THE INFLUENCE OF FUNCTIONAL LITERACY ON WOMEN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH PRACTICES
ABSTRACT
The study looked at the impact of functional literacy on women’s reproductive health practices in Lagos’s Mainland Local Government Area. The goal is to establish a link between educational status and improved reproductive health in girls and women, to examine girls’ and women’s reproductive health knowledge, and to assess the content and adequacy of female functional literacy for health projects in Lagos Mainland.
Determine whether a participant’s occupation affects their performance in the female functional literacy for health issues, as well as whether participants in the female literacy for health issues have more control over their reproductive lives than those who do not. For the study, five hypotheses were tested.
The survey research design was used. The questionnaire was designed to collect data. The stratified random sampling method was used to select a total of 150 respondents. The findings of this study show that education status has a significant impact on reproductive health.
Additionally, information and content of female functional literacy for reproductive health issues yielded positive results. Furthermore, it was discovered that participants’ occupation has a significant impact on their performance and attendance at literacy programs.
The findings also show that there is a difference in how girls and women manage their reproductive health when they participate in literacy programs versus when they do not. Based on these findings, the following recommendations were made: Literacy education for women and girls must be promoted.
There is thus a need for federal, state, and local governments to involve more women in functional literacy for health issues and other socioeconomic matters, as well as increased awareness to acquaint women with what constitutes their reproductive health issues.
Facilitators of female functional literacy must be aware of adult learning principles in order to improve the effectiveness of program delivery; participants in literacy programs must be motivated to promote their interest, attitude, and ability to fully engage in the learning activities; and, finally, women must be financially empowered in order to perform better in literacy programs for health and other related issues.
THE FIRST CHAPTER
INTRODUCTION
The Study’s Background
According to Anyanwu (1992), literacy education is generally regarded as a component of the process by which illiterate or illiterate individuals become aware of their personal situation and learn to take action to improve it. As a result, it becomes a tool for achieving political, economic, social, and cultural advancement, as well as human rights.
Literacy will enable people to play significant roles in making their world a better place to live. Literacy as a concept has many dimensions, and its meaning varies depending on context (Bakare, 2004).
Literacy is now defined as whatever is required for a person to be functionally competent, which may include the possession of certain basic skills. This is the concept underlying functional literacy. According to UNESCO (1978), a functionally literate person is one who is capable of engaging in all activities that require literacy for the effective functioning of his group and community.
According to Egenti (2005), functional literacy is that aspect of education that enables an individual to perform his or her role in society, as defined by UNESCO. That is, it is a literacy education exercise that is integrated with development and, by definition, becomes a constituent part of a development plan.
Literacy is thus an essential strategy for empowering girls, women, and men. In essence, it is regarded as a means of enhancing one’s quality of life. This is due to its ability to combat ignorance, poverty, diseases, disillusionment, and abandonment, all of which are obstacles to an individual’s self-fulfillment.
It is instructive to note that high levels of illiteracy among girls and women are closely related to poor family health status (Udeani, 2004). As a result, in 1987, the Federal Ministry of Health collaborated with the World Health Organization to launch female functional literacy for health projects in Benue and Niger States. Literacy and numeracy lessons were designed to address a variety of health issues, including nutrition, child care, personal and environmental health, reproductive health, and health-improvement activities for mothers.
As the medium for three component messages, the development of primers in Tiv and Nupe languages was used to achieve the project objectives of literacy, health, and income generation. The remarkable improvement in the total quality of life of project participants in the two states encouraged and confident project implementers at the Federal, State, and Local Government levels to call for the project’s national replication.
To reach a wider audience, the primers are now written in English and translated into three major languages: Hausa, Igbo, and Yoruba.
The significance of functional literacy for girls’ and women’s reproductive health control, on the other hand, cannot be overstated. Literature abounds with evidence of the monetary benefits of functional literacy in promoting girls’ and women’s reproductive health practices.
According to Udeani (2004), literacy is an important factor influencing women’s reproductive health. In other words, reproductive health practices may be influenced by a person’s level of education. This is why, according to Njelesani, E.K., the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative for Nigeria, “education kills the disease of ignorance, superstitions, fear, and poverty.”
Furthermore, Egenti (2005), citing Malniguist (1970), observes that “if we want to conquer poverty, hunger, and disease in the world, we must first conquer illiteracy.” It is the most serious impediment to economic, social, political, and personal development that we are aware of.’ There is thus a compelling case to be made that functional literacy can educate girls and women about their sexuality, family planning, and other reproductive health issues.
In the literature, reproductive health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being / fitness, rather than simply the absence of disease or infirmity, in all matters concerning the reproductive system and its functions and processes.
According to Owanasonye (1999), a woman’s reproductive life begins at the age of menarche (age at which she starts menstruating). She must be made to become acquainted with her reproductive health from the start, through a well-planned education program.
Most undeniably, women’s reproductive health in Nigeria, including Lagos Mainland, affects and is affected by the broader context of their lives, which includes their economic circumstances, education, employment, living conditions and family environment, social and gender relationships, and the traditional and legal structures within which they live.
According to Owanasonye (1999), sexual and reproductive behaviors are influenced by a variety of biological, cultural, and psychosocial factors. As a result, achieving reproductive health is not limited to interventions by the health sector alone.
Most reproductive health issues, according to Wikipedia Contributors (2012), cannot be effectively addressed in the absence of health services and medical knowledge and skills. The social status of girls and women, as well as how they are treated or mistreated, is a critical determinant of their reproductive health.
Educational opportunities for girls and women have a significant impact on their status and the amount of control they have over their own lives, as well as their health and fertility. Women’s empowerment is thus a critical component of health.
Women, without a doubt, bear the heaviest burden of reproductive health issues. Women are more vulnerable to pregnancy and childbirth complications; they also face risks in preventing unwanted pregnancy, suffer the complications of unsafe abortion, bear the majority of the burden of contraception, and are more vulnerable to contracting and suffering the complications of reproductive tract infections, particularly sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
According to statistics, 36 percent of all healthy years of life lost among women of reproductive age are due to reproductive health issues such as uncontrolled fertility, maternal mortality and morbidity, and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Men, on the other hand, have an equivalent figure of 12%. (United Nations Population Network, 2012).
Women’s disparate burden cannot be explained solely by biological factors. Their disadvantages in social, economic, and political terms have a negative impact on their reproductive health. Because of a lack of information and access to services, young people of both sexes are especially vulnerable to reproductive health issues ( Ransome-Kuti, 2001).
Given this situation, the study aims to investigate the impact of functional literacy on women’s reproductive health practices in Lagos Mainland Local Government Area, where research on the subject appears to be limited.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Girls and women face health issues as a result of their reproductive roles, lower social status, and a lack of education and information. As a result, they are frequently misinformed about their sexuality and are vulnerable to issues such as unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion, and sexually transmitted diseases.
Despite the fact that the Federal Ministry of Health collaborated with the World Health Organization in 1987 to launch female functional literacy for health projects in Nigeria, statistics show that 50% of maternal deaths in Nigeria are due to illegal abortions, and abortion complications account for 72% of all deaths among young adult women under the age of 19 years.
According to the report, approximately 8 million children worldwide have lost their mothers to HIV/AIDS (Ransome –Kuti, 2001). The preceding establishes the foundation for investigating the impact of functional literacy on women’s reproductive health practices and how functional literacy can help alleviate the problem of reproductive health behavior.
The Study’s Purpose
The study’s overarching goal is to investigate the impact of functional literacy on women’s reproductive health practices. However, this research will:
1. Establish a link between educational attainment and improved reproductive health in girls and women.
2. Evaluate the girls’ and women’s reproductive health knowledge.
3. Evaluate the content and sufficiency of female functional literacy for health projects on the Lagos Mainland.
4. Determine whether the occupation of the participants affects their performance in the female functional literacy for health issues.
5. Determine whether participants in the female functional literacy for health issues have more control over their reproductive lives than those who did not participate.
Research Issues
The following questions are posed to help guide the research.
1. Does the educational status of girls and women have a positive impact on their reproductive life?
2. Do the girls and women understand their reproductive health?
3. How relevant and effective are female functional literacy programs for health in Lagos Mainland?
4. What impact does the occupation of participants have on their performance in female functional literacy for health issues?
5. Will girls and women who participate in functional literacy for health issues have more control over their sexual lives than they did before?
Hypotheses for Research
The following are the null hypotheses predicted and tested for the study:
1. Girls’ and women’s educational levels will have no significant positive effect on their reproductive health.
2. The type of information available to girls and women has no discernible impact on their reproductive health practices.
3. The content of female functional literacy for health programs has no significant positive effect on sexuality promotion.
4. The occupation of participants has no effect on their level of performance in female functional literacy for health programs.
5. Female functional literacy for health participants will be unable to have satisfying and safe sex.
The Study’s Importance
The study is relevant in the sense that it will promote the reproductive health of girls and women. It has identified the importance of female functional literacy in health issues and documents current health improvement activities for girls and women in the Lagos Mainland Local Government Area.
The study will provide nonliterate women in Nigeria, particularly in Lagos State, with the skills (cognitive and occupational) required to maintain a safe sexual life. It will help policymakers, instructors, and facilitators gain a better understanding of more practical methods of organizing female functional literacy for health projects.
Because of its importance in the recipients’ lives, it will assist government at all levels in promoting literacy education, whether for children or adults. This study will also serve as a useful reference tool for governments at all levels, particularly the Lagos State Government, in identifying and promoting reproductive health among the state’s youth, women, and men.
The study will have to benefit the state’s girls and women because it will serve as a mechanism for promoting their reproductive health. This study will help participants acquire or improve their literacy skills in reading, writing, and numeracy. It will also add to the existing body of literature in the field of adult education.
The Study’s Scope
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of functional literacy on women’s reproductive health practices in the Lagos Mainland Local Government Area. The study includes 150 girls and women who have participated in or continue to participate in functional literacy for health programs. Time and materials are also constraints.
Terms with Operational Definitions
The terms listed below are operationally defined.
Literacy is defined as the ability to read, write, and manipulate numbers in any language.
Functional Literacy is the application of literacy skills to one’s occupation and environment.
Education is the process of developing a self-aware individual.
Adult education refers to educational activities designed to meet the educational needs of adults.
Reproductive Health: A person’s physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. It is the totality of a woman’s sexuality.
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