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Background: Nutrition outcomes among young children in Nigeria are among the worse globally. Mother’s limited knowledge about food choices, feeding, and health care seeking practices contributes significantly to negative nutrition outcomes for children in most developing countries. Much less is known about the relationship between mother’s nutrition-related knowledge and child nutritional outcomes in rural Nigeria. This paper investigates therefore: (i) the association of mother’s nutrition-related knowledge with nutrition outcomes of young children living in rural Nigeria, where access to education is limited, and (ii) whether mother’s education has a complementary effect on such knowledge in producing positive child nutrition outcomes in such settings. Methods: Using the Demographic and Health Survey data for Nigeria, we employ both descriptive and regression analyses approaches in analyzing the study’s objectives. In particular, we apply ordinary least square (OLS) to investigate the association of mother’s nutrition-related knowledge with child HAZ and WHZ while controlling for maternal, child, household and regional characteristics. An index was constructed for mother’s nutrition-related knowledge using information on dietary practices, disease treatment and prevention, child immunization, and family planning. Results: We found that mother’s knowledge is independently and positively associated with HAZ and WHZ scores in young children. Higher levels of mother’s education, typically above primary, have a significant, positive association with child HAZ and WHZ scores. We argue that mother’s knowledge of health and nutrition may substitute for education in reducing undernutrition in young children among populations with limited access to formal education. However, the present level of mother’s education in rural Nigeria appears insufficient to reinforce knowledge in producing better nutrition outcomes for children. Conclusions: This study suggests promotion of out-of-school (informal) education, such as adult literacy and numeracy classes where women without formal education can gain health and nutrition knowledge, and practices that could enhance child nutrition outcomes in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an Igbo saying that the world is a marketplace (uwa bu ahia). This simple worldview can be explained literally to mean that the Igbo think so because trading is a prominent occupation among the Igbo (it could also mean that a marketplace is the epicenter of community social and business interaction). That might be why the Igbo weekdays are named after their markets – Eke, Orie, Afo, Nkwo. Children born on any of these market days often assume the default name as in Okeke or Mgbeke, Okorie or Mgborie, Okafo or Mgbafo, Okonkwo or Mgbonkwo for male or female children, respectively, born on the corresponding market days. We are yet to come across another culture for which the market holds such a fascinating centrality in their worldview even while they see themselves as ruggedly egalitarian. The meaning of the thesis statement that the world is a marketplace is deeper than the literal interpretation. The deeper meaning is the suggestion that all the problems we encounter in this world are open to negotiation, haggling and bargaining. Some people come into the market place with greater resources than others and therefore are able to buy more goods and services just as some people are born or raised with greater resources, increasing their bargaining power in the global marketplace. When the Igbo say that the world is a market, they usually complete the sentence by observing that when one buys to one’s content, one goes home. The home referred to here is the land of the ancestors to which the Igbo believe the spirits of the dead return to bargain for a better life in their next incarnation. If one’s creator dealt one a raw deal in this life, one can still bargain with his/her personal God (or Chi) and haggle for a better break in the next life. In other words, the Igbo intend the paradox that the world is a market as a description of the global world and not simply just the Igbo world. This paper will focus on how the Igbo organize the training of children in commercial and consumerist activities given their mercantilist worldview. Are there lessons that other cultures could learn from the Igbo and are there lessons that the Igbo could learn from the social structure of modernist business schools? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immunization is considered one of the most cost-effective public health interventions for reducing childhood morbidity, mortality, and disability globally. However, while global achievement of over 70% coverage rates was sustained in 1990s, wide variations exist between and within countries. In some developing countries, immunization rates increased substantially, but in sub-Saharan Africa, immunization rates plummeted, leaving millions of children vulnerable to life-threatening diseases. In Nigeria, coverage rates for routine immunization for all antigens still fall below 50%. The study examined the overall influence of household vulnerability dimensions, maternal health practices on childhood immunization status in Nigeria. The study used secondary data from 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys (NDHS). The analytical weighted sample size was 5,824women of reproductive ages (15-49 years) with a live birth in the past 3 years, whose children were within age 12 to 23 months at the time of the survey. The data was analyzed using frequency distribution, chi-square test, and binary logistic regression. The results showed a decreasing regional variation in the proportion of fully immunized children from high of 23.6% in South-West, to a low of 9.1% in North-East. The overall household vulnerability status showed that children in more and most vulnerable households were 62% (OR = 0.38; p<.001; CI [0.32-0.46]) and 89%less likely (OR = 0.11; p <.001; CI [0.08-0.14]) to receive full vaccination compared with their counterpart in non-vulnerable households. The study revealed significant relationship between mothers': (i) number of antenatal visits (OR = 1.66; p<.05; CI [0.25-1.77]); (ii) quality of antenatal care (OR = 2.61; p<.05; CI [1.45-4.67]); (iii) place of delivery (OR = 0.62; p<.05; CI [0.45-0.86]); (iv) assistance during delivery (OR = 0.41; p<.001; CI [0.28-0.57]); (v) time of postnatal check (OR = 1.81; p<.001; CI [1.49-2.19]) and full childhood immunization status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on analytic techniques from the humanities and social sciences, I propose a framework for research in the sociology of culture that is both scientific and sensitive to the particular characteristics of cultural data. In this paper, I maintain that to be complete and persuasive, cultural analysis must include (1) the intentions of creative agents, (2) the reception of cultural objects over tame and space, (3) the comprehension of cultural objects in terms of intrinsic and heuristic genres, and (4) the explanation of the characteristics of objects with reference to the social and cultural experiences of social groups and categories. After developing a framework based on these four key elements, I suggest that the validity criteria of parsimony, plenitude, and amplitude should be applied to competing explanations of cultural phenomena. The usefulness of the framework and validity criteria is demonstrated through their application to a puzzle regarding the changes a Western popular fiction genre underwent when it was reproduced in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing realization of knowledge as critical driver of economic growth and development is, no doubt, driving nations into harnessing the benefits of a knowledge economy. Yet, there is the paucity of empirical studies to help unpack the link between knowledge, health and wealth in the context of an emerging economy, for example, Nigeria. This paper examines the sociology of individual knowledge and creativity as a key production value and panacea for economic growth and global repositioning. Importantly, it examines whether the Nigerian economy is knowledge patent ready, and what kind of social arrangement would enhance or impede knowledge generation and its diffusion. Using the interpretive paradigm, through the inductive analysis of some knowledge-based economies, the study draws on the Burrell and Morgan's typology of sociological paradigms to develop a KBE (Knowledge-Based Economy) framework. The findings from the study reveal that there is a disequilibrium in the supply and demand for skilled and proficient manpower in Nigerian, especially in the trades sector. There is a need to strengthen the Nigerian patent law to give protection and incentive for idea generation, diffusion, and commercialization. Similarly, there is a need for secondary institutions and infrastructure that would provide a breeding ground for practical skill development for start-ups and university-industry collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nigeria has a plural legal system in which various sources of law govern simultaneously. Inconsistent and conflicting legal frameworks can reinforce pre–existing health disparities in sexual and reproductive health (SRH). While previous studies indicate poor SRH outcomes for Nigerian women and girls, particularly in Northern states, the relationship between customary and religious law (CRL) and SRH has not been explored. We conducted a state-level ecological study to examine the relationship between CRL and SRH outcomes among women in 36 Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja (n = 37), using publicly available Demographic and Health Survey data from 2013. Indicators were guided by published research and included contraception use among married women, total fertility rate, median age at first birth, receipt of antenatal care, delivery location, and comprehensive knowledge of HIV. To account for economic differences between states, crude linear regression models were compared to a multivariable model, adjusting for per capita GDP. All SRH outcomes, except comprehensive knowledge of HIV, were statistically significantly more negative in CRL states compared to non–CRL states, even after accounting for state–level GDP. In CRL states in 2013, compared to non–CRL states, the proportion of married women who used any method of contraception was 22.7 percentage points lower ([95% CI: −15.78 –−29.64], p<0.001), a difference that persisted in a model adjusting for per capita GDP (b[adj] = −16.15, 95% CI: [−8.64 –−23.66], p<0.001.). While this analysis of retrospective state-level data found robust associations between CRL and poor SRH outcomes, future research should incorporate prospective individual-level data to further elucidate these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have examined the sustainability of family planning program outcomes in the post-program period. This article presents the results of a natural experiment where the Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative Phase I programming ended in early 2015 and Phase II activities continued in a subset of cities. Using data collected in 2015 and 2017, we compare contraceptive ideation and modern family planning use in two cities: Ilorin where program activities concluded in 2015 and Kaduna where program activities continued. The results demonstrate that exposure to program activities decreased in Ilorin but for those individuals reporting continuing exposure, the effect size of exposure on modern family planning use remained the same and was not significantly different from Kaduna. Modern family planning use continued to increase in both cites but at a lower rate than during Phase I. The results are useful for designing family planning programs that sustain beyond the life of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Approximately 14 million unintended pregnancies are recorded annually in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We sought to investigate the prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancies among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Materials and methods: The study pooled data from current Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2016 from 29 countries in SSA. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the factors that influence unintended pregnancies in SSA. Results were presented using odds ratios (OR). Results: We found overall unintended pregnancy prevalence rate of 29%, ranging from 10.8% in Nigeria to 54.5% in Namibia. As compared to women aged 15–19 years, women of all other age categories had higher odds of unintended pregnancies. Married women were 6 times more probable to report unintended pregnancy as compared to women who had never married (OR = 6.29, CI = 5.65–7.01). The phenomenon had higher odds among rural residents as compared to urban residents (OR = 1.08, CI = 1.01–1.16). Women with primary (OR = 0.74, CI = 0.69–0.80) and secondary (OR = 0.71, CI = 0.65–0.77) levels of education had less chances of unintended pregnancies, compared to those with no education. Again, women in all other wealth categories had less probability of unintended pregnancy, as compared to women with poorest wealth status. Conclusion: Our study contributes substantially towards the discourse of maternal wellbeing by unveiling the prevalence and determinants of unintended pregnancy across the SSA region. There is the need for SSA countries with high prevalence of unintended pregnancies to consider past and present successful interventions of other countries within the region such as health education, counselling, skills-building, comprehensive sex education and access to contraception. Much of these efforts rest with the governments of SSA countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Low back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent in Nigeria and is more devastating in rural Nigeria due to adverse living and working conditions, reinforced by maladaptive illness beliefs. There is a need to develop measures for assessing such beliefs in this population. This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire (FABQ) and test its psychometric properties in mixed rural and urban Nigerian populations with chronic LBP. Methods: Translation, cultural adaptation, test–retest, and cross-sectional psychometric testing. FABQ was forward and back translated by clinical/non-clinical translators. A review committee evaluated the translations. Twelve people with chronic LBP in a rural Nigerian community pre-tested the questionnaire. Cronbach’s alpha assessing internal consistency; intra-class correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman plots assessing test–retest reliability; and minimal detectable change were investigated in a convenient sample of 50 chronic low back pain sufferers in rural and urban Nigeria. Construct validity was examined using Pearson’s correlation analyses with the eleven-point box scale and Igbo Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire (Igbo-RMDQ), and exploratory factor analysis in a random sample of 200 adults with chronic low back pain in rural Nigeria. Ceiling and floor effects were investigated in all samples. Results: Amendments allowed interviewer-administration. Item 8 was modified to ‘I have a compensation or gains I get from having my pain’ as there is no benefit system in Nigeria. Igbo phrase for ‘physical activity’ could also mean ‘being active’, ‘moving the body’ or ‘moving about’ and was used in the items with ‘physical activity’. The Igbo-FABQ had good internal consistency (α = 0.80–0.86); intra class correlation coefficients (ICC = 0.71–0.72); standard error of measurements (3.21–7.40) and minimal detectable change (8.90–20.51). It correlated moderately with pain intensity and disability, with a two-factor structure and no floor and ceiling effects. Conclusions: Igbo-FABQ is valid, reliable, and can be used clinically and for research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Partner HIV testing during pregnancy has remained abysmally low in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Nigeria. Males rarely attend antenatal clinics with their female partners, limiting the few opportunities available to offer them HIV testing. In this study, we evaluated the scale-up of the Healthy Beginning Initiative (HBI), a community-driven evidenced-based intervention to increase HIV testing among pregnant women and their male partners. Our objectives were to determine the: (1) male partner participation rate; (2) prevalence of HIV among male partners of pregnant women; (3) factors associated with HIV positivity among male partners of HIV-positive pregnant women. Methods: We reviewed program data of expectant parents enrolled in HBI in Benue State, north-central Nigeria. During HBI, trained lay health workers provided educational and counseling sessions, and offered free onsite integrated testing for HIV, hepatitis B virus and sickle cell genotype to pregnant women and their male partners who participated in incentivized, church-organized baby showers. Each participant completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire on demographics, lifestyle habits, and HIV testing history. Chi-square test was used to compare the characteristics of HIV-positive and HIV-negative male partners. Simple and multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the association between participants' characteristics and HIV positivity among male partners of HIV-positive women. Results: Male partner participation rate was 57% (5264/9231). Overall HIV prevalence was 6.1% (891/14495) with significantly higher rates in women (7.4%, 681/9231) compared to men (4.0%, 210/5264). Among the 681 HIV-positive women, 289 male partners received HIV testing; 37.7% (109/289) were found to be HIV-positive. In multivariate analysis, older age (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.45, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.27–4.72 for age 30–39 years vs. <30 years; aOR: 2.39, CI: 1.18–4.82 for age ≥40 years vs. <30 years) and self-reported daily alcohol intake (vs. never (aOR: 0.35, CI: 0.13–0.96)) were associated with HIV positivity in male partners of HIV-positive women. Conclusion: The community-based congregational approach is a potential strategy to increase male partner HIV testing towards achieving the UNAIDS goal of 90% HIV screening. Targeting male partners of HIV-positive women for screening may provide a higher yield of HIV diagnosis and the opportunity to engage known positives in care in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Childhood and adolescent depression is common and often persists into adulthood with negative implications for school performances, peer relationship and behavioural functioning. The Child Depression Inventory (CDI) has been used to assess depression among adolescents in many countries including Nigeria but it is uncertain if the theoretical structure of CDI appropriately fits the experiences of adolescents in Nigeria. This study assessed varying theoretical modelling structure of the CDI in a population of apparently healthy adolescents in Benue state, Nigeria. Methods: Data was extracted on CDI scale and demographic information from a total of 1, 963 adolescents (aged 10–19 years), who participated in a state wide study assessing adolescent psychosocial functioning. In addition to descriptive statistics and reliability tests, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor analysis (CFA) were used to model the underlying factor structure and its adequacy. The suggested new model was compared with existing CDI models as well as the CDI’s original theoretical model. A model is considered better, if it has minimum Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA<0.05), Minimum value of Discrepancy (CMIN/DF<3.0) and Akaike information criteria. All analyses were performed at 95% confidence level, using the version 21 of AMOS and the R software. Results: Participants were 14.7±2.1 years and mostly male (54.3%), from Monogamous homes (67.9%) and lived in urban areas (52.2%). The measure of the overall internal consistency of the 2-factor CDI was α = 0.84. The 2-factor model had the minimum RMSEA (0.044), CMIN/DF (2.87) and least AIC (1037.996) compared to the other five CDI models. Conclusion: The child depression inventory has a 2-factor structure in a non-clinical general population of adolescents in Nigeria. Future use of the CDI in related setting may consider the 2-factor model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Understanding the context where adolescents’ physical activity (PA) takes place could impact a more targeted approach to implement PA promotion and interventions in Africa. However, standardized data on adolescents’ PA behaviour is lacking in Nigeria. We described PA patterns in the various domains (home, school, transport, leisure-time) and intensity categories (light-intensity PA, moderate- to vigorous- intensity physical activity [MVPA] and total PA), and their associations with sociodemographic factors and socioeconomic status (SES) among secondary school adolescents in Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in a representative sample of 1006 secondary school adolescents (12–18 years, 50.4% girls) in Maiduguri, Nigeria. Self-reported PA was assessed with an adapted version of the Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents and Young Adults. Outcomes were weekly minutes (min/wk) of PA spent in the various domains and intensity categories. Multivariate ANOVA was used to examine associations of PA scores (domains and intensity levels) with adolescents’ sociodemographic characteristics and SES, and track differences in PA scores between subgroups. Results: The total sample reported most PA at school (1525 min/wk), the least during active transportation (210 min/wk), and only 37% engaged in 60 min of MVPA daily. Boys reported significantly more leisure-time PA (P<0.001), active transportation (P<0.001), MVPA (P = 0.023) and total PA (P = 0.003) than girls, while girls reported more school-based PA (P = 0.009), home-based PA (P<0.001) and light-intensity PA (P<0.001) than boys. Moderate-intensity PA (P = 0.024) and total PA (P = 0.049) were significantly higher in younger age group than in older group. Household car ownership was associated with less active transportation (P = 0.009), less moderate-intensity PA (P = 0.048) and with more leisure-time PA (P = 0.013). High parental SES was associated with more leisure-time PA (P = 0.002), more MVPA (P = 0.047) and less active transportation (P<0.001). Adolescents of various weight status differed significantly in their leisure-time PA (P<0.001), moderate-intensity PA (P = 0.011) and total PA (P = 0.033). Conclusions: The patterns and levels of physical activity among adolescents in Nigeria vary according to the adolescents’ age, gender, weight status and SES. These findings have important public health implications for identifying subgroups of Nigerian adolescents that should be targeted for effective physical activity promoting interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Non-nutritive sucking (NNS) is a common behavior in childhood. The association between digit sucking, dental caries and oral health has been studied with inconclusive results. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of, and the association between digit sucking, caries and oral hygiene status of children age six months to 12 years, resident in Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Ife Central Local Government Area of Osun State. Data were collected through a household survey using a multi-stage sampling procedure from children between six months and 12 years. Details of each child’s socio-demographic characteristics, digit sucking habits, caries status and oral health status were collected. The association between digit sucking, caries status and oral hygiene status was determined using Chi square and Logistic regression. Results: The mean age of the 992 study participants was 5.8 ± (3.2) years. The prevalence of digit sucking, caries and poor oral hygiene were 7.2%, 10.5% and 2.4% respectively. The mean dmft score was 0.22 ± (0.80), mean DMFT score was 0.04 ± (0.30) while mean Oral Hygiene Index score was 1.27 ± (0.73). Digit sucking increased the odds of having caries (OR: 1.28; CI: 0.58–2.81) but decreased the odds of having poor oral hygiene (OR: 0.58; CI: 0.34–1.01) insignificantly. Conclusions: Digit sucking was not a significant predictor of caries and oral hygiene status, although the odds of having caries increased while the odds of having poor oral hygiene decreased with digit sucking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every society needs a set of laws which stipulates the rights and duties of citizens, as well as regulate the conduct of the society. But law is often perceived as repressive and unpopular by majority of the urban poor in many developing countries who feel that the law has done little or nothing to ameliorate their sufferings. For example, new evidence from satellite images has revealed the true extent of forced evictions going on in Badia East-Lagos, one of Nigeria's mega cities. The pictures taken during and after the demolitions carried out by the Lagos State government on 23rd February 2013, clearly shows that a densely populated area containing concrete housing and other structures was razed to the ground. Given the importance of housing to the overall development and existence of mankind, it is necessary to first determine the existence of a legal right to adequate housing to warrant a demand by the citizen to fulfil this right and in order to appreciate the need for government intervention in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research suggests that women of reproductive age who are involved in household decision-making are more likely than those who are not involved to be able to control their fertility. Little is known, however, about this relationship among women at the upper end of the reproductive spectrum. The aim of this study was to determine the association between household decision-making power and modern contraceptive use among Nigerian women ages 35–49 years. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study involving a secondary analysis of data from the Nigerian 2008 Demographic and Health Survey was conducted among women ages 35–49 years who were considered to be in need of contraception. The outcome was modern contraceptive use while the main independent variable was a woman's household decision-making power score, constructed using principal component analysis. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to determine whether the women's household decision-making power score, categorized into tertiles, was independently associated with modern contraceptive use. Data were weighted and adjusted for the complex survey design. Results: Prevalence of modern contraceptive use among Nigerian women deemed to be in need of contraception in this study was 18.7%. Multivariate logistic regression showed that women's decision-making power remained statistically significantly associated with modern contraceptive use, even after adjusting for age, education, religion, polygyny, parity, wealth and domicile. Women who were in the highest decision-making power tertile had more than one and a half times the odds of using modern contraception compared with women in the lowest tertile [Adjusted Odds Ratio = 1.70; 95% Confidence Interval = 1.31–2.21, p<0.001]. Significance: Older Nigerian women who are involved in making household decisions are also able to make decisions related to their fertility. Programs in Nigeria focused on increasing modern contraceptive use should include strategies to increase women's status through encouraging more visible involvement in decision-making across different spheres of their lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article studies ancestor worship and obituary publication in Nigeria. Obituary publication is found to be the culmination of cultural tradition in Nigeria as well as a reflection of social stratification. The article examines particular indicators of socioeconomic status within obituaries, such as the choice of publication. Obituaries from the "Daily Times" Nigerian newspapers are specifically scrutinized as a continuation of traditional ancestral beliefs. The article concludes that although obituaries are not a traditional Nigerian custom, they are nonetheless a demonstration of the cultural relationship and appreciation of ancestors.