Nigeria demographic and health survey 1990

The information is based on data collected from 8,781 women aged 15-49 years on themselves and on their 8,113 children aged 0-5 years. According to the NDHS, fertility remains high in Nigeria; at current levels, Nigerian women will have an average of 6 children by the end of their reproductive years. The total fertility rate may actually be higher, due to underestimation of births. In a 1981/82 survey, the total fertility rate was estimated to be 5.9 children per woman. Use of contraception is limited. Only 6% of married women currently use a contraceptive method (3.5% use a modern method, and 2.5% a traditional method). These levels, while low, reflect an increase over the past decade: 10 years ago just 1% of Nigerian women were using a modern method. Periodic abstinence (rhythm method), the pill, IUD, and injection are the most popular methods among married couples: each is used by about 1% of currently married women. Knowledge of contraception remains low, with less than half of all women aged 15-49 knowing of any method. Levels of fertility and contraceptive use are not likely to change until there is a drop in desired family size and until the idea of reproductive choice is more widely accepted. At present, the average ideal family size is essentially the same as the total fertility rate: 6 children per woman. Thus, the vast majority of births are wanted. The desire for childbearing is strong: half of women with 5 children say that they want to have another child. Another factor leading to high fertility is the early age at marriage and childbearing in Nigeria. Half of all women are married by age 17 and half have become mothers by age 20. More than a quarter of teenagers (women aged 15-19 years) either are pregnant or already have children. National statistics mask dramatic variations in fertility and family planning between urban and rural areas, among different regions of the country, and by women"s educational attainment. Women who are from urban areas or live in the South and those who are better educated want and have fewer children than other women and are more likely to know of and use modern contraception. For example, women in the South are likely to marry and begin childbearing several years later than women in the North. In the North, women follow the traditional pattern and marry early, at a median age of 15, while in the South, women are marrying at a median age of 19 or 20. Teenagers in the North have births at twice the rate of those in the South: 20 births per 100 women aged 15-19 in the North compared to 10 births per 100 women in the South. Nearly half of teens in the North have already begun childbearing, versus 14% in the South. This results in substantially lower total fertility rates in the South: women in the South have, on average, one child less than women in the North (5.5 versus 6.6). The survey also provides information related to maternal and child health. The data indicate that nearly 1 child in 5 dies before age 5. Of every 1,000 babies born, 87 die during their first year of life (infant mortality rate). There has been little improvement in infant and child mortality during the past 15 years. Mortality is higher in rural than urban areas and higher in the North than in the South. Undernutrition may be a factor: NDHS data show that 43% of children under 5 are chronically undernourished. These problems are more severe in rural areas and in the North. Preventive and curative health services have yet to reach many women and children. Mothers receive no antenatal care for one-third of births and over 60% of babies are born at home. Only one-third of births are assisted by doctors, trained nurses, or midwives. A third of the infants are never vaccinated, and only 30% are fully immunized against childhood diseases. When they are ill, most young children go untreated. For example, only about one-third of children with diarrhea are given oral rehydration therapy. Women and children in rural areas and in the North are much less likely than others to benefit from health services. Almost four times as many births in the North are unassisted as in the South, and only one-third as many children complete their polio and DPT vaccinations. Programs to educate women about the need for antenatal care, immunization, and proper treatment for sick children should perhaps be aimed at mothers in these areas. Mothers everywhere need to learn about the proper time to introduce various supplementary foods to breastfeeding babies. Nearly all babies are breastfed; however, almost all breastfeeding infants are given water, formula, or other supplements within the first 2 months of life, which both jeopardizes their nutritional status and increases the risk of infection. (Author abstract, modified)