Mapping knowledge about causes and prevention of kunika
We used the participatory method of fuzzy cognitive mapping to produce visual representations of local knowledge about causes and prevention of kunika.
24 groups (12 groups of women, 12 groups of men) in 12 communities in Toro LGA, Bauchi State, produced 48 maps: 24 maps of causes of kunika and 24 maps of factors preventing kunika. A group of service providers from the Toro LGA and a group from Bauchi State level also produced their own maps.
Participants in each group used their knowledge to identify causal and protective factors for kunika, then placed these on a board and drew the links between these factors and the outcome (kunika or no-kunika). Finally, they weighted the strength of these links on a 1-5 scale.
After digitizing the maps, we collaboratively grouped the many individual factors into broader categories. Fuzzy transitive closure calculated the influence of each factor, taking into account all other factors. Based on this analysis, we created summarized maps of the most influential causal and protective factors for kunika, for all maps together and for maps produced by female and male groups separately. We presented these summarized maps to dialogue groups who met to consider how to include kunika in the home visits programme.