guideline (ACC/AHA) was 58% in contrast to 23.8% using the European (ESC/ESH) cut offs. Socioeconomic characteristics and nutrient intake showed no significant association with hypertension (p>0.05) while, Body Mass Index (BMI) (p>0.012), Visceral Fat (VF) (p>0.013) and Waist Circumference (WC) (p>0.010) were significantly associated with hypertension. Hence, result of binary logistic regression showed waist circumference is the strongest factor to determine hypertension in our study (OR=2.2; 95% CI: 1.20–4.01). Overall, the use of the American guideline increases the sensitivity of hypertension screening. The use of simple anthropometry measurement of WC combined with BMI can be applied for risk screening of hypertension in the primary health care setting including in the integrated community health post to improve preventive measure. Due to several limitations in the current study, future study should consider larger sample size and addresses history of hormonal contraceptive use as well as physical activity

Contraceptive methods among young married women in rural Burkina Faso: Challenges and motivations

Background. Contraceptive prevalence remains low in developing countries. This low prevalence is not linked to unmet family planning needs, but rather to barriers to contraceptive use in women. One of the benefits of contraception is birth spacing and better development for the family. In Burkina Faso, few studies have been performed on the barriers and motivations to the use of contraception by young rural married women. Objectives. We conducted a qualitative, descriptive, exploratory case study to understand the barriers and motivations to the use of effective modern methods of contraception by young married women in rural Burkina Faso. Methods. Modern contraceptive methods were hormonal (oral or injectble) or intra-uterine devices. The sampling was non-probabilistic by reasoned choices. Data were derived from responses from individual in-depth semi-structured interviews, observations and a literature review. These were then analysed thematically. Results. Gender relations unfavorable to women, the desire to have a large family, and shortcomings in communication constitute obstacles to the use of modern contraceptive methods. Despite these obstacles, the many benefits of modern contraceptives, namely the improving of health and family welfare and the empowerment of young women are a motivation to the use of effective contraception by young women, though this is dependant on partner support. Conclusion. Despite the many obstacles to contraception, the many benefits motivate women to adhere to contraceptive methods