scholarly journals Urbanization and Child Health Outcomes in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 586-603
Author(s):  
Olufunmilayo Olayemi Jemiluyi ◽  

Against the rising trend of urbanization in Nigeria and the accompanying dramatic changes in the urbanization process, this study explores the health advantage of urbanization in Nigeria. The study specifically examines the relationship between various child health outcomes. Secondary data on neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortalities were used to measure child health outcomes. By obtaining cointegration among the collected data, the study investigates the long-run relationships between the degree of urbanization and the various child health outcomes using the Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares(FM-OLS) estimator. The results suggest the existence of positive relationships between urbanization and child health indicators. In particular, the results show that there exist child health advantages of urbanization, with urbanization having reducing impacts on the mortality indicators. Also, public health expenditure, literacy rate, and health aids are negatively correlated with measures of children mortality. In all the estimated models, the economic growth proxy by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has an insignificant effect on all the measures of child health outcomes. The result implies the need to pay attention to the urbanization process for an effective health plan.

Author(s):  
Olufunmilayo Jemiluyi ◽  
Rebecca Folake Bank-Ola ◽  
Ifeoluwa Alao-Owunna

Purpose: This study investigates the effectiveness of health-aid in Nigeria, with focus on child health outcomes. In particular, the study aims to examine whether health aid has yielded significant gains in child health in Nigeria. Methodology/Approach/Design: Secondary data on neonatal, infant and under 5 mortality as well as measles and DPT immunization were used. The stationarity of the variables was ascertained using the augmented Dickey-Fuller and Philip-Perron unit root tests. In order to confirm the presence or otherwise of long-run relationship among the selected variables, Johansen cointegration test was carried out and the obtained coefficients and p-values indicate evidences of long-run relationship. Finally, the study used the fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) estimator to examine the effects of aid targeted at children health on the various child health outcomes. Results: The results suggest the existence of long-run relationships between health aid and child health indicators, with aid having reducing impacts on the mortality indicators and a positive correlation with child immunization coverage. Also, public health expenditure, literacy rate and urbanization rate are negatively correlated with measures of children mortality and positively correlated with the measures of immunization coverage. Except for infant mortality, economic growth proxy by GDP growth rate has insignificant effect on child health. Practical Implications: Sustained improvement in children health is the core objective of aids aimed at children’s health, and findings of this research will serve as a framework for health policymakers in understanding the contributions of health aid inflow to specific indicators of child health in Nigeria. Originality/Value: This study makes a number of contributions to the ongoing discussion on the effectiveness of health-specific ODA in Nigeria. Despite the inconclusiveness of the health aid-health outcomes literature, this study has shown that children health aid has led to improvement in children health in Nigeria. While previous studies have focused on child mortality indicators, this study examined the effect on various measures of children health including children immunization coverage.


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzie Gardner ◽  
Susan Woolfenden ◽  
Lola Callaghan ◽  
Trudy Allende ◽  
Jennifer Winters ◽  
...  

Objectives The aims of the present study were to: (1) describe the health status and health indicators for urban Aboriginal children (age 0–16 years) in south-east Sydney; and (2) evaluate the quality of routinely collected clinical data and its usefulness in monitoring local progress of health outcomes. Methods Aboriginal maternal and child health routine data, from multiple databases, for individuals accessing maternal and child health services between January 2007 and December 2012 were examined and compared with state and national health indicators. Results Reductions in maternal smoking, premature delivery and low birthweight delivery rates were achieved in some years, but no consistent trends emerged. Paediatric services had increased referrals each year. The most frequent diagnoses were nutritional problems, language delay or disorder and developmental delay or learning difficulties. Twenty per cent of children had a chronic medical condition requiring long-term follow-up. Aboriginal children were more likely to be discharged from hospital against medical advice than non-Aboriginal children. Routinely collected data did not include some information essential to monitor determinants of health and health outcomes. Conclusions Aboriginal children living in this urban setting had high levels of need. Routinely recorded data were suboptimal for monitoring local health status and needed to reflect national and state health indicators. Routinely collected data can identify service gaps and guide service development. What is known about this topic? Despite improvements in some areas, there continue to be significant gaps in maternal and child health outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Australians. These are poorly documented at a local service level. What does this paper add? Intensive, local services offered to Aboriginal women and children can result in rapid service engagement. Health service data routinely collected by local services can be used to demonstrate reductions in antenatal risk factors in pregnant Aboriginal women, even within the short time frame of 6 years. However, improvements in child health outcomes may require longer time frames. In this urban setting, the most frequent diagnoses in Aboriginal children attending the service were nutritional problems, language delay or disorder and developmental delay or learning difficulties. What are the implications for practitioners? Key information regarding determinants of health should be routinely monitored at a local level to understand local rates and health needs in addition to evaluating and quantifying the effectiveness of service delivery or health promotion activities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (11) ◽  
pp. 2123-2137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine A. Fitton ◽  
Markus F.C. Steiner ◽  
Lorna Aucott ◽  
Jill P. Pell ◽  
Daniel F. Mackay ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 097206342110652
Author(s):  
Steven Masvaure

Religious rights as enshrined in the Zimbabwean constitution are sacrosanct, however, when church doctrine bars followers from seeking modern medical care, they start infringing on health rights especially of the ‘lesser beings’ the women and children who are members of these religious sects. The ‘lesser beings’ are bearing the brunt of high maternal and neonatal mortality as they depend on unsafe traditional birth attendants and unconventional medicine. This study is ethnographic and presents lessons learnt from a programme aiming to improve maternal, newborn and child health outcomes among the Apostolic Church of Johanne Marange members in Manicaland province, Zimbabwe. The findings show that despite the stringent doctrine and barriers placed on apostolic members who want to access conventional medicine, the women and children are using clandestine approaches to circumvent the doctrine and barriers. This article argues that a barrage of unconventional and conventional approaches can lead to changes in health-seeking behaviour of the apostolic church and ultimately maternal and child health outcomes. The article argues that the intransigence of the apostolic can only be overcome by covert approaches to providing health services and save lives.


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