Sexual and reproductive health communication between mothers and their adolescent daughters in northern Nigeria
Iliyasu, Z.; Aliyu, M.H.; Abubakar, I.S.; Galadanci, H.S.
Health Care for Women International 33(2): 138-152
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 0739-9332 PMID: 22242654 DOI: 10.1080/07399332.2011.562996Document Number: 537659
We employed structured interviews and focus groups to investigate reproductive health (RH) communication practices among 184 mother-daughter pairs in Ungogo, northern Nigeria. Transcripts were analyzed using the grounded theory approach. A total of 136 mothers reported discussing RH issues with their daughters. The majority of daughters acquired RH education from their mothers. Parents were more likely to discuss marriage, menstruation, courtship, premarital sex, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) than other sex education topics. Mothers in northern Nigeria need to be empowered with knowledge and skills to improve the scope and quality of home-based RH education.