Background: Globally, hormonal contraceptives have proved to be effective in the prevention of unwanted pregnancies. However, despite evidence of the many benefits associated with the use of hormonal contraceptives, concerns related to their safety and side effects have been reported. We conducted a study to explore the perspectives on the side effects of hormonal contraceptives among women of reproductive age in Kitwe district of Zambia. Methods: An explorative qualitative study was done among 32 women of reproductive age (18–45 years). Participants were selected conveniently as they accessed family planning services at a designated reproductive, maternal, and child health facility. Data collection was done through in-depth interviews (IDIs). Recruitment of participants and data collection continued until the saturation point was reached. The interviews were recorded, translated, and transcribed verbatim. Data were imported into NVivo.x64 for coding and node generation after which categories and themes were developed manually. Results: Overall, participants demonstrated a considerable amount of knowledge of family planning, recounting the economic and health benefits as well as demerits of family planning use. The main reasons for discontinuing and switching hormonal contraceptive methods were the desire to get pregnant and the fear of unpleasant side effects, including excessive bleeding or prolonged menstruation, headache, dizziness, lower abdominal/back pain, and weight gain. Most importantly, participants cited concerns about the delay in the resumption of fertility after the termination of contraception and how the side effects disrupted their daily activities at home. Conclusion: There is a need for family planning providers to offer family planning services that address the side effects of hormonal contraceptives during counselling and how women can manage them. Family planning services should adopt a patient-centred approach that takes into consideration the concerns regarding side effects and how this affects the quality of life among women. Also, there is a need to extend family planning services to include scheduled follow-ups and clinical management of contraceptive side effects among women.

Objective: The objective of the paper was to investigate the spatial distribution and correlates of tobacco smoking in various regions of Zambia. Methods: This paper adopts a cross-sectional study design. The study used data from the 2013/2014 Zambia Demographic Health Survey which is a nationwide health survey conducted in all the 10 provinces. A random sample of men and women from 15 920 households was successfully selected and interviewed. All women aged 15–49 and men aged 15–59 who were either permanent residents of the households or visitors present in the households on the night before the survey were eligible to be interviewed. Results: The results show that 8.2% and 11% of Zambians in urban and rural areas smoke, respectively. In urban areas, the risk of being a cigarette smoker was 2.31 (CI: 1.69 to 3.16) and 2.03 (CI: 1.36 to 3.02) times higher for the divorced and separated. However, the risk of being a cigarette smoker was lower for those with some formal education. In rural areas, the risk of being a cigarette smoker was lower for the married (relative risk ratios (RRR): 0.69, CI: 0.55 to 0.86) and those with a formal education. Nevertheless, in rural areas, the risk of being a pipe and other smoker was higher for those who were self-employed (RRR: 8.46, CI: 2.95 to 24.20) and with an occupation (RRR: 2.37, CI: 1.39 to 4.02) but was lower among women. Conclusion: Tobacco smoking varies between and within regions as well as provinces. Therefore, interventions to curb s moking should target specific demographic, socioeconomic and cultural factors and how they are spatially distributed.

Background: Despite snakebite antivenom being included on the WHO list of essential medicines, many parts of the world, especially Africa, lack effective and safe antivenoms. Methods: A descriptive, field-based, cross-sectional study was undertaken from August to November 2020 in 40 out of 71 health facilities in Ndola district. Interviews and physical inspection were conducted at each facility. Results: The study revealed that only three (8%) of all the private health facilities had antivenom available at the time of the assessment. Factors significantly associated with antivenom supply included lack of central country supply (90%), lack of demand of the antivenom (55%) and no budget allocation for the antivenom (95%). Conclusions: Despite the high number of notified snakebites within Ndola district, there remains poor availability of snakebite antivenom within the district.

Verbal abuse during childbirth constitutes a violation of women’s human rights and indicates poor maternal health care. The aim of the study was to investigate experiences and drivers of verbal abuse among women in Ndola and Kitwe health facilities. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey. Qualitative and quantitative data using questionnaires and focus group interviews were employed. The study was done in the Ndola and Kitwe districts of Zambia. The target population were women attending postnatal services who had a live birth within 28 days of delivery. Twenty clinics were randomly selected and a total of 306 women were recruited using convenient sampling. Eleven percent of the study population experienced verbal abuse during intrapartum care. A 1-year increase in age reduced the odds of experiencing verbal abuse (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] 0.89, 95% CI: 0.80–0.99). Women who consumed alcohol more frequently experienced verbal abuse than women who never consumed alcohol (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 5.91, 99% CI 2.12–16.51), and women with bleached skin color more often experienced verbal abuse than women with natural skin tone (AOR = 3.95, 95% CI 1.13–13.83). Further, women with a medium skin tone were less likely (AOR = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.03–0.84) to experience verbal abuse. Other key drivers of verbal abuse include language barriers, laziness, vomiting, lack of seriousness, crying, lack of cooperation, and moving around during labour. We conclude that women experience various forms of verbal abuse. Therefore, there is a need to implement interventions that tackle the multiplicity of factors that drive verbal abuse at the individual, structural, and policy level. Further, there is a need to enhance training in respectful maternity care among service providers.