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Background: Differences between urban and rural contexts in terms of sociodemographic characteristics, geographical features and risk perceptions may lead to disparities in coverage and related outcomes of community-based preventive interventions, such as seasonal malaria chemoprevention (SMC). This study investigated urban–rural differences in SMC coverage and other programme outcomes, as well as child and caregiver characteristics of target populations in nine implementing states in Nigeria during the 2022 SMC round. Methods: This is a comparative cross-sectional study based on comprehensive end-of-round household surveys conducted in nine states where SMC was delivered in Nigeria in 2022. Data of 11,880 caregiver-child pairs were included in the analysis. Rural-urban differences in SMC outcomes and child and caregiver characteristics were assessed, first by using Pearsons' chi-square test for independence for categorical variables. Univariate multilevel mixed-effect logistic regression models, with random intercepts for cluster units, were used to quantify the strength of association between location and each SMC coverage and related outcomes. Results: Significant urban-rural differences were observed in caregivers' sociodemographic characteristics, such as age, gender, level of education, occupation status and health-seeking behaviour for febrile childhood illnesses. Disparities were also seen in terms of SMC coverage and related outcomes, with lower odds of the receipt of Day 1 dose direct observation of the administration of Day 1 dose by community distributors, receipt of the full three-day course of SMC medicines and receipt of SMC in all cycles of the annual round among children residing in urban areas, compared with those residing in rural areas. Similarly, urban-dwelling caregivers had lower odds of being knowledgeable of SMC and believing in the protective effect of SMC than rural-dwelling caregivers. Conclusion: Findings highlight observable urban-rural disparities in SMC programme delivery and related outcomes, as well as target population characteristics, underscoring the need for context-specific strategies to ensure optimal delivery of SMC and improve programme implementation outcomes in urban settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Overweight and obese women face various reproductive and other health challenges, and in some cases, even mortality. Despite evidence of rural-urban disparities in overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age, there is limited evidence regarding the predictors of these disparities. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with overweight and obesity and examine the contributors to rural-urban disparities in overweight and obesity among women of reproductive age in Nigeria. Methods: We utilized the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey dataset. The survey employed a two-stage cluster sampling technique based on Nigeria's 2006 census enumeration areas for sample selection. Overweight and obesity were defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25. Data analyses were conducted using the Logistic Regression Model and the threefold Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition model (α0.05). Results: The study revealed that older women (OR = 2.44; CI = 2.11–2.83), those with higher wealth (OR = 2.05; CI = 1.81–2.31), contraceptive users (OR = 1.41; CI = 1.27–1.57), and residents of the South-South region (OR = 1.24; CI = 1.07–1.45) were more likely to be overweight/obese. The decomposition analysis indicated that the mean predicted prevalence of overweight and obesity is 35.5% in urban areas, compared to 21.1% in rural areas of Nigeria. Factors such as wealth status, educational level, media exposure, and contraceptive use were identified as significant contributors to these disparities. Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of addressing socioeconomic disparities when designing healthcare interventions to reduce the burden of overweight and obesity, particularly in urban areas. Prioritizing these factors can facilitate efforts to promote healthier lifestyles and enhance overall well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal mortality has remained a challenge in many low-income countries, especially in Africa and in Nigeria in particular. This study examines the geographical and socioeconomic inequalities in maternal healthcare utilization in Nigeria over the period between 2003 and 2017.Methods: The study used four rounds of Nigeria Demographic Health Surveys (DHS, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018) for women aged 15-49 years old. The rate ratios and differences (RR and RD) were used to measure differences between urban and rural areas in terms of the utilization of the three maternal healthcare services including antenatal care (ANC), facility-based delivery (FBD), and skilled-birth attendance (SBA). The Theil index (T), between-group variance (BGV) were used to measure relative and absolute inequalities in the utilization of maternal healthcare across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The relative and absolute concentration index (RC and AC) were used to measure education-and wealth-related inequalities in the utilization of maternal healthcare services.Results: The RD shows that the gap in the utilization of FBD between urban and rural areas significantly increased by 0.3% per year over the study period. The Theil index suggests a decline in relative inequalities in ANC and FBD across the six geopolitical zones by 7, and 1.8% per year, respectively. The BGV results do not suggest any changes in absolute inequalities in ANC, FBD, and SBA utilization across the geopolitical zones over time. The results of the RC and the AC suggest a persistently higher concentration of maternal healthcare use among well-educated and wealthier mothers in Nigeria over the study period.Conclusion: We found that the utilization of maternal healthcare is lower among poorer and less-educated women, as well as those living in rural areas and North West and North East geopolitical zones. Thus, the focus should be on implementing strategies that increase the uptake of maternal healthcare services among these groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Studies have observed rural-urban inequity in the use of skilled delivery in Nigeria. A number of studies have explicitly examined associated factors of assistance during delivery in rural areas. However, the studies so far conducted in rural Nigeria have investigated mainly individual-level characteristics with near exclusion of community-level characteristics. Also, most of the studies that have investigated community-level influence on use of maternal healthcare services in Nigeria did not isolate rural areas for specific research attention. The objective of this study was to investigate the individual-level and community-level characteristics associated with assistance during delivery in rural Nigeria.Methods: The study analysed women data of 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. A weighted sample size of 12,665 rural women was analysed. The outcome variable was assistance during delivery, dichotomised into 'skilled assistance' and 'unskilled assistance'. The explanatory variables are selected individual-level characteristics (maternal education, parity, age at first birth, religion, healthcare decision, employment status, access to mass media, and means of transportation); and selected community-level characteristics (community literacy level, community childcare burden, proportion of women employed outside agriculture, proportion of women who perceived distance to facility as a big problem, community poverty level, and geographical region). The mixed-effects logistic regression was applied.Results: During the most recent deliveries, 23.0% of rural women utilised skilled assistance compared with 77.0% who utilised unskilled assistance. Maternal education, parity, religion, healthcare decision, access to mass media, and means of transportation were the individual-level characteristics that revealed significant effects on the likelihood of utilising skilled assistance during delivery, while community literacy level, community poverty level, community perception of distance to health facility, and geographic region were the community-level characteristics that revealed significant effects on the odds of using skilled assistance during delivery. Results of Intra-Class Correlation (ICC) supported significant community-level effects on the likelihood of using skilled assistance during delivery.Conclusions: Assistance during delivery is influenced by individual-level and community-level characteristics. Health policies and programmes seeking to reduce rural-urban inequity in skilled delivery should endeavour to identify and address important factors at both the individual and community levels of the social environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]