Assistant Professor Kafuli Agbemenu published in Journal of Transcultural Nursing
Published January 13, 2017 This content is archived.
Kafuli Agbemenu, assistant professor in the UB School of Nursing, was published in the Journal of Transcultural Nursing in December 2016.
The co-authored article, “Exploring the Experience of African Immigrant Mothers Providing Reproductive health Education to Their Daughters Aged 10 to 14 Years,” examines attitudes toward reproductive health education (RHE) among mothers who are African immigrants, a fast-growing community the researchers say is underrepresented in health research and public health services.
The study identifies three themes that emerged in descriptions of reproductive health education African mothers living in the United States provided to their young daughters.
- Mothers’ reproductive health education in their country of origin
- Mothers’ reproductive health communication with their daughters
- Changes due to the move to the United States
Agbemenu says that a common misconception is that providing reproductive health education leads to increased sexual activity.
“Research shows that this is not true,” Agbemenu explains. “Reproductive health education does not encourage teenage sexual activity nor does it lead to early initiation of sexual activity. The danger in using scare tactics and giving false information is that it can lead to poor sexual health choices, with resultant poor health outcomes.”
While some mothers reported that their own mothers used scare tactics to discourage sexual activity, or that they felt that 10 to 14 years old was too young for conversations about reproductive health, the researchers say there is an evolution in attitudes toward RHE. The interviewees provided more RHE to their daughters than they had received themselves, likely a result of cultural influence.
Though the researchers say they did not intend for the study to be generalizable, they emphasize the importance of health care providers understanding cultural influence when providing care, particularly to marginalized or underrepresented populations.
Read the full article.
Citation
Agbemenu, K., Devido, J., Hannan, M., & Doswell, W. (2016). Exploring the experience of African immigrant mothers providing reproductive health education to their daughters aged 10 to 14 years. Journal of Transcultural Nursing. Advance online publication. 10.1177/1043659616681848
