This study examines information circulating in Nigeria about maternal and child health, focusing on discourses about pregnancy, vaccines and childhood diseases. Using computer-assisted content analysis, the study examines data from the mainstream media, Facebook and Instagram and shows the prevalence of scientific information, misinformation, beliefs and norms across the three data sources. Findings show that alongside debates about clinical measures were discussions about river goddesses facilitating fertility, witches interfering with pregnancy and the newborn, and traditional massage preventing a child from becoming homosexual. These findings confirm a state of cognitive polyphasia—the dynamic coexistence of distinct modalities of knowledge—in contrast to cognitive dissonance, which implies that individuals are motivated to choose between different cognitions. There were also concerns over the side effects of vaccines and inadequate coverage of the population, as well as rumours about vaccines causing infertility and developmental delays. This study highlights the need to recognize information circulating in society as a major factor in maternal and child health and recommends the local production of vaccines as a possible solution to Western conspiracy theories.
Falade et al. (Wed,) studied this question.