African Population Studies (UAPS) / Etude de la Population Africaine (UEPA)
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Socioeconomic status and health shocks; analysis of coping strategies in rural households of Enugu State, Nigeria
No full textBackground: Health burden in rural areas of developing countries is worsened by the limited coverage of health insurance. With constrained access to quality healthcare and constituting two thirds of Nigeria’s poor, this study investigates how rural households cope with health shocks consequent on their socioeconomic status.Method: Data was collected from 600 households in Enugu using a questionnaire. Cross-tabulation, chi square and multiple regression statistical techniques were employed for data analysis. Findings: About 53% of the respondents were male household-heads while borrowing (47.65%), sales of assets (43.85%), diversion of funds (2.00%) and reduced expenditure (6.48%) were the main coping strategies. Education, occupation, and income statistically influenced the coping strategies (P < 0.005) and jointly accounted for 26.5% (R2 = 0.265, P < 0.001) of the variations in coping strategies.Conclusion: Having a rural healthcare policy and mainstreaming the informal sector into the national health insurance scheme will ameliorate health shocks among the rural poor
Cohort analysis of adolescent first birth timing and births progression in West-Africa
No full textContext/Background: Adolescent Childbearing is an important factor sustaining high; fertility, childhood mortality and maternal mortality in West-Africa. We examined cohort analysis of adolescent first birth (AFB) timing and births progression in West-Africa.Data Source and Methods: Most recent round of DHS data of four countries in West-Africa were used. Women aged 20-49 years were studied. Birth timing probability, birth progression rate and hazard ratio were estimated (α=5.0%).Results: Across countries, AFB increases as the women’s year of birth cohort increases and the rate was highest among Nigerian women (r=0.773, p<0.001) but lowest in Liberia (r=0.497, p<0.001). The probability of surviving adolescent years’ interval without bearing a child was highest in Ghana for all age-cohorts, while Nigeria and Liberia exhibited similar pattern. Birth progression rate was higher among women who had AFB than women who started theirs at the later years. Hazard ratio of AFB was higher among women in age cohort 20-24 than those aged 45-49 years.Conclusion: Adolescent first birth is a problem in West-Africa but variation exist in the region. Adolescent pregnancy prevention policy is solicited in West-Africa
The capabilities approach and agency for shaping family formation trajectories in Ghana
No full textContext/Background: Developed by Amartya Sen, the Capabilities Approach (CA) has been applied in several domains of abstraction for understanding human well-being and development. However, there is very little about CA in the processes of forming families, particularly in Africa. This paper employs CA to examine the Ghanaian family formation trajectories. It explores the norms and preferences, the choices and decision-making processes, timing as well as constraints embedded in the family formation process.Data sources and methods: This paper draws on a bigger Ghana/Mali qualitative research that contrasted individual realities and collective images of family formation trajectories in the two countries, but specifically focuses on the Ghana case to understand the individual family formation trajectories in terms of their family life histories, resources available to them as well as their notions on the ideal family life. It is based on analyses and discussions of thirty (30) in-depth interviews conducted in rural and urban Ghana.Results:The results show an inherent interplay of agency-driven idealized goals and socio-cultural concerns, in other words, realities that reflect agency-structure concerns with regards to different family life domains (pre-marital relationships, partner choice-making, marriage, etc.).Conclusion:Based on the analyses, we conclude that the concepts of ‘ambivalence’ and ‘agency’ are important in smoothening the difficulties family formation actors encounter in pursuing their personal family life goals within the context of socio-cultural family life requirements
Sexual and reproductive health issues of youths on the streets in Zimbabwe: the case of Harare Central Business District
No full textBackground: Youths living on the streets of Harare engage in risky sexual behaviours, which exposes them to sexually transmitted diseases, yet they do not have adequate access to Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) services. The study investigated sexual and reproductive health issues among youths on the streets of Harare’s Central Business District. Data and methods: The study interviewed 202 youths and had components of of in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussions.Findings: Almost all youths had engaged in sex and had debuted at very young ages. Educational attainment was associated with current sexual activity; so was contraceptive use with drug use and alcohol consumption. Alcohol exposed youths to prenancy. Unsafe abortions were common among female youths - half had suffered an STI. Youths abused drugs and alcohol. Street youths had poor access to SRH services.Conclusion: Government should extend sexual education to street youths, keep them in school and make SRH services easily accessible to them
The Impact of social infrastructures on economic growth of Sub-Saharan Africa: implications for sustainable economic growth
No full textBackground: Economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa has consistently remained the least when compared to any other region in the world. Countries in the region have received a lot of grants in form of aids to boost their capital accumulation; yet there is slow growth in most parts of the region. Many countries have implemented the World Bank and IMF suggested policies; and majority of the countries have adopted democratic political system. Yet growth in the region has remained very low. It then becomes pertinent to identify the causes of the low economic growth pattern in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The objective of this study, therefore, is to determine the impact of social infrastructure on economic growth of sub-Saharan Africa.Data and methods: The data for this study were 2001-2017 time-series data sourced from World Governance Indicators (WGI) and World Development Indicators (WDI). The standard panel data of fixed effect (FE) and random effect (RE) were employed in the analysis of the data, while Hausman test results guided the final choice of fixed effect estimation.Findings: The results show that corruption is statistically and significantly affecting economic growth of sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. This means that control of corruption will help boost the economies in the region as low corruption is a prerequisite for economic recovery and sustainable development. Besides, trade openness, labour supply, and general government consumption significantly affect economic growth in SSA.Conclusion: SSA countries should control corruption as well as open their economies so as to reap the positive effects of economy of scale derived from diversification
Exposure to mass media malaria messages and use of insecticide-treated nets and artemisinin combination therapy among Southeast Nigeria residents
No full textBackground: Malaria remains endemic in Nigeria. The National Malaria Elimination Programmeutilizes the mass media to educate Nigerians to adopt insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) and Artemisinin Combination Therapy (ACT) for malaria prevention and treatment respectively. This study investigated the influence of media messages on ITN and ACT use in Southeast Nigeria.Methods: Data was collected with a structured questionnaire from 480 respondents across 15 communities in Southeast Nigeria. Analysis was carried out on the data using percentages and logistic regression.Results: Results indicated high exposure to malaria messages, but limited effect on ITN and ACT use. Regression results showed that exposure to newspapers (OR=1.017); magazines (OR=1.639) and internet (OR=1.444) increased the odds of ITN use. Exposure to television messages(OR=1.707;P<0.001);billboards(OR=2.098;P<0.011);Internet(OR=1.805;P<0.011) and tertiary education(OR=8.454;p<0.000) positively predicted ACT use.Conclusions: Exposure to malaria messages has not resulted in population-wide adoption of ITNs and ACT. There is need for the National Malaria Elimination Programme to address factors that hinder ITN and ACT use
Breastfeeding and common childhood diseases in Zambia: does breastfeeding have a protective effect against diarrhea, fever and acute respiratory infections among children in Zambia?
No full textBackground: This paper aimed at answering two specific questions: does breastfeeding reduce the occurrence of ARIs, Fever and Diarrhea in children who are breastfeeding; and is the occurrence of these common childhood diseases affected by duration (period) of breastfeeding?Data source and Method: Secondary analysis of the 2013 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS) was applied by using the children recode dataset (ZMKR61FL). Analysis was done at three levels: Descriptive, bivariate and multivariate (Binary and Multinomial Logistics regressions).Results: Results in this paper show that breastfeeding does not protect children against Diarrhea (OR 1.3; 1.1-1.4) but does so against Fever and ARIs (OR 0.9; 0.8-1.0). Children whose mothers were employed were more likely to suffer from all the three disease outcomes compared to those not employed (OR Diarrhea 1.2; Fever 1.5; ARIs 1.2).Conclusion: Diarrhea seems to be more pronounced in children who are breastfeeding than those not breastfeeding, especially those breastfed beyond 6 months
This is who we are and why!: Ethnography of weddings in Ibadan,Nigeria
No full textBackground: Wedding ceremonies celebrate marital unions of two individuals/families in accordance with socially sanctioned arrangements. Among the Yoruba of south-western Nigeria, weddings of various forms exist. Elaborate and relatively grand weddings are common among the Yoruba people but studies are insufficient on these weddings. More attention is thus needed to understand the trajectories and ramifications of these weddings especially within the socio-economic conditions and rapidly changing social environments that have implications for population and development. This article is therefore an attempt to describe contemporary marriage ceremonies among the Yoruba in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria and the meanings associated with the ceremonies. The article is a detailed ethnographic narrative of Yoruba marriage processes.Data Sources and Method: Primary and secondary data were gathered. For the primary data, qualitative research method was used. Data collection methods were participant observations (10 different wedding venues) and 15 in-depth interviews. Interpretive research approach through interviews, observations and pictures were used because of their capacities to extract reliable contextual meanings and implicative elements of social realities. Secondary data were gathered from journal articles, books, newspaper clippings and reliable internet sources. Data analysis was done through content analysis of texts and pictures.Results: Findings reveal very original and dynamically creative ways of celebrating weddings and significance of such weddings among the Yoruba people with implications for better understanding of Africa’s socio-economic and cultural systems, population and development.Conclusion: Weddings are significant social realities in context. While they preceed family formation and traditionally crucial, they are both physical and cultural just as they are systematically symbolic and demonstrative of familial and sociocultural statuses and class in Africa. Weddings in the context are indication and legitimation of identity and existencies and these have strategic implications for social change, cultural systems and population
Inégalités géographiques de recours aux soins de santé maternelle au Mali : rôles respectifs des caractéristiques individuelles, familiales et communautaires
No full textContexte: Au Mali, à l’instar de la plupart des pays d’Afrique subsaharienne, les disparités géographiques en matière d’utilisation des services de santé maternelle persistent malgré les politiques nationales visant à améliorer la santé maternelle. Ce travail examine les inégalités communales de recours aux soins de santé maternelle au Mali.Source de données et Méthodes: Les données de l’Enquête par Grappe à Indicateurs Multiples (MICS, 2009-2010) ont été utilisées et complétées par celles du Recensement Général de la Population et de l’Habitat (RGPH) de 2009. La méthodologie multiniveau a été utilisée à l’aune de l’approche par les capabilités (AC). Results: Les différences entre communes résultent des inégalités de ressources du contexte (offre de services de santé et degré d’urbanisation), des caractéristiques individuelles et du ménage (éducation, niveau de vie, exposition aux médias, instruction du chef de ménage). Ces différents déterminants contribuent respectivement à la quasi-totalité (98%) des inégalités communales de recours à l’accouchement assisté et aux trois quarts de celles en matière de suivi prénatal. Conclusion: Il resort que ce n’est pas seulement les différences individuelles qui modulent l’accès aux soins, mais aussi les caractéristiques de l’entourage familial et social, à savoir, selon la terminologie des capabilités, les facteurs individuels mais aussi collectifs de conversion. L’efficacité des politiques publiques étant évaluée par leur capacité à ouvrir les mêmes capabilités de santé pour tous (Ruger, 2009 ; Bonvin et Rosenstein, 2011), la persistence des inégalités met e
Approche globale de besoins non satisfaits en planification familiale au Mali.
No full textContexte : Le Mali est l’un des pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest où la fécondité est élevée et stable et la prévalence de la contraception moderne est faible. A cet effet, la présente étude s’est fixée comme objectif de chercher les facteurs associés aux Besoins Non Satisfaits (BNS) en Planification Familiale (PF) dans ce pays. Données et méthodes : Les données utilisées sont celles des EDS qui y ont été réalisées en 1995-96, 2006 et 2012-13. Leurs analyses ont été effectuées en recourant aux tableaux croisés et statistiques du chi-deux et aux modèles multivariés de régression logistique.Résultats : En 1995-96 la proportion d’enfants décédés, le nombre d’enfants survivants et les attitudes des couples vis-à-vis de la PF contribuent le plus à l’explication de la variation du risque de BNS en PF pour espacer les naissances ; en 2006 et 2012-13, on retrouve en plus les indicateurs de l’offre des services de PF. Quant aux BNS pour limiter les naissances, quelle que soit la période, le nombre d’enfants survivants explique seul presque la totalité de sa variation. Concernant le total des BNS en PF, ses facteurs explicatifs les plus importants sont similaires à ceux du risque de BNS en PF pour espacer les naissances. Les femmes les plus concernées au Mali par les BNS en PF ont un nombre élevé d’enfants survivants, ont moins expérimenté les décès d’enfants et ne sont pas informées sur la PF dans les centres de santé pendant leurs consultations médicales.Conclusion : L’amélioration de la qualité des services de PF et de la disponibilité des contraceptifs de longue durée d’action, et l’intégration santé infantile et PF devraient être renforcées au Mali pour y réduire la prévalence des BNS en PF