RESUMEN
Research shows that intimate partner violence is quite widespread throughout the world. In the case of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), studies have concluded that cultural and economic factors help to sustain the spread and maintenance of intimate partner violence in the region. Although the cultural interpretations predominate in current research, few have examined the links between religion, an important cultural variable, and intimate partner violence in SSA. Given the growth and importance of religion in African cultures, we used data from the 2008 Ghana Demographic Health Survey (n = 1,831) and ordinary least squares regression method to investigate the links between religious affiliation and intimate partner violence. Findings from our study point to some variations in intimate partner violence by affiliation. This is especially true with regard to women's experience with sexual violence and emotional violence. Besides religion, we also found ideologies that support wife abuse, the nature of decision-making process at the household level, and husband's use of alcohol to be important determinants of intimate partner violence in Ghana. We examined the implications of these findings.
Asunto(s)
Violencia de Pareja/estadística & datos numéricos , Religión , Esposos , Adolescente , Adulto , Composición Familiar , Femenino , Ghana/epidemiología , Encuestas Epidemiológicas , Humanos , Persona de Mediana EdadRESUMEN
Using pooled data from the 1998 and 2003 Demographic and Health Surveys, this paper investigates the association between religion and contraceptive behavior of married women in Ghana. Guided by the particularized theology and characteristics hypotheses, multinomial logit and complementary log-log models are used to explore denominational differences in contraceptive adoption among currently married women and assess whether the differences could be explained through other characteristics. We found that while there were no differences between women of different Christian faiths, non-Christian women (Muslim and Traditional) were significantly more likely to have never used contraception compared with Christian women. Similar observations were made on current use of contraception, although the differences were greatly reduced in the multivariate models.
Asunto(s)
Conducta de Elección , Anticoncepción/métodos , Religión , Espiritualidad , Esposos , Adolescente , Adulto , Femenino , Ghana , Encuestas Epidemiológicas , Humanos , Persona de Mediana Edad , Investigación Cualitativa , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Although a growing body of research has linked religious involvement with HIV/AIDS protective behaviour in Africa, the focus has mainly been on women. Given the patriarchal nature of African culture, this paper argues for the inclusion of men, a critical group whose sexual behaviours have increasingly been linked to the spread and sustenance of the virus in the region. Drawing on different theoretical discourses and using data from the 2003 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, this paper examines how religious affiliation influences men's risky sexual behaviours. While the results from the bivariate analysis suggested that Muslims and Traditionalists were significantly less likely to engage in risky sexual behaviour compared with Christians, those differences disappeared once socioeconomic variables were controlled, rendering support for the selectivity thesis. This finding could benefit programmatic and policy formulation regarding AIDS prevention in Ghana.
Asunto(s)
Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/etnología , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/transmisión , Cristianismo , Países en Desarrollo , Infecciones por VIH/etnología , Infecciones por VIH/transmisión , Islamismo , Religión y Medicina , Religión y Sexo , Sexo Inseguro/etnología , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/epidemiología , Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida/psicología , Comparación Transcultural , Estudios Transversales , Escolaridad , Ghana , Infecciones por VIH/epidemiología , Infecciones por VIH/psicología , Conocimientos, Actitudes y Práctica en Salud , Humanos , Masculino , Matrimonio , Modelos PsicológicosRESUMEN
How relevant is religion to our understanding of maternal health (MH) service utilization in sub-Saharan Africa? We ask this question mainly because while the effect of religion on some aspects of reproductive behavior (e.g., fertility, contraception) has not gone unnoticed in the region, very few studies have examined the possible link with MH service utilization. Understanding this link in the context of sub-Saharan Africa is particularly relevant given the overriding influence of religion on the social fabric of Africans and the unacceptably high levels of maternal mortality in the region. As African countries struggle to achieve their stipulated reductions in maternal and child mortality levels by two-thirds by 2015 as part of the Millennium Development Goals, the need to examine the complex set of macro- and micro-factors that affect maternal and child health in the region cannot be underestimated. Using data from the 2003 Ghana Demographic Survey, we found religion (measured by denominational affiliation) to be a significant factor in MH use. This is true even after we had controlled for socio-economic variables. In general, Moslem and traditional women were less likely to use such services compared with Christians. The findings are discussed with reference to our theoretical framework and some policy issues are highlighted.
Asunto(s)
Servicios de Salud Materna/estadística & datos numéricos , Centros de Salud Materno-Infantil/estadística & datos numéricos , Aceptación de la Atención de Salud/etnología , Religión y Medicina , Adulto , Cristianismo , Salas de Parto/estadística & datos numéricos , Femenino , Ghana/epidemiología , Encuestas de Atención de la Salud , Humanos , Lactante , Mortalidad Infantil , Recién Nacido , Islamismo , Modelos Logísticos , Mortalidad Materna , Aceptación de la Atención de Salud/estadística & datos numéricos , Distribución de Poisson , Embarazo , Resultado del Embarazo , Atención Prenatal/estadística & datos numéricos , Población Rural/estadística & datos numéricos , Factores Socioeconómicos , Población Urbana/estadística & datos numéricos , Vacunación/estadística & datos numéricosRESUMEN
Since the late 1970s when the first cases of HIV/AIDS were identified in Africa, there has been an upsurge of research on the epidemic. Although religious involvement may be germane to AIDS protective and risk behavior, few of these studies deal with religion and AIDS. This article contributes to the discourse on religion and health in Africa by analysing the interrelationship between religion and AIDS behavior in Ghana, a West African country at the early stages of the AIDS epidemic, and one where religious activities are more pronounced. We explore whether a woman's knowledge of HIV/AIDS is associated with her religious affiliation, and whether religious affiliation influences AIDS preventive (protective) attitudes. Findings from our analysis of Ghanaian data indicate that religious affiliation has a significant effect on knowledge of AIDS. However, we did not find religious affiliation to be associated with changes in specific protective behavior, particularly the use of condoms. The limitations and implications of the study are discussed, promising directions for further research on religion and AIDS protective and risk behaviors are also discussed, and the design and development of culturally sensitive programs to help in the ongoing AIDS prevention efforts in the region are proposed.