Empirical evidence of child poverty and deprivation in Nigeria

Are households with under-five children in Nigeria socioeconomically disadvantaged?

Although the sociodemographic and economic contributors to under-five mortality are well established, very little research has been done to assess the levels of disadvantage under-five children in Nigeria face along these dimensions. Nigeria has the second-highest under-five mortality rate (U5MR) in the world (111 deaths per 1000 live births) and contributed to the highest number of annual under-five deaths globally in 2020 (844,321 deaths). The country has also implemented several decades of policy interventions to reduce under-five mortality by improving sociodemographic and economic conditions at the household level. In this paper, we assess the sociodemographic and economic disadvantages that households with children under-five face compared to other households and discuss the implications for health policy. Using the Nigeria Living Standard Survey 2018-19, we conducted a bivariate analysis to compare the sociodemographic and economic characteristics of households with and without under-five children. We performed independent samples t-test and proportions test to assess whether these sociodemographic and economic factors were significantly different for both groups. We found that households with under-five children typically had larger sizes (6.6 vs. 3.6), lower mean adult age (36.5 vs. 45.3), and male household heads (91.3% vs. 71.5%) than households without under-five children. Furthermore, households with under-five children were less likely to have access to improved drinking water (77.2% vs. 86.0%) and sanitation sources (54.0% vs. 61.9%) than those without under-five children. Despite having more adult working members, 71.2% of households with under-five children lived below the poverty line compared to 37.7% of other households. Although their total consumption expenditure was lower than households without under-five children, they spent a higher proportion of their expenditure on health care and were at a higher risk of experiencing catastrophic health expenditure. Our study has shown that households with children under five are disproportionately disadvantaged than other households in Nigeria. The households with under-five children are larger, younger, and poorer than those without children. We also show a wide variation in the proportion of households with children under five by state. Any efforts to reduce under-five mortality and morbidity in Nigeria should recognize these sociodemographic and economic differences.

Effectiveness of nutrition education in enhancing knowledge and attitude of pupils on choice of school mid-day meal in Ibadan, Nigeria

Children's food choices affect their nutritional health, development, and well-being. In Nigeria, school lunch is generally unregulated; the food menu is usually at the discretion of individual vendors forcing pupils to make unsupervised food choices. This study examined the effectiveness of 6-week nutrition education in enhancing pupils' knowledge and attitude on the school mid-day meal choices in Ibadan, Nigeria. A pre-test/post-test, quasi-experimental study was conducted with 100 pupils in 4th and 5th grades in public primary schools. Multistage sampling was used to select the participants. A nutrition education module and a questionnaire were used to collect the data. Frequency counts and t-test were used for statistical analysis. Findings revealed the following dietary pattern: 44 of the pupils preferred junk food (mean 41.5, SD = 12.9), 37 were inclined toward protein-rich food (mean 37.7, SD = 12.5), 32 favored food items dense in carbohydrates (mean 34.4, SD = 9.5), and 11 showed a preference toward food with high vitamins and minerals (mean 28.4, SD = 7.5). Nutrition knowledge (t = 6.4, df = 99, p < .05); (pre-test: X¯ = 20.9 and SD = 1.0; post-test: X¯ = 22.8, SD = 2.8) and attitude toward choice of meal showed statistically significant differences (t = 4.9, df = 99, p < .05; pre-test: X¯ = 13.5 and SD = 6.8; post-test: X¯ = 18.2, SD = 7.2). We recommend that the Ministry of Education should prepare a standard lunch menu for all schools and the school authorities should enforce it through the schools' food vendors.

Inequalities in Wellbeing in Lebanese Children and Different Refugee Subpopulations: A Multidimensional Child Deprivation Analysis

Background and Objectives

This study constitutes the first attempt to describe the overlapping deprivations faced by Lebanese children (Lebanese) and that of the three sub-populations of refugees living in Lebanon: Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon, Palestinian refugees from Syria and Syrian refugees.

Methods

Using data from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) Household Survey 2016 (n = 10,555 Lebanese; 7,106 Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon; 2,768 Palestinian refugees from Syria and 5,891 Syrian refugee children aged 2 to 17 years old), we report on single and overlapping deprivations (at least two concurrent deprivations) using indicators related to survival (nutrition, health, water, sanitation and overcrowding), development (education) and protection (labor, exposure to violence and early marriage). Maternal education and geographical correlates of deprivation were explored using multivariable logistic regression models clustering for children in the same households.

Main Results

In terms of co-occurrence of deprivations, Syrian refugees had the highest prevalence in all age groups (68.5%, 2-4y and 65.7%, 6-17y), followed by Palestinian refugees from Syria (46.2%, 2-4y and 45.5%, 6-17y), Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon (28.9%, 2-4y and 23.7%, 6-17y), with Lebanese children having the lowest prevalence (13.2%, 2-4y and 15.3, 6-17y). About half of Palestinian refugees from Syria and Syrian refugees (6-17y) were deprived in protection and housing. Education deprivation is of primary concern for Syrian children. Higher maternal education was consistently associated with lower odds of co-occurrence of deprivations among children aged 6-17y.

Conclusion

This study highlights the importance of including refugee populations in reporting frameworks. This analysis additionally generates geographical and socio-economic profiles of the deprived children and identifies key deprivation areas of the affected sub-groups to inform effective policy design especially in light of the prevailing economic crisis.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12187-023-10040-2.

'To Serve and Be Abused': The Use of Adolescent Girls as Waitresses in Outdoor Drinking Bars in Lagos, Nigeria

This qualitative study examined the risk exposure, nature, and incidents of sexual and other forms of abuse experienced by underage waitresses. Fourteen female bartenders of outdoor pubs within Lagos metropolis between the ages of 13-15 years, and 10 bar owners/managers of pubs with underage waitresses, were engaged in the study, while an inductive thematic analysis of the narratives was carried out. The engagement of young girls as waitresses was predicated on their being considered as sources of cheap labor by bar owners/managers, and as easier to be sexually victimized by the customers. The structural power-differential between bar patrons and waitresses, bar management's rules against workers confronting customers, and the unequal power relation based on age gap were conditions that fueled the vulnerability of underage servers as suitable targets for abuse. Findings from this study portend considerable physical, mental, sexual, and emotional risks for the young waitresses which call for more research and policy interventions.

Family Economic Strain and Adolescent Aggression during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Roles of Interparental Conflict and Parent-Child Conflict

Although the link from family economic strain to adolescent aggression has frequently been hypothesized, the results are mixed. Both interparental conflict and parent-child conflict are considered to be potential mediators of this link. However, the empirical evidence supporting this proposition is lacking. The present study investigated the direct effect of family economic strain on adolescent aggression as well as indirect effects through interparental conflict and parent-child conflict. Based on multi-informant data from 971 families with a child in middle and high schools in Y City, in Shanxi Province, structural equation modeling is conducted to examine the proposed theoretical model. Findings show that family economic strain has no significant direct impact on adolescent aggression. Interparental conflict and parent-child conflict mediate the link between family economic strain and adolescent aggression simultaneously and sequentially. This study expands current literature and deepens our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between family economic strain and adolescent aggression. Implications for policies and interventions to reduce the risk of adolescent aggression are discussed.

Child Electronic Growth Monitoring System: An innovative and sustainable approach for establishing the Kaduna Infant Development (KID) Study in Nigeria

BACKGROUND

Developing countries bear the burden of childhood stunting but lack resources for cohort studies to develop preventive strategies. To enable future prospective studies, we designed and tested the Child Electronic Growth Monitoring System (CEGROMS) using a readily available electronic data capture platform, the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap).

OBJECTIVES

To demonstrate the feasibility of using CEGROMS for data collection for a pilot study for the Kaduna Infant Development (KID) Birth Cohort Study in Nigeria.

METHODS

CEGROMS consists of the data capture form for growth monitoring, a central cloud server, electronic tablets, and desktop computer. We implemented the pilot study in 2017-2019 at the Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, Kaduna, Nigeria. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for completeness of baseline data (relative to individuals with incomplete data) and completion of follow-up at different time points (relative to individuals with no follow-up visit) by the participant characteristics. Complete data were defined as date of birth, sex, and birthweight recorded at recruitment.

RESULTS

Among 3152 infant records in CEGROMS, 2789 (88.5%) had complete data. Of these, 1905 (68.3%) had at least one follow-up visit. The main determinants of data completeness were health facility delivery (OR 19.17, 95% CI 13.65, 26.92) and tertiary education (OR 3.54, 95% CI 2.69, 4.67). Follow-up was greater for women with tertiary education (OR 1.33, 95% CI 1.06, 1.51 for at least one visit). Maternal education is associated with completeness and follow-up (following adjustments for parity and employment).

CONCLUSIONS

The CEGROMS electronic data collection system enables complete and consistent data collection. The data will enable design of strategies to improve follow-up in the future implementation of the birth cohort study.

Human capital and poverty reduction in OPEC member-countries

A vast study has shown a mixed result on the implications of a natural resource on growth and poverty. Theoretically, the Resource Curse Hypothesis stresses that natural resource serves as an obstacle for growth. However, the connection between human capital and poverty in OPEC member countries remain under-researched. To ensure inclusiveness in growth, it is essential to focus on human capital models that incorporate the components of poverty reduction. As a result, this study investigates the interactive relationship between human capital components and poverty reduction in OPEC member countries. It is a cross-country study of a panel fully modified least-squares of 12 countries within the OPEC region. The interactive effects of the components of human capital development have a long-run impact on poverty reduction in OPEC member countries. Besides, human capital components confirm a positive effect on poverty reduction. Thus, since human capital is a crucial determinant of improving economic growth, OPEC member countries should invest more on the quality of human capital through education and health to improve the living standard of people and societal welfare.

The influence of maternal agency on severe child undernutrition in conflict-ridden Nigeria: Modeling heterogeneous treatment effects with machine learning

Nigeria is one of the fastest growing African economies, yet struggles with armed conflict, poverty, and morbidity. An area of high concern is how this situation affects vulnerable families and their children. A key pathway in improving the situation for children in times of conflict is to reinforce maternal agency, for instance, through education. However, the state of the art of research lacks a clear understanding of how many years of education is needed before children benefit. Due to mother’s differing social context and ability, the effect of maternal education varies. We study the heterogeneous treatment effects of maternal agency, here operationalized as length of education, on severe child undernutrition in the context of armed conflict. We deploy a repeated cross-sectional study design, using the Nigeria 2008 and 2013 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The sample covers 25,917 children and their respective mothers. A key methodological challenge is to estimate this heterogeneity inductively. The causal inference literature proposes a machine learning approach, Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART), as a promising avenue to overcome this challenge. Based on BART-estimation of the Conditional Average Treatment Effect (CATE) this study confirms earlier findings in that maternal education decreases severe child undernutrition, but only when mothers acquire an education that lasts more than the country’s compulsory 9 years; that is 10 years of education and higher. This protective effect remains even during the exposure of armed conflict.