Child Health in Nigeria

This presentation discusses the factors that influence child health in Nigeria, including cultural, environmental, religious, political, and economic factors. It also explores the major health issues facing children in Nigeria, such as poverty, limited access to nutritious food and healthcare, and high rates of diseases like malaria and HIV. The presentation also discusses the available research and policy documents that support the discussion.

Child Health (Nigeria)

Introduction
 Children denotes the future and it is important to ensure their healthy growth
and development.
 The child health includes physical, metal and social well being.
 For the present study, Nigeria “Giant of Africa” is taken into the
consideration.

1.1 Critical discussion and evaluation on the factors that
influence child health at Nigeria
 Cultural Factors
 Environmental Factors
 Religious Factor
 Political Factor
 Economic Factor

1.2 Critical understanding on major health issues facing by
children in Nigeria impacts upon their development and
future lives
◦ The research study of anoje, aiyenigba, and chabikuli, 2012 explores
that 66% Nigerians lives below the extreme line of poverty.
◦ Nigeria is included and ranked among 13 poorest countries in entire
world.
◦ In Nigeria most of the people live in rural areas, limited access to
nutritious foods, quality health care services and education level.
◦ Only 41 % population have the access to adequate sanitation and less
than one half of entire population has access to safe water.

Cont...
 Survival of children are threatened by deficiencies in nutritions and
presences of illnesses such as malaria, ari (acute respiratory infections),
diarrhoeal disease, hiv, meningitis, vpd (vaccine preventable diseases)
and high maternal mortality and morbidity.
 The research of Rai, Singh and Singh, 2012, describes that due to
malaria disease 20% death happens in Nigeria annually in which 11%
are only children.
 Near about 250,000 of Nigerian children die from malaria disease
every year

Cont…
In contrast, Fairhead and leach, 2012 defines the lower
respiratory infections as a major reason of health issues in Nigerian
children.
Due to lower respiration track records and pneumonia mainly
affects the health of children.
The other researcher Abdulraheem, Olapipo and Amodu, 2012,
defines the HIV and diarrheal disease gives the adverse impacts on the
development of health of Nigerian children.

Cont…
• 3.1% children age of 15-18 are affected by HIV disease and 16 % child
deaths occurs due to diarrheal disease.
• 150,000 children death occurs annually due to this disease.
• Most of the died children are under the age of five .
• Disease is maie is mainly caused by poor hygiene practices and sanitation ..

Cont…
Due to meningitis at least 3% children health conditions are affected.
This type of disease affects the health of a person even after the
completion of recovery time period.
Researcher defines the sickle cell disease as a genetic disorder which
affects almost about 100,00 children.
The researcher defines that most of the children in Nigeria born with this
severe disorder.
This type of disorder affects the main body organs of people, bone pain
crisis and infraction and anemia etc.
Further, children also have the enlarged livers, spleens and leg ulcers.

1.3 Critical discussion of available research
and policy documents to support the whole
discussion
◦ There are number of research studies have conducted by different research
scholars but each and every research are based on different purpose and
objectives.
◦ All these research studies have helped in conducting the current investigation
in effective manner.
◦ Including this, government of Nigeria and other international health and
social care authorities have introduced different policies for improving health
conditions of children of Nigeria.

Cont…
Maternal and child health, 2016 has concluded that “study focuses on the human tragedy
and it has disclosed that thousands of families of Nigeria have lost their children due to
different health issues”. Study has concluded that major reason behind the death of
children in Nigeria are:
◦ Malaria
◦ Pneumonia
◦ Diarrhoea
◦ Measles and
◦ HIV/AIDS account

Cont…
◦ Along with this, Kana and et.al, 2015 has conducted a systematic review on Maternal
and child health interventions in Nigeria from 1990 to 2014.
◦ Findings of the current study has concluded that “The development of MNCH
policies, implementation and publication of interventions corresponds with the
downward trend of maternal and child mortality in Nigeria”.
◦ Therefore, this study has concluded that major reason behind the poor health of
children of Nigeria is inappropriate policies of government of Nigeria.

Cont…
In contrast, there are some research scholars which have conducted
whole investigation on different types of health and social care
services which are available in Nigeria.

Cont…
◦ Emmanuel and et.al, 2015 has concluded investigation on “Consumer knowledge and
availability of maternal and child health services: a challenge for achieving MDG 4
and 5 in Southeast Nigeria”.
◦ Findings of the current study has reflected that available Maternal and Child Health
services known to mothers in the study area were not encouraging, and these are
structurally contextual.
◦ Overall, it has disclosed that heath care services of Nigeria is not appropriate for
improving health of children and maternal women.
◦ So, policies of government needs to focus on improvement of these services.

Cont…
The current discussion has also included discussion about the national health
policies of Nigeria with respect to children health.
Major goal of this policy is to ensure about the survival and growth and
development of Nigeria child.
Along with that, this policy is based on some specific objectives which are as
follows:
◦ Reducing the neonatal mortality rate by half of the 1990 rate by the year 2015.
◦ To reduce infant mortality rate by half the 1990 rate by the year 2015
◦ To reduce under-five mortality rate by two-thirds of the 1990 rate by the year 2015.
◦ To reduce the incidence of malaria, vaccine-preventable diseases, Acute Respiratory
Infection (ARI) and diarrheal diseases in under-five children.

Cont…
Major areas of national child health policies includes:
◦ Perinatal and Neonatal health
◦ Infant and young child feeding
◦ Major childhood illness
◦ HIV and AIDS Control
◦ Child health care financing
◦ School health

Cont…
◦ Along with this, there are different policies and researches which help in determining different
types of diseases and health and social care services available for improving child health.
◦ All these studies have helped in determining different reasons and causes behind the different
diseases in children.
◦ These diseases are Malaria, Pneumonia, Diarrhea, Measles and HIV/AIDS account. Different
research studies have concluded that political, economic and environmental factors are major
reasons behind these health problem.
◦ But on the other hand there are some other articles and policies which have reflected that legal
and social factors are the major reasons behind the poor child health in Nigeria.
◦ Overall, available literature and studies have helped in completed the current discussion in
effective manner.

References
 Viner, R.M and et.al., 2012. Adolescence and the social determinants of health. The Lancet. 379(9826).
pp.1641-1652.
 Adewara, S.O. and Visser, M., 2011. Use of Anthropometric Measures to Analyze How Sources of Water
and Sanitation Affect Chidren’s Health in Nigeria.
 Kana, A. M. and et.al, 2015. Maternal and child health interventions in Nigeria: a systematic review of
published studies from 1990 to 2014. BMC Public Health. 15. 334.
 Emmanuel, K. N. and et.al, 2015. Consumer knowledge and availability of maternal and child health
services: a challenge for achieving MDG 4 and 5 in Southeast Nigeria. BMC Health Services Research.
13(1). Pp.1
 Maternal and child health. 2016. [Online]. Available thorough: <
http://www.unicef.org/nigeria/children_1926.html>. [Accessed on 25th March 2016].
 National Child Health Policy. 2016. [pdf]. Available thorough: <
http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---protrav/---ilo_aids/documents/
legaldocument/wcms_127571.pdf>. [Accessed on 25th March 2016].

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