Nursing

Background: The World Health Organization recommends that HIV-positive mothers should breastfeed for at least 1 year. There are people in the lives of these mothers who influence their decisions. Research aim: The aim was to explore the role of social persuasion in the decision-making processes of HIV-positive breastfeeding mothers. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory research design was employed ( N = 13). Participants were recruited from a public hospital in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. One-on-one interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and the contents of the transcripts were analyzed for emerging themes. Results: The perspectives of spouses, health workers, counselors, and siblings about breastfeeding affect the breastfeeding practices of mothers living with HIV in Ghana. Most of the women had negative experiences with their midwives. Because of complex social and cultural influences, the opinions of spouses, health professionals, siblings, and members of the co...

Background. African men with infertility appear to be concerned about the blame for male infertility falling on their wives.  Objective. To explore the concerns of men with infertility about the blame for male infertility falling on their wives.  Methods. Participants were recruited through their wives, who were receiving treatment for infertility from the obstetrics and gynaecology unit of a public hospital in Ghana. The men had been identified as having male factor infertility. A semi-structured interview guide was designed and used to conduct in-depth interviews. Each participant was interviewed twice. The first interview lasted ~20 - 30 minutes. The second was by telephone, for validation of the findings, and lasted ~10 minutes per participant. Each interview was transcribed verbatim for conventional content analysis.  Results. The findings revealed that the men described three main concerns: traditional influences, emotional disturbances and pressure on wives.  Conclusion. The ...