Contraceptive access and informed use are essential components of reproductive health, enabling women to prevent unintended pregnancies, achieve desired birth spacing, and exercise informed reproductive choices. Despite increasing awareness of family-planning services in Nigeria, contraceptive acceptance and consistent utilization remain uneven across communities. This study assessed knowledge, attitudes, acceptance, utilization, communication patterns, and perceived barriers to contraceptive practices among women of childbearing age in Sapele Community, Delta State, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 109 women aged 15–49 years selected through a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using a structured, pre-tested questionnaire with good internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.85) and analysed using frequencies and percentages. Although 69 respondents (63.3%) had heard about contraceptive practices, 69 (63.3%) were classified as having poor method-specific knowledge, indicating a considerable gap between general awareness and practical contraceptive literacy. Fifty-one respondents (46.8%) reported ever or current contraceptive use, whereas 58 (53.2%) reported no use, and only 13 (11.9%) reported always using contraception. Condoms were the most frequently reported method (18.3%), followed by intrauterine devices (9.2%), injectables (approximately 8–9%), implants (5.5%), and oral contraceptive pills (4.6%). Attitudes toward contraception were predominantly unfavourable: 55.0% did not consider contraception important for women’s health, 50.5% did not regard its use as morally acceptable, and 64.2% did not believe that contraception was effective in preventing pregnancy. Fear of side effects (31.2%) was the leading reported barrier, followed by inadequate contraceptive knowledge (27.5%), partner opposition (22.9%), and religious or cultural beliefs (18.3%). Furthermore, 62.4% had never discussed contraception with a partner or healthcare provider, while 40.4% reported difficulty accessing contraceptive services. The findings demonstrate that general awareness alone does not necessarily translate into adequate knowledge, favourable attitudes, acceptance, or consistent contraceptive use. Strengthening method-specific education, nurse-led counselling, side-effect management, confidential reproductive-health communication, culturally responsive community engagement, reliable access to a broad range of contraceptive methods, and appropriate partner involvement may improve informed contraceptive decision-making and sustained utilization among women of reproductive age in Sapele.
Antepartum haemorrhage (APH) remains a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where delayed recognition and inadequate preventive practices contribute substantially to adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study assessed the awareness of the causes and prevention of antepartum haemorrhage, examined the preventive practices adopted, and identified factors influencing these practices among antenatal women attending the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), Edo State, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed. Using a systematic random sampling technique, 213 questionnaires were distributed, of which 203 were properly completed and analyzed, representing a response rate of 95.3%. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0, with descriptive statistics and Chi-square analysis performed at a 5% level of significance. The findings showed that 117 (57.6%) respondents demonstrated good awareness of the causes and prevention of APH, while 86 (42.4%) had poor awareness (grand mean = 1.6). Similarly, 122 (60.1%) respondents exhibited good preventive practices, whereas 81 (39.9%) demonstrated poor practices (grand mean = 2.7). Accessibility and affordability of healthcare services, quality of antenatal health education, health system characteristics, occupation, income, and family support were identified as major determinants influencing preventive practices (grand mean = 3.1). Chi-square analysis revealed a statistically significant association between awareness and preventive practices (χ² = 7.214, df = 1, p = 0.007), indicating that women with better awareness were significantly more likely to adopt appropriate preventive behaviours. Although the overall levels of awareness and preventive practices were satisfactory, important knowledge gaps remain regarding specific risk factors and clinical features of antepartum haemorrhage. The study recommends strengthening targeted antenatal health education programmes, improving access to quality maternal healthcare services, and promoting continuous public health awareness to enhance preventive behaviours and reduce the burden of antepartum haemorrhage among pregnant women.
Access to safe, affordable, and sustainable domestic water remains one of the major public health and development challenges confronting Nigeria despite the country’s extensive surface and groundwater resources. Rapid population growth, climate variability, urban expansion, poor infrastructure maintenance, weak institutional coordination, environmental degradation, and socio-economic inequality continue to intensify domestic water insecurity in rural and urban communities. The consequences extend beyond inadequate household supply to increased transmission of waterborne diseases, poor sanitation, food insecurity, reduced school attendance, gender inequality, and diminished household productivity. This review synthesizes evidence on domestic water accessibility in Nigeria using a systems-based public health perspective that integrates environmental, institutional, infrastructural, technological, and behavioural determinants. A structured narrative review approach was adopted, drawing on peer-reviewed literature, national policy documents, and institutional reports published mainly between 2015 and 2026. Building on earlier Nigerian scholarship on recurring water scarcity, this paper proposes an Integrated Water Security-Public Health Resilience Model that links climate adaptation, water governance, infrastructure resilience, community participation, digital monitoring, household water safety, and public health outcomes. The review shows that fragmented governance, inadequate financing, poor maintenance culture, insufficient water quality surveillance, and limited climate adaptation remain major obstacles to equitable water access. It further demonstrates that women, children, low-income households, and rural populations bear a disproportionate burden. The paper recommends climate-resilient infrastructure, Integrated Water Resources Management, community-owned systems, digital water governance, renewable-energypowered water supply, strengthened WASH integration in primary healthcare, and transparent institutional accountability. These strategies can support progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6 while improving health equity and national resilience
