Health Care : Current Reviews

Marital values and the spread of STIs in Nigeria: Implications for STIs preventive campaigns

Global Healthcare & Fitness Summit

July 20-22, 2015 San Francisco, USA

Kehinde Kadijat Kadiri

University of Ilorin, Nigeria

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: Health Care: Current Reviews

Abstract:

Cultural sensitivity is increasingly recognized as a means of enhancing the effectiveness of health promotion programs all over the world. In the fight against STIs in Nigeria, the incorporation of marital values and practices tenet in the campaign programs remain one of the major assets that has remained untapped. Therefore, the understanding of marital values and practices in the Nigerian society are important towards the development and implementation of STIs preventive campaigns. This study was conducted towards understanding the positive and negative values and practices in marital institutions and how they can be effectively incorporated into STIs preventive campaigns. In-depth interview was conducted on 32 married young people who reside in Abeokuta town in South West, Nigeria. The result of the study shows that there are some marital values and practices which promote risky sexual behavior among men which leads to STIs while some curtails sexual excesses particularly among females. Some female informants indicated that some marital values and practices were promoting social cohesion and unity while others were having negative influence on the physical and psychological health of individuals. Majority of the females explained that marital values expects married women to uphold their marital vows because of the consequences attached to compromising such values. Most of the male informants testified that cultural values and practices gave married men the permissiveness to involve in extra marital affairs which contributes to the spread of STIs. The consequence of the above scenario shows that women are more vulnerable to STIs than their male counterparts. The obvious implication arising from these positions suggest the promotion of marital virtues which would result in more positive STIs behavioral change among married individuals. The conclusion is that there is a need to specifically culturally sensitize married individuals on their vulnerability to STIs while encouraging them to uphold their positive cultural marital virtues.

Biography :

Email: kcube0207@yahoo.com