An Analyse of Infant Mortality Rate in Abia State (a Case Study of Federal Medical Centre Umuahia From 1995 to 2004)
Chapter One
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
- To compare mortality rate of infant male and female in order to know whether there is significant yearly difference in their mortality rate.
- To determine whether infant mortality in Abia State is independent of sex.
- To suggest possible preventive measures to reduce the number of infant deaths that may occur.
- To determine the trend of the infant mortality rate.
- Based on the findings, recommendation will be made.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
In traditional African setting, the birth of a child is herald with joy and ovation after which the naming ceremony follows within a few native weeks after birth. They polygamous marriage pattern which was associated with the people of Africa made it possible for a man to marry two three or more wives at a life time, there by increasing the possibility of multiple births which in turn increases the joy and ovation associated with the birth of children since the Africans valued and cherished human being more than any other race in the world.
The death of these infants, which came in their numbers as a result of many factors brings sadness and sorrow to not only the parents but the entire kindred and community at large; no wonder a woman in such a traditional setting can even morn a baby for a year or more until the arrival of another one.
Due to the rise in number of marriages, family and marriage practices, large number of infants are born. This in turn causes large number of deaths of infants due to some problems, complications and illness as attested by Eke (1996). There is no doubt that thousands of infants die daily in our country and the rate of these infants death takes up a sizeable percentage of the total births in a year.
Diseases, some of which can be preventable are the chief cause of infants death. These diseases are due to the prevalence of micro parasites or intermediate hosts in certain areas. Some of these diseases can occur in the form of epidemic or pandemic giving rise to a serious epidemic like the cholera epidemic in 1998 as reported by ‘your Health Magazine” which left a death tell of more than six thousand (6,000) infants in a space of two weeks, what a loss; due to his high rate of infant mortality people are worried, because infant mortality has a considerable significance on demography and the level of infants death is a crucial test of the service and social progress of a country.
Barclay (1958) said that people view the rate of infant mortality as having to do with the life and longevity of the people of the area.
According to Cox (1975), “the difficulties of measuring reproductive wastages especially deaths is Herculean, as no fully adequate statistical expression of its magnitude is available in any country. He also said that the death of aro infant is a reduction not only in population but of the many misconduct the child might have had if he had lived”.
Santon (1978), said that it is disturbing that about so many places in world today, between 120 to 2000 infants die in the first year of life while 25 to 50 are physically maimed from diseases that are preventable. One may view that the very large number of infant births are very large number of infant births are caused by fertility as Bouvier (1981) said that fertility behaviours are determined by the ways in which the social, economic and cultural systems are structured but birth prevention is a mechanism producing difference in fertility.
Also Wheeler (1981) said those fertility rates are mentioned in a macro economic level in order to compare different population.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
INTRODUCTION
This chapter deals with the methods are procedure upon which the data for this research analysis was generated. It indicates the kind of data collected and explains the methods used in collecting such data.
SOURCES OF DATA
The data for this project work is a secondary data which was obtained through an administrative procedure from the statistics/medical records department of the federal medical center Umuahia. It is a compilation of data from medical records office of the hospital and curves the following subjects; the infant birth rate, the infant death rate and the diseases which were the chief cause of such death.
METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION
The data was collected according to sex i.e. male and female on the number of births and deaths and the months and years that such births ad deaths took place as compiled by the workers in the statistics/medical records department of the Federal Medical Centre Umuahia, Abia State.
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA ANALYSIS
This chapter deals with the methods used in data analysis and such methods includes the Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test, the chi-square test and time series analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS
In this research work, there has been an analysis of the rate at which infants were born as well as the rate at which the same infants were dying, otherwise known as infant mortality as it occurs in Abia State using the Federal medical center Umuahia as a case study.
These findings were made possible by the use of secondary data collected from the federal medical center Umuahia. It was discovered that many factors were responsible for the death of infants, the chief among these factors was found to be diseases and such diseases include typhoid feuct, cholera, measles, small pox, dysentery, diarrhea, whooping cough, polio myelitis among others.
The first test performed was to compare the birth and death of infants males and females in order to know whether there is significance yearly difference in their birth and mortal8ity. This statistical tool for this analysis was the Wilcoxon Ranksum test, in both cases the null hypotheses were accepted and it was established that there is no yearly difference in the birth and mortality of infants male and female at a = 0.05.
Also to determine whether infants birth and mortality are independent of sex, the chi-square test was performed on the data using the contingency table and testing at a = 0.05, it worthy is to mention that in both the birth and mortality cases that the null hypothesis were accepted and it was established that infants birth and morality were independex of sex.
Furthermore, the forecasts of the future values of the births and mortality were also determined using the least square trend equation, and it was observed that each value of the birth or mortality could be determine by replacing the t in the least square trend equation with that particular time point. It is the time series analysis which was the last test performed on the data that enabled values of birth or death could be determined for the infants male and female in Abia State.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, we discovered that generally the number of infants born in Abia State is increasing as year passes by just like the Nigerian population which is also increasing.
We al so find out that there was in increase in the mortality rate of infants in Abia State from 1995 to the year 1999 but the reverse became the case from year 2000 to 2004. These decrease in infant mortality in Abia State experienced from year 2000 to 2004 was due to improved health standard and the vaccination against the infants killer disease. The campaign against the infant mortality was carried out through various health agencies such as the National Programme on Immunization (PI) and the international program known as the expanded programme on Immunization (EPI).
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on our findings the following recommendations are made:-
- The health of infant producing mothers should be given serious attention to help reduce the mortality of infants, since it is an established truth that the health of a mother can as well effects here babies.
- More serious campaign should be made to encourage the registration of births and deaths of infants which occurred outside the government hospitals.
- There should be an increase in the breast-feeding of infants, since the breast milk contains natural antigen that helps to protect the infants against infant’s killer diseases.
- Government should build more hospitals and health centers in the aural areas to increase the health of infants and mothers living in the rural communities.
- There should be proper method of sanitation and refuse disposal should be done properly at the designation centers far away from homes
- The expanded program on immunization and the national program on immunization should not relent in their effort again the infant’s killer diseases through vaccinations and other means.
REFERENCES
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- Bowen, I.A.N (1976) “Economic and demography” eorge Allen and Uruwin Ltd London.
- Derek, L. Jones (1975) “Peoples Populations” Faber and Fabe, London 1995.
- Orubuloye and Onyenenya (1983) “Population and Development in Nigeria” NISER.
- Lorimer, F. (1959) “The Development of Demography” in the Study of Population: and inventory and Appreciation, University Press, Chicago.
- Hauser, P.M and Duncan, O.D. (1959) “The Study of Population: an Inventory Appraisal” University Press, Chicago.