Determinants of perceived quality of health care among pregnant women in Ifo, Ogun State, Nigeria.

Nigeria's health system is among the weakest globally, characterized by doctors' and nurses' concentration in a few tertiary facilities in the cities. Simultaneously, rural areas that constitute over 70% of the population suffer from acute health personnel and inadequate health facilities. Whether Nigeria can achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG 3) of access to quality essential health care by 2030 if this situation continues. Therefore, this study provides unique insights on socio-demographic and environmental determinants of quality of health care and treatment choice among women in the Ifo Local Government Area (LGA), a predominantly rural area, in Ogun State, Nigeria. It employed the 2018 cross-sectional survey data collected using a multi-stage sampling technique. A total of 1350 pregnant women aged 20-44 who attended antenatal care during the study period were interviewed. Multicollinearity diagnostics of explanatory variables showed that variance inflation factor, eigenvalues, and the condition index values were within accepted thresholds. Findings showed that the predictors of perceived quality of care were the age of respondents, level of education, type of house lived in, the number of persons in the house, type of toilet facility, primary source of water supply, waste disposal practices, and husband's level of education. Statistically significant predictors of treatment choice included husband's occupation, number of living children, type of house respondent lived in, type of toilet facility, and primary water supply source. These predictors are useful for designing policies and program activities for achieving improved quality of maternal health care at the community level and the attainment of SDG 3 for the country by 2030.

Variations in preference for family care support among the elderly in Southwestern Nigeria.

Preference for family care support among the elderly has become a prominent issue in Nigeria. Hence, the study explored variations in preference for family care support among the elderly in South-western Nigeria (Lagos and Oyo states). Data were extracted from a 2012 elderly survey dataset, and analyzed using quantitative techniques (univariate and bivariate). The results showed that study locations, marriage-type, educational attainment, employment status, religious affiliation, means of livelihood and usual place of residence have little and apparent variations in preferences for family care support in Southwestern Nigeria. We recommend that in order to keep on sustaining high-preferences for family care support, elderly people should be given all-round communal supports by family caregivers in the Nigerian extended family system.

Factors associated with child mortality among antenatal care attendees in Ado-Odo/Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria.

The study examined the determinants of child mortality among attendees at a government health care facility in Ado-Odo/Ota in Ogun State, Nigeria. The study, based on a descriptive cross-sectional study, used a mixed-methods research approach and utilized an interviewer-administered structured pretested questionnaire. A total of 1350 respondents constituted the sample size. Data analysis consisted of descriptive and regression analysis with STATA Version 12. Furthermore, the study employed focus group discussions to reinforce the quantitative results of the investigation. Results showed the place of delivery (P = 0.000), distance from house to health facility (P = 0.022), immunization status (P = 0.000), duration of breastfeeding (P = 0.000), cost of treatment at the health facility (P = 0.627), household waste disposal practice (P = 0.000), and ever used oral rehydration solution (P = 0.000) as being significantly associated with child mortality. The study created awareness of behavioral practices affecting child mortality and insights on possible interventions for reducing child mortality. We conclude that community-based educational strategies and the improvement of health facilities will reduce child mortality.

Socio-demographic and environmental determinants of child mortality in rural communities of Ogun State, Nigeria.

Nigeria's under five-mortality was 132 per 1000 in 2018. The statistic makes Nigeria the country with the third-highest under-five mortality globally. It implies that the government may not achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of 25 per 1000 births by 2030. This situation is of grave concern to policymakers and other stakeholders interested in the country's development. This study provides unique community micro-level information on child mortality determinants in rural communities where the country's health system is weakest. The study used a sample of 1350 pregnant women aged 20-44 who attended antenatal care in22 health facilities in selected rural communities of Ogun State, South-west Nigeria. The multicollinearity diagnostics tests conducted between the dependent variable and predictors showed no abnormality in the values of the variance inflation factor, eigenvalues, and condition indexes. Logistics regression results showed that the socio-demographic characteristics such as the respondent's age, educational level, number of living children, and husband's education directly affected child mortality. In contrast, the husband has another wife had an indirect effect on child mortality. Environmental factors that directly impacted child mortality included the type of household toilet facility, source of water supply, and household waste disposal practices. These findings indicate that policies and programs to reduce child mortality in rural Nigeria must address socio-demographic and context-specific factors, especially at the community level.

Usefulness and expectations on skills development and entrepreneurship among women of low socioeconomic status in Ogun State, Nigeria.

The acquisition of vocational training skills and entrepreneurial know-how is acknowledged as an added advantage and a safety net to navigate poverty, especially in dwindling economic recession time and massive unemployment. This study examined the factors influencing the usefulness and perceived realization of skills development/empowerment to encourage more women's involvement in small scale businesses and promote its effect on poverty alleviation in households across Nigeria. Data collection involved a structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews conducted post-the vocational skill/empowerment training. The training was organized among Campus Keepers in a private university in Ogun State, Nigeria. Forty Campus Keepers were selected using the systematic sampling technique from a total population of 224, and 37 of the 40 selected voluntarily participated in this study. The Campus Keepers were women with low socioeconomic status who worked as cleaners on the university campus. Five of the Campus Keepers were purposively selected as key informants for the study. Results showed that respondents who had earlier knowledge and vocational skills training reported that it leads to self-employment. This view was higher for respondents who had more people in their household than those with fewer people (OR = 22.7 [CI= .56, 921.31]). The perception that the training can lead to additional income was lower for respondents who reported that either they or their spouses were sole breadwinners in their household than for those who reported that both/others/none were breadwinners (OR = .05 [CI=0, 1.2]). The odds that the skills development/empowerment training will result in perceived improved business was higher for respondents who gained more knowledge/information from the training than those who did not (OR=29.19 [CI = 1.1, 777.48]). Findings from the qualitative study suggest that key informants who participated in past training were yet to establish a profitable business of their dream fully. Governmental policy and program intervention that incorporates these findings will lead to increased participation of the target population in similar training in the future, leading to poverty alleviation towards achieving the SDGs for Nigeria.

Nigeria and Italy Divergences in Coronavirus Experience: Impact of Population Density.

BACKGROUND: The reports and information on coronavirus are not conspicuously emphasising the possible impact of population density on the explanation of difference in rapid spread and fatality due to the disease and not much has been done on bicountry comparisons. OBJECTIVE: The study examined the impact of population density on the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in two sociodemographic divergent countries. METHODS: The study conducted a scoping review of published and unpublished articles including blogs on incidences and fatalities of COVID-19. The analysis followed qualitative description and quantitative presentation of the findings using only frequency distribution, percentages, and graphs. RESULTS: The two countries shared similar experience of "importation" of COVID-19, but while different states ordered partial lockdown in Nigeria, it was an immediate total lockdown in Italy. The physician/patient ratio is high in Italy (1 : 328) but low in Nigeria (1 : 2500), while population density is 221 in Nigeria and 206 in Italy. Daily change in incidence rate reduced to below 20% after 51 and 30 days of COVID-19 first incidence in Italy and Nigeria, respectively. Fatality rate has plummeted to below 10% after the 66th day in Italy but has not been stabilised in Nigeria. CONCLUSION: The authors upheld both governments' recommending measures that tilted towards personal hand-hygienic practices and social distancing. Authors suggested that if Italy with its high physician/patient ratio and lower population density compared to Nigeria could suffer high fatality from COVID-19 pandemic under four weeks, then Nigeria with its low physician/patient ratio and higher population density should prepare to face harder time if the pandemic persists.

Human capital and poverty reduction in OPEC member-countries.

A vast study has shown a mixed result on the implications of a natural resource on growth and poverty. Theoretically, the Resource Curse Hypothesis stresses that natural resource serves as an obstacle for growth. However, the connection between human capital and poverty in OPEC member countries remain under-researched. To ensure inclusiveness in growth, it is essential to focus on human capital models that incorporate the components of poverty reduction. As a result, this study investigates the interactive relationship between human capital components and poverty reduction in OPEC member countries. It is a cross-country study of a panel fully modified least-squares of 12 countries within the OPEC region. The interactive effects of the components of human capital development have a long-run impact on poverty reduction in OPEC member countries. Besides, human capital components confirm a positive effect on poverty reduction. Thus, since human capital is a crucial determinant of improving economic growth, OPEC member countries should invest more on the quality of human capital through education and health to improve the living standard of people and societal welfare.