This preprint is under consideration at BMC Women's Health. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research article
“Kunika women are always sick”: Views from community focus groups on short birth interval (kunika) in Bauchi State, Northern Nigeria
Anne Cockcroft
McGill University
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1558-1106
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background In Northern Nigeria, short birth interval is common. The word kunika in the Hausa language describes a woman becoming pregnant before weaning her last child. A sizeable literature confirms an association between short birth interval and adverse perinatal and maternal health outcomes. Yet there are few reported studies about how people view short birth interval and its consequences. In support of culturally safe child spacing in Bauchi State, in North East Nigeria, we explored local perspectives about kunika and its consequences.
Methods A qualitative descriptive study included 12 gender-segregated focus groups facilitated by local men and women in six communities from the Toro Local Government Area in Bauchi State. Facilitators conducted the groups in the Hausa language and translated the reports of the discussions into English. After an inductive thematic analysis, the local research team reviewed and agreed the themes in a member-checking exercise.
Results Some 49 women and 48 men participated in the 12 focus groups, with an average of eight people in each group. All participants were married with ages ranging from 15-45 years. They explained their understanding of kunika, often in terms of pregnancy while breastfeeding. They described many disadvantages of kunika, including health complications for the mother and children, economic consequences, and adverse impact on men’s health and family dynamics. The groups concluded that some people still practise kunika, either intentionally (for example, in order to increase family size or because of competition between co-wives) or unintentionally (for example, because of frequent unprotected sex), and explained the roles of men and women in this.
Conclusion Men and women in our study had a clear understanding of the concept of kunika. They recognized many adverse consequences of kunika beyond the narrow health concerns reported in quantitative studies. Their highlighted impacts of kunika on men’s wellbeing can inform initiatives promoting the role of men in addressing kunika.
Keywords
Short birth interval, child spacing, Northern Nigeria, Hausa, community, focus groups, male involvement
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 4
Posted 18 May, 2020
No community comments so far
Editor assigned
On 04 May, 2020
Editor invited
On 03 May, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 16 Jan, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Minor revision
On 01 May, 2020
Review #3 received
Received 10 Apr, 2020
Reviewer #3 agreed
On 09 Apr, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 25 Mar, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 25 Mar, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 23 Mar, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 23 Mar, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 23 Mar, 2020
Editor assigned
On 19 Mar, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 18 Mar, 2020
Editor invited
On 18 Mar, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Revise before sending to peer reviewers
On 16 Mar, 2020
Editor assigned
On 10 Mar, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 09 Mar, 2020
Editor invited
On 09 Mar, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 27 Feb, 2020
Reviewer #4 agreed
On 23 Feb, 2020
Reviewer #5 agreed
On 23 Feb, 2020
Review #4 received
Received 23 Feb, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 22 Feb, 2020
Reviewer #3 agreed
On 22 Feb, 2020
Review #3 received
Received 22 Feb, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 03 Feb, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 27 Jan, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 22 Jan, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 22 Jan, 2020
Editor assigned
On 02 Jan, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 01 Jan, 2020
Editor invited
On 01 Jan, 2020
First submitted
On 30 Dec, 2019
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Learn more about our company.
This preprint is under consideration at BMC Women's Health. A preprint is a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research article
“Kunika women are always sick”: Views from community focus groups on short birth interval (kunika) in Bauchi State, Northern Nigeria
Anne Cockcroft
McGill University
Corresponding Author
ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1558-1106
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Under Review
Version 4
Posted 18 May, 2020
No community comments so far
Editor assigned
On 04 May, 2020
Editor invited
On 03 May, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 16 Jan, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Minor revision
On 01 May, 2020
Review #3 received
Received 10 Apr, 2020
Reviewer #3 agreed
On 09 Apr, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 25 Mar, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 25 Mar, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 23 Mar, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 23 Mar, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 23 Mar, 2020
Editor assigned
On 19 Mar, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 18 Mar, 2020
Editor invited
On 18 Mar, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Revise before sending to peer reviewers
On 16 Mar, 2020
Editor assigned
On 10 Mar, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 09 Mar, 2020
Editor invited
On 09 Mar, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 27 Feb, 2020
Reviewer #4 agreed
On 23 Feb, 2020
Reviewer #5 agreed
On 23 Feb, 2020
Review #4 received
Received 23 Feb, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 22 Feb, 2020
Reviewer #3 agreed
On 22 Feb, 2020
Review #3 received
Received 22 Feb, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 03 Feb, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 27 Jan, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 22 Jan, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 22 Jan, 2020
Editor assigned
On 02 Jan, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 01 Jan, 2020
Editor invited
On 01 Jan, 2020
First submitted
On 30 Dec, 2019
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background In Northern Nigeria, short birth interval is common. The word kunika in the Hausa language describes a woman becoming pregnant before weaning her last child. A sizeable literature confirms an association between short birth interval and adverse perinatal and maternal health outcomes. Yet there are few reported studies about how people view short birth interval and its consequences. In support of culturally safe child spacing in Bauchi State, in North East Nigeria, we explored local perspectives about kunika and its consequences.
Methods A qualitative descriptive study included 12 gender-segregated focus groups facilitated by local men and women in six communities from the Toro Local Government Area in Bauchi State. Facilitators conducted the groups in the Hausa language and translated the reports of the discussions into English. After an inductive thematic analysis, the local research team reviewed and agreed the themes in a member-checking exercise.
Results Some 49 women and 48 men participated in the 12 focus groups, with an average of eight people in each group. All participants were married with ages ranging from 15-45 years. They explained their understanding of kunika, often in terms of pregnancy while breastfeeding. They described many disadvantages of kunika, including health complications for the mother and children, economic consequences, and adverse impact on men’s health and family dynamics. The groups concluded that some people still practise kunika, either intentionally (for example, in order to increase family size or because of competition between co-wives) or unintentionally (for example, because of frequent unprotected sex), and explained the roles of men and women in this.
Conclusion Men and women in our study had a clear understanding of the concept of kunika. They recognized many adverse consequences of kunika beyond the narrow health concerns reported in quantitative studies. Their highlighted impacts of kunika on men’s wellbeing can inform initiatives promoting the role of men in addressing kunika.