Mothers Economic Resources and Under-Five Mortality in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Under-five mortality is a serious health challenge in Nigeria. The Nigerian government has made concerted effort to reduce the number of children who die before age five years by adopting some global health initiatives, yet the number of children who die before age five in the country is stillhigh in Nigeria. Objective: The study investigates the association between mothers’ economic resources and under-five mortality in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. Material and methods: this study was conducted at Akinyele, Ibadan North East, and Ibadan North local government areas in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. The Oscar Lewis culture of poverty theory served as the basis of its theoretical underpinning and quantitative primary data was collected through survey technique with the use of questionnaire. A total of 800 mothers were sampled using multi-stage sampling technique. First, stratified sampling technique was used to divide Ibadan into three homogenous groups based on the housing structure and population density of the city. The second stage was the use of simple random sampling technique to select one local government area based on each homogenous group. The third stage was the use of simple random sampling technique to select one locality in each local government areas that has been selected. The last stage was the use of purposive sampling technique to select 800 mothers at the 3 local government areas in Ibadan. Result: The result revealed that mothers economic resources, sources of income, financial support from husband, failure of husband to support their wife, and mothers occupation significantly influence under-five mortality in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. However, the prevalence of financial support received from husbands has insignificant influence on under-five mortality in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria. Conclusion: the data acquired in this study may be used in developing interventions to improve mother’s economic resources and thus contributes to reduction of under-five mortality in Nigeria.
Key words: Economic; Child Mortality; Poverty; Socialization; Unemployment