A STUDY OF PSYCHO-SOCIAL AND CULTURAL FACTORS IN CHILDHOOD MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Morbidity and mortality are known to be notoriously high among pre-school children in Nigeria and other developing countries. Malnutrition, infectious and communicable diseases constitute the major health problems of the children (Morley et al, 1961; Gans, 1961 and Ransome-Kuti, 1971). These problems which are mostly preventable and avoidable; are the direct results of ignorance, poverty, unfavourable cultural practices and beliefs which are compounded by lack of adequate and uncoordinated health care (Hendrickse & Sherman, 1965; Ogbeide, 1968; Adekunle, 1971 & 1978 and Olugbile, 1974). The alleviation of the problems of these children will require a detailed examination of the prevailing physical and social conditions of the community, namely the cultural practices of the people with regards to child rearing and feeding habits, their attitude to various childhood diseases, and their knowledge of prevention and management of diseases. This study identified the health problems of the pre-school children in Nigeria. It also examined the role which pscho-social, cultural and other environmental factors in the community, could have on the severity of childhood diseases, and also on the survival of this group of children. The study group consisted of pre-school children who were sick and treated some hospitals in the urban and rural areas of Oyo State; and a group of children not apparently ill, and seen at Infant Welfare Clinics, and therefore assumed to be “healthy” was also included to serve as a control for the study. Some of the variables which were examined in great details included the mothers’ knowledge of selected common childhood diseases, their attitude to them, and their practices of their related preventive measures. Comprehensive analysis of family social conditions such as the marital stability, the level of economic cooperation existing between the spouses within the family, the feeding and child rearing practices, the pattern of decision of decision making processes within the family were carried out, and their role in determining the survival of the children also assessed. In addition, an attempt was made to objectively measure the effect that stress or stress induced actions of mothers such as unemployment, loss of close relatives and other social disasters could have on the severity and outcome of illness, amongst the children. The mother's knowledge, attitude and practices of environmental sanitation as well as the degree and pattern of utilization of health services, and how these could have affected the health of their children were also examined. It was observed that there was a significant association between the health of the children and these identified variables, which could therefore be regarded as "risk" factors. It was shown that these factors ware important determinants of the health and survival of these children and they constituted significant "risk factors" whose identification and proper management could help in reducing the current high degree of childhood misery in this country.