Gender-Based Violence among Pregnant Women Consulting at the Antenatal Care Unit of the Bamenda Regional Hospital

Background: Gender-based violence is violence against men and women in which the woman is more likely to be the victim. Globally, one in every four women is physically or sexually abused during pregnancy. The main objective was to study gender-based violence among pregnant women attending antenatal care at the Bamenda Regional Hospital (BRH). Methods: We carried out a hospital-based cross-sectional study among 231 pregnant women at the antenatal care unit of the BRH from January to March 2018. The study included all women who gave a written informed consent. A questionnaire adapted from the WHO multi-country study was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, aspects of gender-based violence (GBV), and data for other associated factors were collected by face-to-face interview. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23.0. Chi-square test and Fisher exact test were used to compare frequencies. Student t-test was used to compare means. Binary logistic regression analysis and multivariate analysis were used to eliminate confounders. The level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 56.3% (n = 130) of pregnant women involved in the study were found to be survivors of GBV. Psychological trauma, physical assault and sexual violence were found in 47.2%, 30.2% and 19.9% respectively. Depression and anxiety were the most frequent clinical manifestations. Only 37.7% of the survivors sought management. The factors statistically associated with the occurrence of GBV were: for physical violence a partner that smokes;for sexual violence a history of sexual assault on the survivor as a child, a primary level of education of the partner, and a partner that is alcoholic;for psychological violence a history of sexual assault on the survivor as a child, a primary level of education of the partner, and a partner that is alcoholic. After adjusting for confounders, having a partner with only a primary education had a statistically significant association [3.610 (1.431 - 9.091), p = 0.007] with the occurrence of GBV. Conclusion: GBV is a key health risk among pregnant women consulting at the ANC unit of the Bamenda Regional Hospital and proper education of the partner is primordial in its prevention.

Predictors of Herbal Medicine Use amongst Adults with Type 2 Diabetes in an Urban Setting in Cameroon

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is currently a major global public health burden associated with elevated blood glucose. The use of herbal medicine in the management of type 2 diabetes is currently on the rise both in developed and developing countries. This study sets out to determine the prevalence of herbal medicine use and to identify the factors associated with herbal medicine use amongst type 2 diabetes patients. Methods: A community based cross-sectional study involves 123 adults living with type 2 diabetes (90 males and 30 females), mean age 58.7 ± 9.5 years in the Bamenda III health district of the North West Region of Cameroon. Data on the different types of herbs used, frequency and mode of herbal medicine use as well as reasons for using herbal medicines in the management of T2DM were assessed using a structured questionnaire. Anthropometric and diabetes related measurements were carried out following standard procedures. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the independent predictors of herbal medicine use. Results: The prevalence of herbal medicine use was 24.4% (n = 30) amongst which 37.4 % used both herbs and orthodox medicine. A higher proportion of diabetic males used herbal medicines compared to females and this difference was significant (X2 = 5.243, p X2 = 10.75, p = 0.005). The most commonly used herbs were Vernonia amygdalina leaves (19.10%), Aloe vera (13.48%), Mangifera indica leaves (11.24%) including its bark and Carica papaya leaves (8.99%). Bivariate analysis indicated that being male (OR 2.8, 95% CI, 1.14 -6.79) and having attained secondary/tertiary education (OR 13.2, 95% CI, 1.6 - 29.9) were significantly (p 0.05) associated with herbal medicine use. Multivariate analysis revealed that having attained secondary /tertiary education (OR 10.5, 95% CI, 1.30 - 35.23) was an independent predictor of herbal medicine use in the study population. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that amongst T2DM patients in Cameroon having attained secondary/tertiary education positively influences the use of herbal medicine in the management of T2DM.