Abstract
Child care practices have contributed immensely to decreased child mortality especially in developing nations. Investigation of child care practices and associated factors among women is necessary to provide insight into extent of adoption of maternal, newborn and child health strategies and suggest enhancement strategies where possible. This examines child care practices and associated factors among women in Dekina LGA, Kogi State. Cross-sectional survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 971 women of childbearing age accessing health services at health facilities in Dekina LGA, Kogi State, North-Central Nigeria. A sample of 384 women of child bearing age was selected through multi-stage sampling procedure. Well-completed 299 copies of the researcher-designed Women’s Child Care Practices and Associated Factors Questionnaire (WCCPAFQ), which comprised sections A, B and C was used for data collection. The reliability co-efficient of the instrument was determined using Split-half method and Spearman-Brown Correction Formula. The reliability co-efficient of the instrument was 0.65. Frequency and percentage, Spearman’s <i>p</i> (<i>rho</i>) rank Correlation Coefficients and logistic regressions were employed for data analyses. A logistic regression was run to investigate the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Results showed that women moderately practised (57.5%), 51.9% of women perceived that the outlined factors affected child care practices while there was low relationship between outlined factors and child care practices among women (maternal age <i>r</i> = 0.11, p < 0.05; maternal education <i>r</i> = 0.10, p < 0.05). Independent variables of age [OR = 1.65, 95% (C. I: 0.56 - 4.88)] and maternal education [OR = 2.45, 95% (C. I: 1.01 - 5.94)] had significant influence on child health care practices. It was recommended that government; private organizations, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs) and other stakeholders in the health sector should implement holistic programmes that will enhance women’s capacity to effectively and efficiently adopt integrated maternal, newborn child health survival strategies for quality child care practices. The general public should also be enlightened via health education programmes on the associated health risks of poor child care practices prevalent in many rural communities.
Highlights
Child care practices have contributed immensely to decreased child mortality
Mother’s age at first birth affects her practice of child care Familial circumstances like unemployment and work schedules influence mothers’ practice of child care e.g. exclusive breastfeeding Poverty or poor household income level is a major determinant of child care Family disorganization and lack of social support affect child care practices Location of child health facility/clinic hinders effective practice of child care Shortage of health care personnel at PHC affects mothers’ practice of child care Poor housing conditions & inadequate sanitation have direct impact on child care Attitude of mothers can affect child health % Average
The findings showed that child care practices (CCPs), though similar varied across the selected demographic variables
Summary
Child care practices have contributed immensely to decreased child mortality. The leading causes of death among children aged less than five years include: Olaoluwa Samson Agbaje et al.: Child Care Practices and Associated Factors among Women of Childbearing. Age Attending Health Facilities in Dekina, North-Central, Nigeria pneumonia, prematurity, birth asphyxia, diarrhea and malaria. About 45% of under-five deaths are linked to undernutrition [1]. In spite of the significant progress made in recent years to reduce under-five mortality, significant inequities between and within countries continue to exist. These are driven by poverty, but are intrinsically linked to social exclusion and de jure and de facto discrimination. Efforts to eliminate under-five mortality require a comprehensive and holistic approach, which explicitly recognizes and integrates relevant human rights [1]
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