Sociology
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Item Deconstructing the burden of rural-urban migration in a non-regulatory system: the case of Lagos, Nigeria(2009-12) Nwokocha, E. E.Nigeria is one of the countries in the world with very high rural-urban dichotomy. Although the nation is generally characterized by poor social amenities, both in quality and quantity, rural communities are disproportionately more disadvantaged than urban centres due to governmental neglect. Consequently, the number of rural inhabitants that migrate to cities in the hope of overcoming the powerlessness that is consistent with rural life is unprecedented. The resulting population densities in these destinations and the corresponding disadvantages require effective regulations that will engage the push factors, on one hand, and methods for in-migrants to adjust to destination cities without infringing on the existing social equilibrium, on the other. Although the adjustability of some in-migrants in Lagos was examined, the challenge of non-regulation and the consequent unmanageable migrant-inflow into the city sustain the burden at family and societal levels. This paper argues that Nigeria, generally, practices a non-regulatory internal migration system with prospective recipients, most times, forced to adjust grudgingly to unforeseen human additions. Investigating how these receiving families and groups are coping with this recurring contingency is critical to understanding the burden and contradictions of the non-existence of registration systems and haphazardness in spatial allocations, land use, distribution of public resources and compliance to laws. Suggesting appropriate context-specific intervention strategies to a non-regulatory migration patterns and processes, as in the case of Nigeria, is strongly recommended.Item Attitudes and behaviour of Nigerian university students towards voluntary HIV counselling and testing(2009) Nwokocha, E. E.; Eyango, V.Despite increased campaign for voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV/AIDS in Nigeria only a negligible number of young people participates in this activity. This study investigates the factors affecting the attitudes and behaviour of students at the University of Ibadan, which is a microcosm of other universities in the country, as a way of understanding the context in which apathy towards VCT occurs. The Health Belief Model and the Theory of Reasoned Action enable the study to highlight the variables that interact to influence students’ behaviour towards VCT. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews (IDIs). The survey involved 400 respondents selected through a multi-stage sampling technique, while 12 IDIs were conducted among undergraduate and postgraduate students identified as relatively knowledgeable about issues related to VCT – mainly as peer educators. The findings show that although 95.3% of the students were aware of VCT, only 15% of them had undertaken voluntary HIV testing. The specific results indicate that there is a wide gap between intention and action related to VCT. Of the 57.5% respondents who had discussed VCT and intended to participate in it, only 27.3% actually underwent VCT. A combination of overconfidence in not being HIV positive, fear of testing positive to the virus, the perceived non-confidentiality of test results and stigma and discrimination strongly discourage students from partaking in VCT. The study clearly indicates the need to bridge the gap between knowledge and behaviour through vigorous sensitization and enlightenment activities.Item Impact assessment of HIV/AIDS knowledge and prevention among patrons of bars and hotels in Abuja, Nigeria(2009-03) Aderinto, A. A.; Erinosho, L.; Nwokocha, E. E.; Adesanmi, O. A.The Federal Capital Territory (FCIJ Abuja, is notable for its increasing population and convergence of peoples and cultures. This high volume of in-migration into the FCT exerts a considerable pressure on the economic and social life of its inhabitants. Understandably, bar/hotel business ranks among the most patronized ventures in the city as a result of multiple government, academic/research and nongovernment engagements and attendant activities of sex workers who visit such bars and hotels. As a result of the number of people that have stake either as proprietors or patrons and the centrality of these business outfits to the understanding of events in the city, selected bars and hotels were chosen for this impact study on HIVIAIDS-knowledge and prevention. The main objective of this study is to assess the impact of various HIVIAIDS intervention programmes on the knowledge and attitudes of patrons of bars and hotels in the FCT towards HIVIAIDS and adoption of preventive methods through exposure to different prevention strategies. Data for this study were collected at two levels through: (1) a pre-intervention baseline survey; and (2) post-intervention questionnaires. In this way, the level of the effects of the AIDS-education programme on respondents' knowledge and attitude to HIVIAIDS prevention measures was highlighted. The findings show clearly that multiple socioeconomic and cultural factors influence patronage of bars and hotels in the FCT; and the intervention impacted positively on respondents' knowledge of HIVIAIDS, as well as condom use.Item Factors influencing mothers' role in convulsion treatment among under-five children in lbadan, Nigeria(2009) Nwokocha, E. E.; Awoniyi, A. OConvulsion among children between six months and five years is a major contributor to childhood mortality in less-developed societies, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Most studies on under-five deaths have ignored the influence of socio-demographic and environmental factors as they relate to causes of the thematic health condition and available therapies. This study investigated mothers' perception of convulsion causation, relevant signs and symptoms, and the influence of socio-economic status on mothers' choice of remedies. The research was conducted in Ibadan, southwest Nigeria, which is densely populated with mainly Yoruba-speaking people. The study population comprised mothers who, at the time of fieldwork for the present analysis, had at least one under-five child. Five hundred questionnaire respondents were selected through a multistage sampling technique, and 14 in-depth interviews (lDls) were conducted among different categories of women identified through the snowball technique. Voluntary Social Action Theory and the Health Belief Model were used in explaining the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. The findings show that the remedies mothers chose were strongly influenced by socio-demographic factors such as marriage type, religion, level of education, occupation and place of residence. It is strongly suggested that interventions, health policies and programs should focus on how best to empower women to effectively utilize medical information that will enable them recognize symptoms of this common health condition and/or undertake preliminary therapies that contribute positively to convulsion prevention or treatment.Item Traditional Healthcare delivery systems in the 21st century Nigeria: moving beyond misconceptions(Longwoods Publishing, Corp, 2008) Nwokocha, E. E.One of the most notable features of medicine in the later part of the preceding century were vigorous criticisms against traditional systems of healthcare delivery, almost to a point of suffocation. Although most of the issues raised to affirm the seemingly inadequate status of this system are compelling, its absolute undesirability has been difficult to establish. Part of the misconception derives from lumping Nigeria into one integrated and indivisible indigenous unit, notwithstanding differences in values, beliefs and practices among communities. Against this backdrop, this study invites a reassessment and possible integration of Nigerian traditional medicine with the introduced systems of healthcare delivery. This will ensure not only a holistic approach to dealing with complex health issues among Nigerians, but also the continued relevance of indigenous medicine. Critical issues examined include forms and factors affecting traditional medicine, and conflicts between indigenous and introduced systems of healthcare delivery. Consequently, a framework for explaining traditional medicine in the context of Nigeria was designed through a triangulation of Rational Choice theory, Ethnomethodology and the Health Belief Model.Item Male-child syndrome and the agony of motherhood among the Igbo of Nigeria(Serials Publications, 2007) Nwokocha, E. E.The persistence of high fertility among the lgbo of Nigeria is linked to the relative strength of the pronatalist tradition among them. Perceived relative benefits of male children as potential custodians of both identity and lineage have sustained this value over generations. A woman, who achieves recognition and status by the birth of at least one male child, is considered fulfilled and ultimately accorded greater respect relative to her counterparts who do not achieve the same feat. Studies have been focusing on the factors defining this gender preference at the expense of those that still sustain marriages that are "barren" and the tension and agony that characterize the psychological disposition of women in this dilemma. This paper examines the links between patriliny and patriarchy and male child preference, and also how inherent society-created effects of male-childlessness could be ameliorated at family and household levels.Item Maternal crises and the role of African men: the case of a Nigerian community(Union for African Population Studies, 2007) Nwokocha, E. E.Studies have consistently shown that maternal processes in Africa are prone to crises as a result of multiple socio-economic and religious factors. A combination of male-domination, low status of women, poverty, cultural beliefs and practices and high fertility affects pregnancy outcomes in most societies in the continent and especially in sub-Saharan Africa. With very few exceptions, African communities are patriarchal and as such norms, values and expectations are defined and sustained by men in virtually all spheres of life. This paper, which focuses on the Ibani of Rivers State, Nigeria, examines the role of African men during maternal periods to establish that pregnancy outcomes will improve significantly when women are supported by their spouses at different stages of maternity. The study reveals that men do not play roles during pregnancy-postpartum processes that are significantly different from their normal activities because pregnancy is perceived as a normal condition, which does not require special attention. The results also indicate that pregnancy outcomes among the Ibani do not necessarily derive from spousal communication and gender discourse because 87.7 percent of women whose husbands were solely responsible for decisions on child spacing recorded more Type-1 outcome (mother and child survival) than those whose husbands did not. By adapting the present investigation to the systemic approach, a holistic analysis of a complex phenomenon like maternal outcomes was undertaken.Item Transactional sex in Nigerian universities: social and demographic implications(2007-12) Nwokocha, E. E.This study examines the interplay of social and environmental factors to argue that the consequences of transactional sex among university students in Nigeria are devastating, multidimensional, as well as an extension of decay in the already gasping educational system. The disorganization theory of the Chicago School and Merton's theory of differential opportunity enable the analysis to highlight the links between socio-cultural environment and prostitution. Data for the research which were collected from two universities in Southwestern Nigeria through triangulation of focus group discussions (FGDs), in-depth interviews and case-studies were analyzed using manual content analysis. Its findings show clearly that the phenomenon is common and acquiring new meanings among Nigerian students and at the same time being de-stigmatized in some quarters. The main results are: that involvement with the prostitute subculture entails a sequence of processes that culminate in psychological repositioning of the would-be transactional sex worker by demystification of perceived and actual risks associated with prostitution; that although poverty, the fun of belonging to the group of "happening babes", as a way of hurting parents among others predispose students to commercial sex, such predisposition is embedded in social disorganization; and that commercial sex has socio-demographic consequences which include: dropping out of school, high rate of rural-urban migration, loss of self-esteem, exposure to being raped, exposure to alcoholism, sexually transmitted infections (STls), unintended pregnancies, illegal abortions, child abandonment and death. These consequences suggest the centrality of urgent intervention from stakeholders towards re-orientating students on values that lead to meaningful human and social development.Item A Pilot study to evaluate malaria control strategies in Ogun State, Nigeria(Longwoods Publishing, Corp, 2007) Adeneye, A. K.; Jegede, A. S.; Mafe, M. A.; Nwokocha, E. E.With limited evidence of decreases in malaria-related mortality and morbidity, and nearly half the time to the 2010 deadline of Roll Back Malaria (RBM) targets now past, we conducted this study to assess the awareness, accessibility and use of malaria control strategies among at-risk groups within the context of RBM in Nigeria. It was a descriptive, cross-sectional pilot study of 34 registered women attending antenatal clinics and 34 mothers of children less than five years old, using a questionnaire in a malaria holo-endemic community of Ogun State, Nigeria. Results showed that 14.7% and 16.2% of all respondents interviewed were aware of the home management of malaria (HMM) program (17.6% of mothers of children under five years vs. 11.8%of pregnant women) and the change in policy on malaria treatment (23.5% of mothers of children under five years vs. 8.8% of pregnant women) respectively. Younger respondents knew more about HMM than older ones (p <.05). Most (63.2%) of the 68 respondents (64.7% of mothers of children under five years vs. 61.8% of pregnant women) interviewed knew about insecticide treated nets (ITNs); however, only 22.1% were using the treated material. Reasons given by those not using ITNs included: they did not know about ITN prior to the interview (43.3%), they had no money (41.5%) and they did not know where to get it (7.6%). Only 5.8% of mothers of children less than five years old, and none of the pregnant women, had taken the new combination drug. Eight (23.5%) of the 34 pregnant women interviewed knew about intermittent preventive treatment of malaria for pregnant women (lPT), while two (25.0%) of these eight women had received a preventive treatment dose. The results of this pilot study showed that efforts need be intensified to make adequate information and materials relating to the different malaria control strategies more available and accessible at the community level to achieve and sustain the RBM goals, both in Ogun State and in Nigeria in general. However, a larger study is needed to provide more generalized findingsItem Gender inequality and development in Nigeria(2007-12) Nwokocha, E. E.This study examines the factors that hinder meaningful development in Nigeria in the midst of abundant human and material resources. Data were obtained from Ibadan, south western, Nigeria through a triangulation of Focus Group Discussion, In-depth Interview and Unobtrusive Observation. The study shows clearly that: (1) a very large majority of Nigerian women are poor and that this explains their ignoble involvement in development; (2) most women are, unwittingly predisposed to the perception and attitude that suggest that their situation in the social system is normal; and (3) the patriarchal ethos of the Nigerian society impinges forcefully on the extent that developmental processes are democratic and socially inclusive. The implication of these findings is that attempts at achieving multidimensional development in Nigeria have been distorted by long years of gender propelled inequality, skepticism and contradictions within the social system. The study has some policy implications. First, there is need to re-orientate Nigerians, especially males, on the need to involve women fully in development. Second, following from the former, is the necessity of dislocating those factors that sustain women exclusion from socio-economic and cultural activities and, ultimately, the development of underdevelopment