The environment of infant and child mortality a case study of Nigerian villages

"This is a report of a survey of 900 mothers under 50 years of age in two Igbo villages in Nigeria, which were identified in an earlier survey as having very high mortality. The present work was undertaken to decipher the factors responsible for the high mortality. The study found that the mothers were aware of the causes of illness and death; they spaced their births using breast-feeding and sexual taboos. Most of them gave and received advice about children's illnesses and the contents of such communication emphasized the use of modern medicines. Only a few patronized traditional healers or believed that children's death was due to recurring birth and death of a spirit-child (ogbanje). Given their positive attitudes towards modern health care, the explanation of the high mortality is neither institutional nor cultural but environmental and technological, that is, lack of clean water, toilet facilities and modern medicines. We conclude by stressing the role of environmental conditions and affordable and effective modern health care as a package in reducing death rates rapidly even without further gains in income per capita. A policy in this direction should include educational programs on the proper use and maintenance of the facilities."

"The environment of infant and child mortality a case study of Nigerian villages"@en
"The environment of infant and child mortality : a case study of Nigerian villages"