The danger of infant dying remained significantly higher among infants whose mother’s age at delivery is younger than 18 years or older than 35 years, shorter or longer birth interval, and a high number of children ever born in Nigeria, a study has said.
In the new study, researchers stated that other significant predictors of infant death were being a male, having small size at birth, non-recipient of tetanus injection, and whose mothers were non-contraceptive users, delayed breastfeeding initiation, or assisted by unskilled personnel at childbirth.
This researchers’ analysis of 33,924 women in the reproductive age group, who had given birth within 5 years preceding the 2018 Nigerian Demographic Health Survey, indicated that infant survival was lowest among women with few high risk birth behaviours. Analyses were restricted to a single-birth lastborn infant. It is in the BMC Pregnancy Childbirth.
According to them, “Specifically, 5.1 per cent of infant deaths occurred among mothers who engaged in multiple high-risk birth behaviour compared with 4.4 per cent infant death among mothers with single risk and 3.3 per cent death among non high-risk birth behaviours.”
“The prevalence of infant death was common among mothers who did not use contraceptive (4.6per cent) relative to contraceptive users (1.9 per cent). Children who were male (4.5per cent), of small size at birth (5.5per cent), born via caesarean (6.1per cent), and did not receive tetanus injection (5.4per cent) were more prone to infant death compared to their respective counterparts.
“Similarly, the prevalence of death was higher among infants whose mothers were uneducated (4.7 per cent) and had zero visit to antenatal care (5.0 per cent). Also, children from the North-West (4.7 per cent) and of Hausa/Fulani tribe (4.7 per cent) were more vulnerable to die during infancy.
“Non-use of contraceptive commodities among the mothers increased the risk of infant mortality as compared with mothers that used contraceptives. Non-use of contraceptives exposes women to the risk of unplanned and undesired births which may account for high parity and subject the infants to neglect and improper care especially in the midst of ravaging poverty.”
The researcher declared the importance of creating awareness and health education for women, men and families on risk factors of infant deaths such as maternal age, short birth interval and high parity as well as the need to screening women for high-risk birth behaviour for special health attention during pregnancy, birth and postnatal period is essential in alleviating infant death in Nigeria.
According to them, “There is also a need to design interventions to improve female education and economic empowerment which could delay age at marriage for women till 18 years, when they are mature to take decisions and capable of reproductive health events.”
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Buhari Urges MTN For Quality Service, Downward Price Review In Cost Of Data, Other Services
President Muhammadu Buhari Friday at State House Abuja urged the MTN Group to make the available top-of-the-range service to its Nigerian subscribers… ‘Why non-use of contraceptive by mothers decreases risk of infant survival’ ; ‘Why non-use of contraceptive by mothers decreases risk of infant survival’ ; ‘Why non-use of contraceptive by mothers decreases risk of infant survival’ ; ‘Why non-use of contraceptive by mothers decreases risk of infant survival’.
and then