Under-5 Mortality Rate and Attendant Care Factors In Nigeria: Implication for Attainment of MDGs

Under-5 Mortality rate and attendant care factors in Nigeria: Implication for the attainment of MDGs

Adetunji Labiran¹, Ekanem Ekanem²

¹ Consultant (Public Health), Federal Ministry of Health, Abuja

² Professor of Medical Statistics, College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Lagos                        

Abstract:

Theme:  Maternal and Child Health – Achieving MDGs and sustaining them.

Background: The population of Nigeria is more than 140 million. The country is divided into 6 geographical zones. Three of these are in the north, while three are in the south. The southern half of the country has a higher health worker density and female literacy than the northern parts.

Objectives: To determine the health care attendant factors (Doctor Density and Female Illiteracy) which influence the under-5 mortality rate.

Methods:

 Data on doctor density, female illiteracy, and under-5 mortality were obtained from the official 2007 Statistics of health workers, and the 2006 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS).

Ecological analysis relating doctor density and female illiteracy  to an outcome, under-5 mortality rate was done.

Results:

1. Under-5 Mortality rate is negatively related (r= -0.91, p <0.001) to health worker density.
2.  Statistically significant positive relationship between female illiteracy and under-5 Mortality (r= 0.75, p <0.02) exists.
3.  A 2% decrease in female literacy in the Southeastern zone translated into 50 units increase in under-5 mortality rate denominated per 100,000 live births

 

 

 

 

Health Policy Implication:

1          There is a need to increase health workers density and improve female literacy level nationwide, but especially in the Northern zones. 

2.         At the present rate of development, Nigeria is not going to achieve the MDG target by 2015, because none of the zones is on track to achieve the MDGs. Indeed there is a rapid worsening of Under-5 Mortality Rate in the Southeastern zone due to a marginal drop in female literacy.